“Surviving the Slaughter” by Bill Konstant, IRF Program Officer

Earlier this month, I joined the International Rhino Foundation team as its new Program Officer and I’m very thankful for the opportunity to work with such a dedicated group of individuals in the effort to save some of Earth’s most threatened species.  I look forward to sharing my perspectives regarding this magnificent group of living creatures with those who support rhino conservation efforts worldwide, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading my blogs.  Some, like this one, will be of a very serious nature.  Others will be a bit more light-hearted and peppered with rhino trivia.  I think it’s important to strike a balance between the task at hand – saving the world’s rhinos – and the reasons for doing this – our fascination with them.

Surviving the Slaughter

As a group, rhinos have been reduced to a handful of “final strongholds” in Africa and Asia.  Of the five living species, three – the Javan, Sumatran and black rhinos -  are listed as Critically Endangered by IUCN- The World Conservation Union, a classification that carries the very real possibility of extinction by the end of the 21st century if existing conditions don’t change.  Asia’s greater one-horned rhino is listed as Vulnerable, which means that its prospects for survival are considerably higher – but it’s far from safe. Meanwhile, Africa’s white rhino numbers are large enough to warrant the more optimistic status of Near Threatened, which means that the species is in reasonably good shape today thanks to ongoing conservation efforts.   What’s important to remember, however, is that these classifications require regular review and that the situation for rhinos can deteriorate quickly due to pressures from our own species.

Throughout history, rhino populations worldwide have been subjected both to relentless hunting pressure and periodic episodes of intense slaughter.  They’ve been pursued for their valuable horns, as the result of civil unrest, and as part of grand eradication schemes to settle wilderness areas.   As a result, certain populations have crashed to the point of near extinction.  Conservationists, however, have come to the rescue several times with last-ditch efforts, building white rhino populations back up from the low hundreds to the many thousands, hoping to achieve similar results with black and greater one-horned rhinos, and digging in to protect the last remaining pockets of Javan and Sumatran rhinos.

Unfortunately, it appears that rhinos are once again fixed in the crosshairs of poachers’ rifles and we have entered a new period of slaughter, particularly in Africa.  Year-end reports from countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya all record significant increases in poaching.  Asian rhinos, fortunately, have not been subject to similar assaults, which their populations could by no means sustain.  What this tells us is that protection efforts are currently meeting the challenge for some rhino species and must be maintained at all costs, while heroic efforts on behalf of other species may need to be increased significantly to counter the current upsurge in poaching.  Rhino conservationists need to do more of what’s worked over the last decade, we should not be discouraged by setbacks, as bad as recent news from the field may be, and we must be prepared to do any even better job in the months and years ahead.

Support for IRF’s Operation: Stop Poaching Now will help safeguard rhinos in South Africa and Zimbabwe.  Year-end donations to this campaign were remarkable, and will be invested in training and equipment for rangers, helping to improve anti-poaching efforts in close to a dozen threatened rhino habitats.  Many thanks to those of you who have helped support this critical initiative.

RPU Ujung Kulon Gets a Rare Opportunity to See and Photograph a Javan Rhino

Interview with Inov:

In the middle of April 2011 we had a chance to take a picture of a Javan Rhino in South Peninsula Ujung Kulon NP.  The location was in Cibandawoh.  Cibandawoh is one of the favorite habitats for Javan Rhinos.  There is a good river and many wallows around the area.  According to data that we have, many people meet rhinos in Cibandawoh, Cikeusik and Citadahan.  Those three locations have a concentration of Javan Rhinos particularly in the dry season.

As usual, after patrol and monitoring from the north peninsula UKNP we moved to the south.  We didn’t see many signs of Javan Rhinos in the north area because it was dry season already.  During the dry season the Javan Rhino will move to the south area.  Our goal wasn’t to find a Javan Rhino; our task is patrol and monitoring of the Javan Rhino habitat.  If we get to see a rhino that is a “bonus” for us.

It was 12.45 and we were looking for a river so that we could cook our lunch.  It was a bit difficult to find a good river with fresh water in dry season.  Suddenly we came upon a fresh footprint of a Javan Rhino.  We measured it to be 23-24 cm.  Slowly and carefully we followed the track of the footprint and we saw two Javan Rhinos together in the wallow.  It was a surprise for us and for the rhinos.  They were a couple and looked like they knew we were nearby.  The male suddenly ran and moved from the wallow and the female rhino stood up and moved from the wallow as well.

