Highland Tire's rooftop Rhino dons face mask during pandemic

The yellow fiberglass rhinoceros that sits atop Highland Tire in Tarentum is donning a face mask in response to the covid-19 pandemic.

The rhino, a local landmark, has been wearing its mask for about a month, according to Brad Bonnett, president of Highland Tire.

“I just figured that people needed a laugh — just the mood that the country’s in, everybody was locked down for a long time,” Bonnett said. “Some people have got some laughs out of it.”

The rhino’s mask was fashioned out of a pillowcase, Bonnett said.

“A contractor put it up with a manlift,” he explained.

Bonnett said the rhino got a lot of attention for its new face covering.

The rhino, which has been at Highland Tire for about 40 years, has had an eventful life, even before surviving a pandemic.

It fell off the roof during a storm in 2018. While it was down, Highland Tire employees took to social media and Photoshop to keep rhino fans updated on its mock global travels. There was a party when the rhino was welcomed home to its perch on the roof.