The African White Rhino

The white rhino is facing a desperately uncertain future. Demand for its horn for use in traditional medicine and the making of ceremonial curved daggers in the Middle East is still very high which means that a white rhino is a valuable kill for poachers.

This exerts huge pressure on the dwindling population, which is classified as “Near Threatened” on the IUCN’s Red List. White rhinos in breeding centres play a key role, by serving as a safeguarded reservoir. However, these rhinos show a worrysome phenomenon:  Extremely low reproduction.

Unresolved reproductive failure in the white rhino

Breeding programs in zoos and conservation centres play a very important role in the protection of the white rhino. These captive populations serve as a reservoir, enabling reintroduction into the wild. Unfortunately, many females in zoos worldwide fail to reproduce and seem to show aberrant cycling, for reasons which are still unknown. Because of this alarming low birth rate, rhino managers predict a crisis in the coming years.

These problems are not seen in the wild but until more is known about the reproductive biology of these animals it will be difficult to work out what causes the reproductive problems in captivity and to find solutions. This means that our options for conservation management and breeding strategies will be severely limited.

Free-living white rhinos as a model

With this IBREAM-project, wildlife researcher Annemieke van der Goot aims to intensively monitor reproductive physiology and hormone cycles in free-living, healthy and effectively-reproducing white rhino females. This will give us valuable data that we can compare with captive rhinos to try and find solutions to the mysterious breeding problems seen in captivity.

These field studies are being conducted in nature reserves in southern Africa, and samples are being analysed at the University of Pretoria. Our main base is in the Lapalala Wilderness, one of the privately owned game reserves in the Limpopo province of South Africa where the southern white rhino has been successfully introduced. This 24,400 ha enclosed reserve forms an excellent area for reproduction investigation. The reserve – along with its well-known and unique rhino museum – was founded in 1980 by Clive Walker, who is also founder of the Endangered Wildlife Trust.

Every day we go out to track one or more rhinos and collect faecal samples. We use advanced tracking strategies, such as VHF radio telemetry and ear-notch identification, to collect as many useful data as possible. Also, we study potential influencing factors, to further increase the chance of finding correlations in different facets of reproductive performance. We chose for a non-invasive way to obtain reproductive hormone levels. This way, the animals will not be disturbed in their natural habitat. The information learned in this project will greatly help zoo- and conservation scientists develop more specific and effective management tools to protect this vulnerable species and to increase reproductive health both in the wild and in captivity.

Time is running out for the African White Rhino  and our work requires YOUR support. Please click here to help us preserve this magnificent species.