We didn’t have time to take a picture when they were in the wallow together, but we did have a chance to take a picture of the female.  The picture wasn’t too clear because we used a pocket camera and we didn’t want to disturb the rhinos.  The rhino was actually only about 5-6 meters from us.

The female Javan Rhino about 5-6 meters from the RPU.

Unit III RPU ujung kulon : Jajat, Endin, Edi, Diding.

Looking Back on 2011 – Zimbabwe Reflections

Back in mid 2008, the year in which poachers killed a staggering 16.6% of the black rhino population in the Lowveld conservancies, a black rhino cow called Teressa and her two month old calf Joseph narrowly escaped becoming part of this tragic statistic. An incursion by rhino poachers had been detected in Bubye Valley Conservancy and as part of the follow up Lowveld Rhino Trust rhino monitors checked on all the rhinos in that particular area. Teressa was found unable to stand due to a bullet wound to her right shoulder – she had been shot with a silenced 30 caliber rifle. Not able to get to water or  food sources, Teressa and her calf would have died without urgent assistance. Teressa was immobilized for treatment and then moved with her calf into bomas so she could rest and recover.

Two-month-old black rhino calf 'Joseph' in the boma with his mother 'Teressa' - August 2008

Teressa struggling to move to water in the boma - August 2008.

Unfortunately the combination of being shot , lacking food and water for two days and experiencing the additional stress of the immobilization resulted in Teressa producing less milk than normal and young Joseph became distressed and lost weight as his hunger increased. It took many hours of patient effort  for a handler to coax Joseph to take milk from a bottle inserted through the wall of the pen in which he had been confined with his mother, who was remarkably tolerant of this human intrusion.  The success that was achieved through this human-rhino interaction meant that Joseph could be left with his mother rather than being separated for hand-rearing.  Three weeks later, Teressa was able to walk normally again, her milk production had returned to normal and the pair were released back into the wild together.

Teressa and Joseph were released from the bomas in September 2008.Routine rhino monitoring patrols confirmed that Teressa and Joseph continued to do well after release.

In November, Teressa gave birth to a new calf.

By December 2010, Joseph had grown into a strong sub-adult.

In November 2011, Joseph, now three and a half years old, was found back with his mother and his now-one-year old little sister.

Teressa and Joseph are just two of many rhinos which have escaped death and continued on to help their species fight against extinction. Black rhino cows Sinikwe and Juliet both suffered bullet injuries and lost their calves to poachers in separate attacks in early 2009. Fortunately their bullet wounds were not severe and both females recovered well and have since given birth to new calves. Mazda, another black rhino cow, was shot in the hind leg by poachers in late 2010. Mazda’s made a full recovery and gave birth to her next calf in March 2011.

Sinikwe and her 2011 calf.

Over 30 black rhino births have been recorded in the Lowevld conservancies in 2011. Over the same time period poachers have claimed a known 13 black rhinos in the same areas – a loss of 3.4% of the Lowveld black rhino population.

We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who does what they can to help rhinos in their fight against extinction and may we all have a peaceful and productive 2012.

Calf in pool of water.

Translocated Rhino Fitted with new Radio Collar

One of the 2008 male rhinos that was translocated from Pabitora National Park to Manas National Park had to be recaptured on April 24 to replace it’s defective radio collar. Here are a few pictures:

Male Indian Rhino After Darting

RHINO Text Giving Campaign

Now, you can text keyword RHINO to 20222 and

donate $5 for African Rhino Conservation.

Supporting wildlife has never been easier! The black rhino is truly a species on the edge. Zoos, conservation organizations, and field researchers have worked together for many years to help fight for its survival. Now the Houston Zoo launched a mobile giving campaign to support the International Rhino Foundation’s work to protect black rhinos in Zimbabwe from poachers and other threats.

All proceeds will come directly to IRF and our partner, the Lowveld Rhino Trust, and will be used for emergency operations to treat rhinos with snare injuries and gunshot wounds, to care for rhino calves orphaned by poaching, to translocate rhinos to areas where they are safer from poachers, and to help authorities apprehend and prosecute wildlife poachers.

A one-time donation of $5 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. You can Text RHINO up to six times in support of this program. Messaging & Data Rates May Apply.  Donations are collected for the benefit of the Houston Zoo by the Mobile Giving Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.hmgf.org/tor txt HELP.STOP to cancel.

Text keyword RHINO to 20222 and protect a rhino today!

