Zimbabwe No Longer Rhino Horn of Plenty

At least 1,500 of Zimbabwe’s 2,000 black rhinoceroses, one of the world’s largest herds, have been wiped out by poachers in the past three years, according to a just-released study by the Zambezi Society, a Harare-based conservation group. The independent group said “catastrophic” losses of the endangered animal were recorded by rangers involved in conservation programs at the main nature reserves in the Southern African nation. Fewer than 50 animals are believed to have survived in the Zambezi River Valley along the border with neighboring Zambia, once home to many rhinos, elephants and hippopotamuses, the Zambezi Society said. Rangers found the largest surviving concentration of about 100 black rhinos in the western Hwange game reserve. Rhinos are poached for their horns, which are used as an ingredient in aphrodisiacs and traditional medicines in Asia, and in the Middle East the horn is carved into ceremonial dagger handles. Zimbabwe hosted an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 tourists last year, many presumably lured by the opportunity to photograph black rhinos.

Flying Higher But Is It Safer? The City Council of Niagara Falls, N.Y., has stopped issuing licenses for sightseeing helicopters after a midair collision Sept. 29 that killed four people. The measure, approved Oct. 5, imposes a six-month moratorium on the issuing of licenses while the city examines the problem of heavy traffic over the falls. Practically speaking, the moratorium will have no immediate effect because Transport Canada, the Canadian aviation regulatory agency, while indefinitely banning low-level flights over the falls after the fatal accident, began allowing flights at higher altitudes last week. The collision--about 300 yards from Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the twin waterfalls that straddle the U.S.-Canadian border--involved a helicopter from Rainbow Helicopters of Niagara Falls, N.Y., carrying four tourists, and a helicopter owned by Niagara Helicopters Ltd. of Niagara Falls, Ontario. The Rainbow helicopter then crashed into an embankment, killing all aboard. The other landed at an amusement park nearby with no serious injuries to the five people on board. The cause of the accident is under investigation. Niagara Falls residents and officials on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border have complained for years of overcrowding in the skies above the falls.

Travel Quiz: What Spanish island group shares its name with a kind of bird?

Advice for the Broadway-Bound: Visitors to New York on Halloween weekend take note: Police predict that the Nov. 1 New York Marathon will snarl traffic all over Manhattan--most seriously north of 59th Street, according to a spokesman for the New York Police Dept. Although the race begins at 10:45 a.m. and the first runners cross the finish line about 1 p.m., late-finishing runners continue for several hours after that, congesting traffic in Manhattan for most of the day. Travelers going to either Kennedy or La Guardia airports should allow 1-1 1/2 hours’ extra transit time to make up for potential traffic problems, the police say.

Getting a Hand With Check-ins: Tired of waiting in long lines at airport check-in counters? British Airways has just introduced U.S. airport check-ins that come to you. At LAX, as well as the San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Boston and Newark airports, roaming British Airways staff members equipped with palm-size portable computers can check in passengers curbside or pluck them out of line inside the terminal. British Air estimates it will trim in-line check-in time by 10%, since even those not checked in in this manner will benefit by having the total number of people in line reduced. The one-pound computers are now being used only at U.S. and British airports, but a British Air spokeswoman said the company envisions the day when the they will be used to check in travelers on selected cruise ships or anywhere travelers are airport-bound.

Quick Fact: About 60%-70% of airline captains worldwide are expected to retire over the next decade, according to the International Air Transport Assn., just as carriers’ traditional source of pilots--the military--is drying up.

Coming to America, Prepared: The British Foreign Office is warning its citizens visiting the United States to be wary of muggers, and to carry cash in case they are accosted. The advice to Britons traveling to areas with high street crime and violence followed the Oct. 3 murder of Keith Thompson, 42, an English postal worker who was shot and killed by gunmen at an Orlando-area hotel after he refused to hand over his wallet. Thompson, who was unloading his car, had just arrived from Britain for a three-week visit with his fiance. The Foreign Office is advising travelers to carry a few dollars that they can hand over, according to a spokesman.

Going Places This Fall: The U.S. Travel Data Center reports that Americans are traveling more during the fall. Between fall, 1989, and autumn, 1991, fall travel grew by about 23 million people to 328 million travelers. And where are we going? Top destinations include (in order of popularity): Florida, California, Hawaii, Texas, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, Washington, D.C., Washington state and Illinois, according to a first-ever study by the Travel Industry Assn. of America.

For the Best Deals, Call Direct: The best way to get the cheapest rate at U.S. hotels, according to the October Consumer Reports Travel Letter, is to avoid computerized reservation systems, chain 800 numbers and airline-sponsored booking services and to call the hotel reservation desk directly. The Travel Letter found that agents at hotel reservation desks were better informed about special discounts and often offered the sale information without being asked. (Best to ask, though.)

Comparatively Speaking: Average cost for a 12-ounce bottle of Milk of Magnesia in Boston: $4.12. In Atlanta: $3.95. In Washington, D.C.: $3.57. In Detroit: $3.47. (Source: Runzheimer International.)

Quiz Answer: The Canary Islands (in the Atlantic Ocean near Africa).