SA rhinos have a chance in Botswana
100 animals relocated as part of a big conservation rescue drive
AS CONSERVATIONISTS celebrated World Rhino Day on Tuesday, South Africa is looking beyond its borders to help crack down on its rhino-poaching problem.
Environmental activist group Rhinos Without Borders, working with a private game reserve group and Beyond and Great Plains Conservation, has begun moving 100 rhinos to Botswana in a mammoth task that began 18 months ago.
“What started as a dream has now become a reality with the successful release of the first batch of rhinos in their new home in Botswana,” said the organisations.
“With 393 rhinos killed in South Africa in the first four months of this year and one rhino poached every seven hours, it is likely that some of the rhinos that have been safely translocated would have been poached by now if they had remained in South Africa.”
The new Rhinos Without Borders website was launched on Tuesday to coincide with World Rhino Day.
As at August 27, the country had lost more than 700 rhinos.
The rhinos for translocation, said the organisations, were identified from a helicopter and the professional veterinary team were alerted on the ground about their positions.
“Once the rhino is darted, a blindfold is placed over its eyes and the highly experienced and specialised team work quickly so that the rhino is only sedated for a minimal amount of time to ensure its stress levels are kept low and its health is not compromised.”
The animals were also treated for ticks and internal parasites, and a number of measurements were taken by the research team. Notches were also made in the rhinos’ ears so they could be easily identified in the future.
“Moving a rhino that weighs more than a ton isn’t easy and requires a team that is well trained and efficient. Once the rhino is standing, the team walks it around in a large arc to allow the blood to flow through its legs. The team have been trained in every aspect of this move and have years of capture experience behind them.”
The rhino was gently guided into a crate used to transport it to the quarantine boma a short distance away., they said.
“Once inside the crate, the rhino’s blindfold and earplugs are removed before it is transported to the quarantine boma.”
Beyond and Great Plains Conservation is no stranger to conservation. The organisation’s past involvement in rhino conservation includes the creation of a vital new habitat for white rhinos with the launch of the Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve in 1991, and the reserve later becoming a pilot property for the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project. It is also a founding member of Project Rhino in KwaZulu-Natal.