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Arresting Tiger Poachers

By Ujang Suryadi

Intelligence and Law Enforcement Unit, Rhino Protection Unit Program Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia

We know that rhinos are a key species and protecting rhinos and their habitat is our main task.  That means we also protect tigers,

Poaching suspects arrested

elephants, and other species. Patrolling and monitoring is our main job, but developing and maintaining relationships with the community and local people surrounding the national park is also another key to success in our program. They will help keep us informed about illegal activity in BBS NP and poaching activity as well.  We always try to maintain a good relationship with them because they supply most of our information. 

Recently, on 22 October 2010, according to information from our local informant, there was a tiger poached in BBS NP by a poaching gang.  Based on our investigation, we were able to identify the suspects and learned their location. Collaborating with the National Park and police, we developed a plan for how to arrest the suspects. The plan was that we would pretend we wanted to buy the tiger skin. One of the RPU members would be an undercover buyer, and the others would handle the arrest when the suspect showed our buyer the tiger skin.

Four hours before the transaction, the suspect and their group cancelled the meeting and they wanted to us to make a new me

Tiger skin confiscated from poaching gang in BBS NP

eting. We agreed and made a new meeting at a new location. The next day at 1:00 AM, we were waiting at the location like they instructed.  We made a deal among all our team members that we would start to arrest the suspects after they showed the tiger skin.  All of us were in position before the suspect came.  I saw the suspect coming with his group of about 4 people. The location where the meeting was taking place was near a big village and there were a lot of people living there. We knew we needed to make this operation smooth and quick. We didn’t want to disturb the local people so early morning in the morning.

After the suspect showed us the tiger skin, all teams (RPU, forest guards and police) arrested the suspect and the group.  There was a lot of fighting between our team and the suspects, and they tried to run away, but we successful in catching all of them. We collected all the evidence such as the tiger skin and teeth, and elephant tusk, as well. We also collected 3 guns, 7 bullets, and a knife. It looked like they were professional poachers and had been successful in killing many animals, for a long time. After we finished collecting all the evidence, taking photographs, and inputting all the data that we needed, we moved from that location to the police department.  We could not take a rest at the police office because we had to make a report and list all the evidence step-by-step.  It was very tiring, we stayed for 2 days at the police office and after finishing all the steps, we were able to go back to the RPU camp. Hopefully in the future there will be no more poachers at the BBS NP and all animals can live without the threat of being poached.

A Day in the Life of an RPU Member

By Romiyanto, Rhino Protection Unit, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia

Translated by Sectionov

Today our duty is to survey and monitor rhino habitat in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (BBSNP). As usual, after packing and checking all our stuff and logistics, the others and I start to go to the field.  Our destination at this time is West Lampung.  One of our RPU vehicles dropped us off at the location near a forest that we will enter.  Full of energy, we started walking, monitoring, and collecting all the data that we needed.  

The first two days of patrolling and monitoring went smoothly; we wondered when something would become a problem for us.  As usual, every night we move from one place to another place.  On our third day, we stayed in Mendati (one location in deep forest in the West Lampung area) — we could tell it was going to rain. Everywhere we looked, it was dark and windy. We continued to walk because we hadn’t reached our destination. I still remember that around 5 PM, it was almost dark, but we needed to continue to walk to find our camp.  Suddenly, the rain came, but we had no time to stop because we were in open area and it was now dark.     

I felt cold, wet, and very tired and I think others also felt the same as I did.  I thought about stopping but we couldn’t, because there weren’t any good locations to make a camp.  We tried continuing our walk and kept our thinking positive. 

After one hour of walking, we finally reached the location that we usual make a camp at, but realized a big tree had fallen down in front of the camp.  We made another camp close to the area, and then noticed a group of wild elephants 5 meters away.  Suddenly, the elephants came after us and we all started running away, as far as we could. We even pushed through a huge bees’ nest getting away – and got lots of stings. We didn’t care; all that was on our minds was to get far away from that location. I heard how angry the elephants were.  

After making sure that we were far away from the location, we tried to calm down and step-by-step to make a simple camp to at least have somewhere to sleep that would cover us from the rain.  We didn’t have a chance to cook dinner, we were too tired.  Before sleeping we discussed what happened that day and tried to laugh, feeling hungry.  

Around 2 AM, we heard the sound of elephants near our camp again.  We didn’t know what we should do, so we prayed and tried to get ready to run, just in case the elephants came after us again.  No one went back to sleep; we were too concerned about paying attention to the sound of the elephants. Thank God, nothing happened that night and finally sunrise approached.  Slowly we moved out from the camp and saw the surroundings.  We saw a lot of elephant footprints!

