Protecting the rhinos at Rietvlei Nature
Reserve
October 2012. Rietvlei Nature Reserve
lies on the southern edge of Pretoria, and came into existence in the 1930's
to supply the local residents with clean drinking water. A portion of the
catchment area of the dam (including the dam) was proclaimed and is being
managed as a Nature Reserve.
Ten white rhinos currently live in the
Rietvlei Nature Reserve, but because Rietvlei is a large reserve of over
4000Ha, monitoring and protecting the safety of the rhinos is difficult. For
this reason, the reserve has set up heavy-duty security features, including
base stations and security towers to monitor the creatures constantly. They
have also begun to tag the rhinos to keep track of them, but this can be
costly, so local car dealer, Imperial Select, has agreed to sponsor a programme
of protection to keep them safe from poachers. Imperial Select will be giving
financial support towards these security operations.
Tracking devices
At present, two of the resident rhinos have been fitted with transmitters as a trial, and the rest are soon to follow. The devices are able to send a signal, allowing the animals' movements to be tracked and for quick identification purposes. The transmitters also send a distress signal if the movements seem irregular or abnormal. The trial was a resounding success with the two rhinos returning to normal life at the park with 100%health after the insertion of the transmitters. Both rhino were darted so that they fell asleep, and their horns were drilled with small holes to fit the transmitters. 3000 "microdots" were placed into each hole, which were then sealed by a monitoring device.
At present, two of the resident rhinos have been fitted with transmitters as a trial, and the rest are soon to follow. The devices are able to send a signal, allowing the animals' movements to be tracked and for quick identification purposes. The transmitters also send a distress signal if the movements seem irregular or abnormal. The trial was a resounding success with the two rhinos returning to normal life at the park with 100%health after the insertion of the transmitters. Both rhino were darted so that they fell asleep, and their horns were drilled with small holes to fit the transmitters. 3000 "microdots" were placed into each hole, which were then sealed by a monitoring device.
With increased security and tagging at
Rietvlei Nature Reserve, the rhinos will have a better chance against the
lethal actions of poachers. With the situation becoming as dire and desperate
as it is today, rhino security is an absolute necessity.
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