BLACK RHINO MANAGEMENT IN THE iSIMANGALISO
WETLANDPARK
By AJ Conway
EKZNW CM iSimangaliso WetlandPark
Member IUCN AfRSG
Member SADC RMG
Chair: KZN Rhino Group
The black rhino is classified as Critically Endangered in the IUCN
1996 Red List of Threatened Animals. Yet as recently as the 1970’s, it was estimated that over 60
000 black rhino were still roaming Africa. Poaching, combined with inadequate field protection has decimated
these populations throughout the continent. The target being their horns for medicinal purposes in
the East and tradition daggers in Yemen.
Of the four black rhino subspecies, the future of the western black
rhino is especially bleak, with the species probably now extinct in Cameroon, the last known population. The south-central black rhino (Diceros bicornis minor) which we have here in KwaZulu-Natal is the most numerous, yet still has only an estimated population of
1866 in the wild worldwide, of which 1258 occur in South Africa.
Some populations have increased well under protection and others
appear to have stabilized during the 1990’s. The most recent estimate of 3 726 black rhinos (all
four species) in December 2006 indicates that they are showing a gradual increase.
In KwaZulu-Natal there are 460 black rhino (D. b. minor) of which 90 (ninety) occur in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, in uMkhuze,
Western Shores and Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia.
To prevent rhino disappearing forever it is necessary to protect them
from poaching and manage them to maintain rapid population growth. And it is with this defining
principle in mind is that drives the management initiatives in the iSimanagaliso Wetland Park in
respect to black rhino and indeed other rare and endangered species such as white rhino, wild dog
and oribi.
The protection of black rhino involves an elaborate security system
which involves field rangers and section rangers patrolling the areas that they frequent daily and
record details of all sightings of black rhino on prescribed forms which are later captured in a
database at the section headquarters. The details are strictly quality controlled and the life
history of as many animals as possible are tracked through personal history sheets. It is for this
reason that every two years expensive ear-notching operations take place with helicopters and
immobilizing drugs. The principle being that the more animals that are known in a population the
greater control one has over the population estimate and performance, in measuring for example date
at first calving, inter-calving intervals, calf mortalities, home ranges etc. All this data also
provides valuable historical data in the event of an animal that disappears and serious manpower
and effort is mobilised to try and locate the animal.
In terms of maximizing the black rhino population performance
(breeding) the rhino strategy for the Park follows the guidelines and principles set by the IUCN
African Rhino Specialist Group and the SADC Rhino Management Group, which prescribes a set
harvesting rate for populations at or near ecological carrying capacity. In the case of uMkhuze
and EasternShores the harvesting rate is set at 5% per annum. The WesternShores population has been recently established and the population will only
be harvested in about 8 (eight) years time when the population of black rhino exceeds 75% of
carrying capacity.
There is an exciting new development with the fencing Ozabeni, a
large (50 000ha) section of the Park, which is ear-marked for a founder introduction of black rhino
in 2008. This introduction will provide a vital link between EasternShores and uMkhuze, furthering the viability of black rhino in
the iSimangalisoPark.
The introduction to Ozabeni will top the 100 figure of black rhino in
the iSimangaliso WetlandPark and securing it the highest status possible, a KEY 1 population in
terms of the IUCN African Rhino Specialist Group rankings – a great achievement worth protecting
and maximizing performance for the survival of the black rhino forever!!
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