After breakfast and all logistics were checked, we packed up and moved to another area to continue patrolling…… it’s my life!!!

How Long Can a Rhino’s Horn Grow?

Fast Facts About Rhinos and Their Horns

By Sectionov, Indonesia Liaison, IRF

The horn on a rhinoceros is very different from that of a sheep or antelope. A rhino’s horn is not attached to the skull. Rhino horn is made of compressed keratin fibers, the same material that is found in fingernails and hair! Some people believe that rhino horn has powerful medicinal uses, ranging from stopping nosebleeds and headaches to curing diphtheria and food poisoning, but there is no scientific evidence that this is true. The use of rhino horn for medical purposes has been illegal since 1993. Trade continues, however, and is driving the illegal poaching of endangered rhinos. Asian rhino horns are more highly prized than African horns; consumers believe that their smaller size means that they are more concentrated, and therefore more potent. One repeated misconception is that rhinoceros horn in powdered form is used as an aphrodisiac in traditional Chinese medicine. It is, in fact, generally prescribed for fevers and convulsions. The horns are also valued as dagger handles in Middle Eastern countries like Yemen, where they are known as “jambiyas.”

To prevent poaching in certain areas, rhinos have been tranquilized and their horns removed. Many rhino range states have stockpiles of rhino horn, which needs to be carefully managed.  

The African and the Asian rhinoceroses have some distinct characteristics. Morphologically, one obvious difference is that both African varieties have two horns in tandem, while the Sumatran rhino has two horns, but one typically is a stub, and the other two Asian types, Greater one-horned and Javan rhinos, have a single horn. Behaviorally, it has been found that African rhinos are more aggressive than Asian rhinos. African rhinos fight with their horns, using them to impale and throw their adversaries, while the Asian rhino fights with its bottom teeth, using them in a slashing motion. Their feeding habits vary as well. African rhinos feed low to the ground, whereas the Asian rhino browses on leaves that are higher.

The White Rhino has an immense body and large head, with a short neck and broad chest. This rhino can exceed 3,500 kg (7,700 lb), has a head-and-body length of 3.5–4.6 m (11–15 ft) and a shoulder height of 1.8–2 m (5.9–6.6 ft) The largest White Rhinoceros on record was about 4,600 kg (10,000 lb). On its snout it has two horns. The front horn is larger than the other horn and averages 90 cm (35 in) in length and can reach 150 cm (59 in). The White Rhinoceros also has a prominent muscular hump that supports its relatively large head. The colour of this animal can range from yellowish brown to slate grey.

An adult Black Rhinoceros stands 150–175 cm (59–69 in) high at the shoulder and is 3.5–3.9 m (11–13 ft) in length. An adult weighs from 850 to 1,600 kg (1,900 to 3,500 lb), with particularly large rhinos weighing up to 1,800 kg (4,000 lb), and the females are smaller than the males. Two horns on the skull are made of keratin with the larger front horn typically 50 cm long (20 inches), but sometimes up to 140 cm (55 inches). Sometimes, a third smaller horn may develop. The Black Rhino is much smaller than the white rhino, and has a pointed mouth, which it uses to grasp leaves and twigs when feeding.

The Greater One-Horned (or Indian) Rhinoceros has thick, silver-brown skin which creates huge folds all over its body. Its upper legs and shoulders are covered in wart-like bumps, and it has very little body hair. Fully-grown males are larger than females in the wild, weighing from 2,500–3,200 kg (5,500–7,100 lb). The Indian rhino stands at 1.75-2.0 meters (5.75-6.5 ft). Female Indian rhinos weigh about 1,900 kg (4,200 lb). The Indian Rhino is from 3–4 metres (10 – 14 feet) long. The record-sized specimen of this rhino was approximately 3,800 kg (8,377 lb). The Indian Rhino has a single horn that reaches a length of between 20 and 100 cm (8 – 39 inches). Its size is comparable to that of the White Rhino in Africa.

The Javan rhino‘s body length reaches up to 3.2 m (10 ft), including its head, and is 1.5–1.7 m (4 ft 10 in–5 ft 7 in) tall. Adults are variously reported to weigh between 900–2,000 kg (2,000 – 4,400 lbs). Male horns can reach 26 cm (10 inches) in length while in females they are knobs or are not present at all.

