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| Location: |
Africa - Southern Africa - Swaziland |
| Subject: |
Translocation - Methods |
| Species: |
Black Rhino |
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Diceros bicornis Swaziland - behaviour towards fence. We kept the rhinos confined in bomas, each separately compartmented, for 2 months before releasing the first two animals, Mayaluka and Kakayi. Mayaluka began browsing immediately he left the pens. He walked slowly down the fenceline - and touched it. The 4000 volt shock sent him snorting into the bush. Kakayi was then released. She walked up to the fence as though she could not see it. Her face, held high, went beyond the bracket supporting the insulated strand of electrified barbed wire and she pushed through the veldspan mesh, snapping the wire before the 4000 volts hit her. She was well earthed at the time, with her face enmeshed in the veldspan. The shock sent her back on her haunches, and she bellowed and took off into the bush. It is unlikely she has ever touched the fence again.
We let only the two out that day. The first night one of the gates was damaged by Mayaluka. It was buckled and bent, but it held long enough to deliver what must have been a terrible shock, for it had rained that night and the ground was wet. His tracks, which showed that the bull had fled from the gate into the bush and run for at least two kilometres, were imprinted deep in the earth. It is unlikely that Mayaluka has ever made contact with the fence again either.
Meanwhile, following the experience gained from the release of the first two animals, an intermediate paddock was built and electrified.
The next two rhino were released individually into this paddock to teach them about electricity. Without exception, on contact each one rushed back and sought the shelter of the boma. They quickly learned not to make contact with electrified wire, and when finally released, they too respected the fence entirely.
There followed a daily patrol of the fence for two weeks thereafter, and spoor showed the rhino to be giving the fence a wide berth.
Finally, the bull Fecele and the remaining heifer Mbabatane were released into the cabled paddock and exposed to electricity. They too rushed for the shelter of their pen after contact with the 4000 volts. Two contacts were enough for them to acknowledge the fence -and they skirted the wire religiously from then on.
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Black rhino return to Swaziland
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