Baby White Rhino born to mother that survived horrific poaching attack

Kariega Game Reserve in South Africa announced the birth this week of a baby White Rhino to a mother that had survived a terrible poaching attack that left her without her horn.

Thandi the rhino, whose story was reported on Wildlife Extra, gave birth to her calf in the early morning, witnessed by two Kariega rangers.

Shortly afterwards wildlife vet Dr William Fowlds observed the mother and her calf from a distance and confirmed that both looked well.

Thandi and two male rhinos were discovered in 2012 with their horns brutally removed by machete. They had been tranquillised and left to bleed to death. 

The two males did not survive but Thandi endured numerous operations over two years, including pioneering skin graft surgery under the care of Dr Fowlds.

Continued ...

Six white rhino to be translocated to Botswana's Okavango Delta

February 2013. In the first ever private game reserve donation of rhino, luxury travel company &Beyond has earmarked six white rhino to be translocated from Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa to Botswana's Okavango Delta. Facilitated in partnership with Rhino Force, this conservation coup has been generously funded by lead sponsor, Motorite Administrators.

Rhino poaching surge
"South Africa lost well over 600 rhino to illegal poaching last year alone and Botswana currently has an excellent security system to protect the species. Translocations are fundamental to secure the ongoing survival of rhino for future generations," says Les Carlisle, &Beyond Conservation Manager.

The Okavango Delta has proven to be a successful rhino relocation habitat and Botswana has a strong security and monitoring framework in place whereby the military helps to protect the species. "It's the ideal opportunity for us to move our eggs out of one basket," explains Carlisle. "The project has the full support of the Botswana Rhino Management Committee and we are thrilled to be driving such a vital initiative for rhino conservation in partnership with Motorite."

As one of southern Africa's largest independent motor-related insurance administrators, Motorite supports this translocation to ensure the ongoing conservation of South Africa and Botswana's natural heritage.

After years of negotiation and planning, the translocation process will begin this month. Game scouts from Botswana will undergo intensive tracking and monitoring training at &Beyond Phinda, as they learn about white rhino behaviour in the Delta. Capture and release bomas have been built in South Africa and Botswana respectively, permits obtained and various conservation initiatives set in place to ensure that the six carefully selected rhino arrive at their destination safely.

Read on:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/okavango-rhinos.html

Mystery surrounds zoo's white rhino deaths

THE deaths of four white rhinos at Dubbo's Taronga Western Plains Zoo has baffled veterinary staff and initiated an immediate veterinary investigation.

The rhinos were reported to have died suddenly after showing some neurological abnormalities, such as stumbling.

The surviving animals have been quarantined at the zoo.

Advertisement: Story continues below

The zoo's general manager, Matt Fuller, said the veterinary team was working around the clock and consulting with rhinoceros specialists in Africa and North America, as well as specialist government virologists, government vet services, pathology laboratories and specialists.

He said Ben Bryant, the zoo's head vet, was a consultant of international standing and he was working with ''the support and attention of the best people in the world'' to find answers.

The investigation had ruled out exposure to toxins, bacterial infection, snake venom and organ failure as causes of death. Hendra virus and West Nile virus have also been ruled out.

No other species have been affected by the illness and other animals at the zoo are healthy.

The sudden nature of the deaths has shocked the zoo's staff and the management team was working to provide support and counselling if needed.

''Obviously the rhino keepers and veterinary staff know and care for every individual in the herd, so this has been a huge shock and we're all very sad and supporting each other through this difficult time,'' Mr Fuller said.

''Our focus is on continuing this investigation to pinpoint the cause … and to care for the remaining animals in the herd.''

The zoo has three southern white rhinos remaining in quarantine. Among the dead was the calf Amira, which was hand-raised by zoo staff in 2005.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/mystery-surrounds-zoos-white-rhino-deaths-20120320-1vi97.html#ixzz1plNSaJHJ 

Western black rhino declared extinct

No wild black rhinos remain in West Africa, according to the latest global assessment of threatened species.

The Red List, drawn up by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has declared the subspecies extinct.

A subspecies of white rhino in central Africa is also listed as possibly extinct, the organisation says.

The annual update of the Red List now records more threatened species than ever before.

The IUCN reports that despite conservation efforts, 25% of the world's mammals are at risk of extinction. As part of its latest work it has reassessed several rhinoceros groups.

Poaching vulnerability
As well as declaring the western black rhino (Diceros bicornis longipes) extinct, it records the northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), a subspecies in central Africa, as being on the brink of extinction.

The last Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus) outside Java is also believed to have disappeared.

Overall numbers of black and white rhinos have been rising, but some subspecies have been particularly vulnerable to poaching by criminal gangs who want to trade the animals' valuable horns.

Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, told BBC News: "They had the misfortune of occurring in places where we simply weren't able to get the necessary security in place.

"You've got to imagine an animal walking around with a gold horn; that's what you're looking at, that's the value and that's why you need incredibly high security."

Another focus for this year's list is Madagascar and its reptiles. The report found that 40% of terrestrial reptiles are threatened. But it also says that new areas have been designated for conservation.

That will help protect endangered species including Tarzan's chameleon (Calumma tarzan) and the limbless skink (Paracontias fasika).

Among the success stories identified in the latest annual update is the reintroduction of the Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus). Listed extinct in the wild in 1996, it was brought back after a captive breeding programme and the wild population is now thought to exceed 300.

Among the partner organisations involved in compiling the research for the list is the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

ZSL's Dr Monika Boehm said: "This Red List update very much shows us a mixed picture of what's happening to the world's species. There's some good news and some bad news.

"Unfortunately, the overall trend is still a decline in biodiversity. We still haven't achieved our conservation potential."
By Daniel Boettcher Environment Correspondent
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15663982