Typically a mature Sumatran rhino stands about 130 cm (51 in) high at the shoulder, with a body length of 240–315 cm (94–124 in), and weighs around 700 kg (1,500 lb), though the largest individuals have been known to weigh as much as 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb). Like the African species, it has two horns; the largest is the front (25–79 cm or 10 – 31 inches) and the smaller is second, and is usually less than 10 cm (4 inches) long. The males have much larger horns than the females. Hair can range from dense (the most dense hair is in young calves) to scarce. The color of these rhinos is reddish brown. The body is short and has stubby legs. They also have a prehensile lip. 

World Record Rhino Horns

According to a study by Dr. Nico van Strien in 2006, the longest rhino horn ever recorded was a 150 cm (59 inch) white rhino horn. This means the rhino’s horn alone was longer that the average adult pig! This horn was found before 1900 in South Africa and it was owned by Sir William Gordons Cummings, but according to the most recent information, the horn was stolen and its whereabouts are unknown.

The longest black rhino horn on record was 130 cm (51 inches) long; it was found in Kenya in 1928. The world record rhino horn for the Greater one-horned rhino is 57 cm (23 inches), and was found in Assam in 1909, and the world record Sumatran rhino horn is 60 cm (23 inches). Both of these horns are currently housed at the British Museum, which also has several Javan rhino horns.

World Record Rhino Horns by Dr. Nico Van Strien

Raising Money for Rhinos

IRF is always looking for unique ways to raise money for rhino conservation and to spread the word about the importance of protecting rhinos and other threatened species. So we were very excited when Rhinocarhire.com approached us with a terrific new  idea to raise money and awareness through an online/Facebook campaign.

Rhinocarhire.com, a car rental company offering low cost car rental from major international destinations, has already “adopted” the five Critically Endangered Sumatran rhinos at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia.  But this adoption is just the first phase of a long-term project the company has planned.

"Andalas" at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary

Rhinocarhire.com also intends, along with the help of the public, to support IRF’s rhino conservation programs by providing 20 rhino rangers with a month’s food rations, employing 10 members of anti-poaching units for a month, and providing radio collars and immobilization drugs for rhino translocations, among other initiatives. The company is encouraging people to visit the conservation site at http://www.rhinocarhire.com/conservation.aspx , to see how quickly the challenge is moving forward and also to offer support by becoming a fan of the project on Facebook.

Each time Rhinocarhire.com reaches one of their Facebook fan targets, they will make an additional donation to IRF! All you have to do is visit http://www.facebook.com/rhinocarhirecom/rhinocarhire today and become a fan, and you too can help raise money for vital rhino conservation programs.

The conservation site set up by Rhinocarhire.com, also aims to keep fans up to date on happenings at the sanctuary, as well as educate those eager to learn about the species.  And, as more individuals and organizations link to the site, even more funding will be generated for conservation activities.

So thanks to our friends at Rhinocarhire.com, and to everyone else helping to support this great project! And if you have any creative ideas of your own about how to raise awareness and funding for rhino conservation, please contact us at info@rhinos-irf.org.   After all, rhinos need all the help they can get.

Namibia Black Rhino Study

Dr. Robin Radcliffe of the International Rhino Foundation’s Rhino Conservation Medicine Program led a team of scientists from Cornell University, the Palm Beach Zoo and the Medical College of Georgia to Namibia for the first-part of a two-year Morris Animal Foundation-funded Project to study the respiratory and thermoregulatory patterns of black rhinoceros during field capture.  This work was made possible through a collaborative effort with the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism’s Rhino Capture Unit under the direction of Pierre Du Preez and Mark Jago with support from rhinoceros expert, Pete Morkel.

Etosha National Park spans the northcentral and northwestern portion of Namibia and encompasses a diverse landscape of mixed acacia thorn scrub, open plains and mopane woodland, all of which surrounds the vast Etosha pan.  This oasis in an otherwise arid land abounds with wildlife including lions and leopard, giraffe and zebra, oryz and gazelle, and both black and white rhinoceros. Here in the jewel of Namibia lies one of Africa’s largest populations of the endangered desert black rhinoceros – Diceros bicornis bicornis.  It was here that we came to study and learn about the rhinoceros.  Capture and anesthesia of rhinoceros across Africa has been practiced for half a century and the principles of field anesthesia have been well established.  Yet for all of this pioneering work there remains a dearth of scientifically based information on the most fundamental aspects of the anesthesia process in these prehistoric beasts.  Our team was a rare mix of zoological and field veterinarians (Robin Radcliffe and Michelle Miller), University veterinary medical professor (Robin Gleed) and University human medical professor (Art Taft).  Our group, funded by the Morris Animal Foundation, the International Rhino Foundation, Cornell University and the Palm Beach Zoo in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, was in Namibia to begin a multiyear investigation looking into some of the most challenging aspects of rhinoceros anesthesia:  How much air does a rhinoceros breath?  What volume of air is moved in and out and what portion of that volume is contributing to gas exchange?  How does ventilation and perfusion change with posture?  These are a few of the many questions the team set out to answer.

