Rangers have refused to reveal what will be done with horns removed from rhinos at Kariega Game Reserve last weekend in their desperate bid to save the lives of the remaining rhinos in the conservation area, where a poaching attack earlier this month left one dead and two seriously injured.
Rangers have refused to reveal what will be done with horns removed from rhinos at Kariega Game Reserve last weekend in their desperate bid to save the lives of the remaining rhinos in the conservation area, where a poaching attack earlier this month left one dead and two seriously injured.
The horns, which on the black market are worth more per gram than gold or cocaine, have been entrusted to nature conservation. Rangers said the legal removal of horns was highly controlled, requiring permits.
Kariega Game Reserve has decided to remove the horns off all of its rhino – a decision general manager Alan Weyel acknowledged was controversial after a mother rhino and calf were dehorned last Saturday. “But it’s one of the only options.”
The two Kariega rhino who survived the poachers’ attack two weeks ago underwent surgery last Saturday. The condition of the female, Thandiswa, was promising, said veterinarian Dr William Fowlds. Her body was strong and she had been grazing well, although the wounds on her face were badly affected by maggots, which might prove more than her immune system and the antibiotics could handle.
“There are still crevices inside those bones that have been exposed, that have maggots inside,” said Fowlds. “This time of the year with the heat and the flies is a very bad time for maggots and that’s going to be one of the biggest challenges we face.”
The injuries on the male, Themba, are more severe. Fowlds said when he was darted by the poachers, he fell on his left hind leg, cutting off the blood supply and causing the leg tissue to start dying. Sections of skin had sloughed off, and there were areas of maggot infestation, but investigative surgery showed that the inner blood supply was still strong.
Themba from euthanasia on Saturday, but he is still only able to put 10% of his weight on the leg, and is not yet out of the woods. Complicating the rhinos' recovery were the dangers of repeated use of anaesthetic, Fowlds said, which limited the number of times Fowlds and his team were able to treat them. This week is critical for Themba and Thandi.
“The next week could take us from survival to having a good chance of getting them right,” said Fowlds on Saturday. Alternatively, it could still hold some very difficult decisions for the team that is trying to save these two creatures from joining the list of rhino lost to poaching.
Treatment – an agonising decision
In order to be treated, the rhinos have to be sedated and given an anaesthetic. This procedure is extremely traumatic for their bodies, as the anaesthetic slows down metabolic functions, causing more and more internal damage.
Their heart rate and breathing is slowed down, reducing oxygen supply to important organs, which can easily start shutting down if they are dosed too often. This seriously limits the number of times that Dr Fowlds and his team are able to treat the struggling animals.
“We’re just going to have to try and run that delicate gauntlet of as few anaesthetics as possible. We’re going to have to let the maggots ride in between so we can try and limit the anaesthetic damage,” said Fowlds. It also limits the dosage that can be given for any one procedure, which means that although the pain is dulled, it is still clear the rhinos are in pain as they tremble through the sedative.
The rangers and vets treating them are visibly affected by watching their giant patients in agony.
