Hitchins, P.M., 1986. Earlessness in the black rhinoceros - a warning. Pachyderm 7: 8-10, figs. 1-5, table 1
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Africa - Southern Africa - South Africa |
| Subject: |
Distribution - Records |
| Species: |
Black Rhino |
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against castrating earless male. In 1977 a black rhinoceros male lacking one pinna was introduced to the Addo Elephant National Park from Hluhluwe Game Reserve. It was later successfully castrated to prevent the possibility of an eariess inducing-gene being introduced into the Addo population (de Vos and Braack, 1980). Subsequently it has been destroyed as it no longer served a reproductive function in the park (J. Flamand, pers. comm.). The animal had been a familiar resident of Hluhluwe Game Reserve prior to its translocation and was known to have been born with both pinnae. Scars that were subsequently seen around its ear opening indicated that the animal was no exception to the general rule that earlessness in the Natal black rhinoceros is due to hyaena predation. The castration exercise was clearly ill-considered and the presumption that rhinoceros earlessness is necessarily a genetic condition is to be avoided in future.
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Earlessness in the black rhinoceros - a warning
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