The treatment was successful and did not attribute to the rhino’s demise. More than 10 such treatments have been performed on the reserve thus far.
10 February 2012 | YADHANA JADOO
A BULL rhino died at the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve yesterday during a controversial horn treatment that could have saved the animal from poachers.
The rhino, named Spencer, estimated to be 22 years old, never recovered from anaesthesia after being darted with an M99 tranquilliser.
The treatment involved inserting an inedible pink dye and a compound called ectoparasiticides – which is toxic to humans – into the rhino’s horn while it was under sedation. A DNA sample was taken and three microchips and a GPS tracking device were also inserted.
Veterinarian Charles van Niekerk, who administered the procedure, said he noticed the rhino experiencing arrhythmia after 45 minutes. The animal was not deeply sedated, however, and an underlying heart condition combined with the anaesthesia could have caused heart failure.
“He just never recovered from the anaesthesia. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a heart attack,” he said.
The rhino’s age could also have played a role in his death.
An autopsy will be performed.
Van Niekerk said they did not have the luxury of performing a clinical examination before putting an animal under sedation.
The actual treatment was successful and did not attribute to Spencer’s demise.
Marketing manager Lorinda Hern, the rhino’s owner, said a cow and a calf had been killed on the reserve in 2010. This had prompted the Rhino Rescue Project.
“We were driven by the desperate need to try and do something,” she said.
Several wildlife groups have opposed the initiative, saying that if the compound was toxic to humans, it could be also be for animals.
However Kerri Wolter from the Vulture Conservation Programme said she did not believe it posed a risk.
