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News — With World Veterinary Day having been commemorated on 26 April, and Save the Rhino Day coming up on 1 May, this is an opportune time to reflect on the efforts of conservation teams, which include veterinarians, to combat the scourge of rhino poaching.

There are five rhino species in the world, two of which occur in Africa: the black rhino and the white rhino. South Africa is the stronghold for white rhino. There are said to be between 10 000 and 15 000 rhinos in the country, yet despite this large number, about 10 000 rhinos have been lost to poaching over the past 15 years, all for their horns. Rhino horn is a sought-after commodity in many parts of Asia, especially China. Having lost about half of our rhino population, it may seem that we are not making headway in our efforts to save these animals. However, it is worth noting that poaching numbers have been declining: in 2014, more than 1 200 rhinos were killed, while last year, 400 were lost to poaching.

Rhinos are generally healthy animals, with relatively few diseases and disorders, and vets are seldom required to attend to them, especially on larger farms or reserves. However, the threat of poaching has led to many farmers keeping their rhinos in smaller, better protected areas, commonly known as intensive protection zones (IPZs). Keeping the animals in smaller spaces has resulted in a higher risk of disease, parasites, nutritional problems and fighting among rhinos, causing injuries. Despite this, the benefits of keeping the animals safe in the IPZs far outweigh the negatives.

While poaching mostly leads to the death of rhinos, in some cases, the animals may survive the brutal act of their horns being hacked off, and require urgent veterinary attention. Vets also play a role in caring for dependent calves that have lost their mother or father to poachers. These calves are frequently injured, either by the poachers or by predators or scavengers, and are also often dehydrated, as they are unable to suckle, sometimes for a few days. These calves cannot fend for themselves and require a long period of rehabilitation at special rhino orphanages. Veterinary care at these orphanages is essential, especially during the initial few days of captivity.

For effective veterinary care to take place, a rhino first needs to be safely captured and immobilised. In South Africa, only veterinarians are allowed to dart and chemically immobilise rhinos (and other species). This procedure is not only critical for the treatment of sick and injured animals, but is the key ingredient to so many other conservation efforts. It is thus imperative that the art and science of rhino capture is of the highest standard, and that sound research forms the basis of our knowledge, ensuring the health and welfare of individual rhinos and populations.

Removing the horn of rhinos removes the appeal for poachers. With safe capture methods in place, vets can effectively dehorn rhinos; this involves removing the horn from a living rhino without causing any major detrimental effects to it. Dehorning has been shown to be effective in reducing and even preventing poaching. Safe capture methods also ensure that rhinos can be translocated to areas where there is a low risk of poaching.

While the efforts of vets to dehorn rhinos and translocate them to safe havens has a positive impact, it is not vets alone who are saving rhinos – entire teams of professionals are involved in conservation efforts. Perhaps the single-most important group involved are the rhino owners. With every rhino poached, they bear the financial loss and emotional trauma of keeping these animals in their care and protection. There are also many government reserves that do a fantastic job in keeping our rhinos safe. Often the success of these reserves lies in strategic partnerships with conservation organisations. Rhino protection without boots on the ground will not deliver results, and the anti-poaching teams that spend long hours in the field, under less-than-ideal conditions, protecting rhinos from skilled and ruthless poachers, also deserve credit for their role. The caretakers in charge of rehabilitation at rhino orphanages are equally critical role players – it takes a special kind of person to try to save an orphan that has little chance of survival. Helicopter pilots who get teams in the field back home safely, concerned citizens, volunteers and donors are also part of this ecosystem of conservation.

Only once we haven’t lost a single rhino to poaching, without the need to dehorn them, can we say that we have won this war. We are far from that. Until then, we can all play our part.

Since 2013, Dr Jacques O’Dell has been involved in rhino dehorning programmes across South Africa. He is currently doing a PhD, the subject of which is on how to improve the welfare of rhinos during dehorning. For more information on how to donate to rhino veterinary research, contact him at [email protected]