Dr. Pete Morkel (right) shares a laugh with Dr. Mark Jago (left) as helicopter pilot Jhanny looks on from the controls of the Bell Jet Ranger.

In just over two weeks the Ministry of Environment and Tourism Game Capture Unit immobilized twenty-eight black rhinoceros for routine ear-notching and radiotelemetry work; data collection was conducted opportunistically on twenty-six animals.  Blood samples were collected at regular intervals to measure blood gas and chemistry values in free-ranging animals under anesthesia.  At the same time, in a subset of animals, the team collected the first in depth data on core ventilation parameters including tidal volume, minute ventilation, and dead space.  These measurements will help the scientists make informed decisions about the effects of potent opioid anesthetic drugs and how posture may alter the respiratory and cardiovascular systems; such data may help devise better ways to manage rhinoceros during capture and anesthesia in both the field and zoological setting.

Dr. Robin Gleed prepares to measure the expired gas of a black rhinoceros as rhino expert Pete Morkel monitors anesthesia.

Dr. Robin Gleed readies the “Hamster Run” for gas collection in a black rhinoceros.

Of course, the scientists met with a number of obstacles along the way.  The first was the numerous challenges of conducting work under difficult conditions.  The team rented a Land Rover TD5 from a tour vehicle company based in South Africa (Kwenda Safari of BushLore – make a note not to rent a 4×4 from this company!).  Upon arriving in Windhoek, the team was disheartened to discover that their expensive Land Rover was not at all what was promised.  The vehicle had seen heavy use and was in disrepair.  The entire morning of the first day and half of the next were devoted to replacing broken parts – a dead battery that repeatedly failed to start, leaking oil from the engine case, and no air conditioning were a few of the shortcomings noted.  With the vehicle finally starting on two salvaged batteries from another, the team could not wait for further repairs so they began the trek 500 kilometers to the north of Windhoek to Etosha National Park.  In the coming weeks we would discover a host of other problems with the Land Rover including two spare tires with only three nuts between them (like many of the other key parts on the vehicle the spare wheels had been salvaged from another vehicle and the rims would not accept the nuts on the other wheels), a host of blown fuses that shut down key systems including the head lights, windshield wipers, refrigeration and the like.  On one wild chase through the muddy Etosha pan following the capture team at high speeds we could not see through the windshield at all until Art Taft changed a few random fuses on the fly.  On another occasion when the fuses did solve the problem and splattered mud covered the windshield, Dr. Morkel stuck his head out of the Land Rover while we crashed through fender high brush on the way to a stumbling rhino.  We made it there in record time too!

Dr. Robin Radcliffe and Art Taft measure the mean expired carbon dioxide of a rhinoceros breath.

Despite all of the challenges of keeping pace with a game capture unit in the wilds of the African bush, the investigation went remarkably well.  The gas collection apparatus designed and built by Dr. Robin Gleed of Cornell University worked extremely well and proved suitable for field collection of minute ventilation in recumbent rhinoceros in the field.  The apparatus, consisting of large four-inch PVC pipes in the shape of giant candy-cane was soon dubbed the “hamster run” because Pierre Du Preez pictured his son fancying such a system of pipes for his pet hamsters.  The gas collection apparatus was simple in that it had no moving parts and no electronics, but its function was no less impressive.  The simple design of pipes separated by a series of one-way valves allowed the investigators to completely separate the inspired air from expired air.  In this way, the team was able to collect the entire volume of air that a rhino breaths out over a minute (minute ventilation).  Together with a variety of other data collected simultaneously, this information will help us determine the precise breathing patterns of recumbent anesthetized rhinoceros.

Dr. Michele Miller running a blood gas on the iSTAT.

The adventures of a rhinoceros veterinarian and his work around the world will continue in future episodes both in Namibia where the team will return in 2011 and also in Sumatra where the International Rhino Foundation and its partners celebrate a pregnancy in one of the rarest rhinos of the world!

By Dr. Robin W. Radcliffe