Rhino are poached in the hundreds every year. One of the main reasons for this the Asian medicine industry. Rhino horns are believed to be miracle cures for everything from cancer to erectile dysfunction. (In reality, there is no evidence that rhino horn helps at all. They are composed of keratin, the same stuff as your fingernails.) The huge demand for the horns causes the above-mentioned poaching.
South Africa in particular has been hit hard by poaching. It has more rhino* than many other countries in Africa. Although they are more successful in breeding, the South African rhino are targeted by poachers. More often than not, the rhino are killed or seriously injured as their horns are chopped off and they are left to die.
A group of vets has taken up the challenge of trying to rescue the few rhino that survive the ordeal. Although many of these vets do this voluntarily, the cost of their efforts is extremely high. Dr William Fowlds, South Africa’s leading rhino vet is actively involved in such efforts. He assists other vets in South Africa with managing rhino that survive poaching attacks. In his words "This year alone South Africa has lost more than 2.5 rhino per day. Most of the poaching occurs in the northern Kruger National Park, a park the size of Israel... Trained rangers put their lives at risk, for very little salary.”
Dr Fowlds is assisted by veterinary pathologist Prof Fred Reyers from the University of Lincoln in the UK. He analyses the blood-work of the injured rhino in order to aid the vets treating them. He says that when rhino are shot with rifles, they are severely stunned, which allows poachers to remove the horn from the rhino. The injuries that they sustain from getting shot can often result in infection. Furthermore, if the injured rhino falls onto its side, the sheer mass of the animal cuts off blood flow from the lower side of its body, causing muscle death. Poachers are also known to use tranquiliser dart guns to immobilize the rhino. Most of the time, an antidote is not administered.
The injuries from the bullet wounds, the lesions from the removal of the horn and the degradation of the muscles in the rhino all contribute to sepsis developing in the rhino. This results in internal damage to vital organs like the kidneys and lungs. As such, it is impossible to accurately gauge the seriousness of the injury from an external perspective. So, Prof Reyers analyses blood-work to get a clear idea of the severity of the rhinos’ condition so that the on-site vets can adjust their treatments accordingly.
As Dr Fowlds says, “These living dinosaurs are truly iconic symbols of our successes and failures as custodians of this planet. The current rhino situation is a dying testimony of our conservation efforts."
*Yes, the plural of ‘Rhino’ is ‘Rhino’…
Read all about it: http://bit.ly/1c6cmtu
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South Africa in particular has been hit hard by poaching. It has more rhino* than many other countries in Africa. Although they are more successful in breeding, the South African rhino are targeted by poachers. More often than not, the rhino are killed or seriously injured as their horns are chopped off and they are left to die.
A group of vets has taken up the challenge of trying to rescue the few rhino that survive the ordeal. Although many of these vets do this voluntarily, the cost of their efforts is extremely high. Dr William Fowlds, South Africa’s leading rhino vet is actively involved in such efforts. He assists other vets in South Africa with managing rhino that survive poaching attacks. In his words "This year alone South Africa has lost more than 2.5 rhino per day. Most of the poaching occurs in the northern Kruger National Park, a park the size of Israel... Trained rangers put their lives at risk, for very little salary.”
Dr Fowlds is assisted by veterinary pathologist Prof Fred Reyers from the University of Lincoln in the UK. He analyses the blood-work of the injured rhino in order to aid the vets treating them. He says that when rhino are shot with rifles, they are severely stunned, which allows poachers to remove the horn from the rhino. The injuries that they sustain from getting shot can often result in infection. Furthermore, if the injured rhino falls onto its side, the sheer mass of the animal cuts off blood flow from the lower side of its body, causing muscle death. Poachers are also known to use tranquiliser dart guns to immobilize the rhino. Most of the time, an antidote is not administered.
The injuries from the bullet wounds, the lesions from the removal of the horn and the degradation of the muscles in the rhino all contribute to sepsis developing in the rhino. This results in internal damage to vital organs like the kidneys and lungs. As such, it is impossible to accurately gauge the seriousness of the injury from an external perspective. So, Prof Reyers analyses blood-work to get a clear idea of the severity of the rhinos’ condition so that the on-site vets can adjust their treatments accordingly.
As Dr Fowlds says, “These living dinosaurs are truly iconic symbols of our successes and failures as custodians of this planet. The current rhino situation is a dying testimony of our conservation efforts."
*Yes, the plural of ‘Rhino’ is ‘Rhino’…
Read all about it: http://bit.ly/1c6cmtu
Image URL: http://bit.ly/184hrT7
