Local reserve embraces new rhino technology
AS part of its ongoing protection of rhinos, Thula Thula Private Game Reserve dehorned five of its herd and fitted specialised GPS collars in a successful operation last weekend.
Conducted by Dr Trevor Viljoen from Mtubatuba Veterinary Clinic, the operation included Heligistix which was involved in the darting of the rhinos, Project Rhino that helped to locate the rhinos with their plane as well as Mfezi Security and the Thula Thula antipoaching team.
“It was an intense morning, a day full of emotions and scary moments ending up with all our rhinos safely trimmed and collared, all for their protection,’ said owner of Thula Thula Private Game Reserve, Françoise MalbyAnthony.
“This does not stop the 24/7 monitoring by our game rangers and anti-poaching unit, above all with the planned expansion of a further 1000 hectares in May.
“The protection of our rhinos is our priority at Thula Thula.”
Malby-Anthony said the set-up of the GPS collars installed on each rhino (three females and two males) was ‘quite a new revolutionary instrument’.
“The GPS allows us not only to locate them as we are expanding the game reserve soon of a thousand hectares with community land, but also the collars record certain movement and unusual behaviour of the rhino.”
Rhino collars
Many rhino-carrying reserves in South Africa, have partnered with Rouxcel Technology, a conservation company specialising in the design and deployment of rhino collars which detect and transmit abnormal rhino behaviour in real-time.
The Rouxcel collars are solar powered and can last many years without any maintenance.