Releasing Three Orphaned White Rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum) to the Game Reserve in South Africa. Rehabilitation, Translocation and Post-Release Observations

Abstract

White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is one of the most famous victims of poachers in Africa. One of the methods for dealing with decreasing rhino numbers is rehabilitating wounded and/or orphaned animals to successfully release them back into the wild. The status of rescued animal differs among individuals, but general procedures must be established and constantly improved. This study presents the history of successful release of three orphaned white rhino females; rehabilitated for 15 months in Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in a private game reserve in South Africa. Female A was three years old, female B was one year old and the youngest female was three months old on arrival. The animals were rehabilitated together despite the differences in their age and size, with particular attention paid to keeping them as wild as possible. After being weaned and becoming old enough to go back to the wild, they were released at a distance from the rehabilitation centre, which required immobilization and translocation. Since the rhinos were released, they have been successfully living in the wild. All procedures used in this study proved to be sufficient for preparing the animals for life in the wild and can be recommended for other centres.

Keywords: conservation; white rhinoceros; wildlife rehabilitation.

Figure 1

Observing rhinos on their enclosure in WRC through the small gaps. The gaps are narrow enough to hide humans and exclude the eye contact with visitors.

Figure 2

Walking the rhino into the crates. Animal is led to crates pulled by a rope tied around its head and pushed from the back at the same time.

Figure 3

Three released females accompanied by a wild male 15 min post release.