 Reference Base  Behaviour of large mammals during the formation of Lake K... |
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Child, G., 1968. Behaviour of large mammals during the formation of Lake Kariba. Salisbury and Bulawayo, Trustees of the National Museums of Rhodesia, pp. i-vi, 1-123
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| Location: |
World |
| Subject: |
Behaviour - Daily Routine |
| Species: |
Black Rhino |
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The only reference found in the literature to their swimming is the description by Harthoorn and Lock (1960) of one which had to swim at Kariba. Here, there were several additional records of rhino swimming up to 20 or 25 yards, which was approaching the limit of their endurance, as black rhino are poor swimmers and, unlike the Asiatic species, do not like deep water. Mr. N. Dean (pers. com.), senior warden in Hluhluwe Game Reserve, Zululand, which his a dense black rhino population, is of the opinion that this species will not cross a rapidly flowing stream if it is over 15 inches deep. He also found they preferred wallows with more mud than water, although they continued to use them after rain with water up to 18 inches deep. This is in contrast to the three Asiatic forms. Barbour and Allen (1932) noted that the Javan rhino, Rhinoceros sondaicus Desmarest, is partial to entering streams, and Hubback (1939) records the same for the Sumatran species, Didermocerus sumatrensis F'ischer, which frequently goes into clear streams up to three feet deep, while Ripley (1952) found that the Indian rhino, Rhinoceros unicornis Linn. is an accomplished swimmer with, among others, a record of one which swam the Brahmaputra river.
The fact that some black rhino went into deep water at Kariba was, therefore, unusual. Rescue Reports describe spoor leading from one island to another through water up to three feet deep, and a family party was observed feeding in about this depth of water on Island 17, but charged back on to the island is soon as they were disturbed. The male of this group hid in the water on three occasions after the female and calf had been rescued. During pauses while attempting to drug it, it waded 50 to 100 yards into the shallows and stood motionless in thickets with only its head above the surface, but bolted back on to the island as soon is men gathered on the shore. It also crossed 150 yards of water up to three feet deep at least five times, but, as when hiding. never did so while being chased. This was the animal Harthoorn and Lock described swimming about 25 yards and was the only one reported to have done so before being darted with drugs, although a number entered the water afterwards and some drowned when they collapsed in the shallows under the influence of the drug.
Rhino are weak swimmers which experience difficulty in holding their heads above the surface. Like elephant, they appear to realise how vulnerable they are in the water, which accounts for the fact that they could seldom be driven into the shallows and explains the behaviour of the male on Island 17, which charged back on to the island as soon as men threatened to block it off from land.
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