Tanzania - Diceros bicornis. In the second group (7 rhinoceroses: diminazine aceturate 6.0 g; pyrithidium bromide 3.0 g) there were three deaths in late captivity. 3470 died 50 days after capture. Post-mortem examination showed a massive load of gut nematodes, including Strongylus tremletti and Kiluluma spp. This worm load was regarded as responsible for death. The carcass was emaciated. The cardiac, omental, perirenal, intermuscular and subcutaneous fat deposits were completely depleted, but the stomach and bowels were full and contained normal ingesta. 3469 died after 67 days in captivity and was subjected to post-mortem examination by Game Division staff, and again a heavy worm burden was observed. On clinical grounds, a similar infestation was incriminated in the death of 4766 which died 29 days after capture.
Tanzania. The holding pens were made of hardwood poles which were wired closely together with heavy gauge fencing wire and sunk in trenches 0.75 m deep. At the Grumeti, a line of contiguous pens was constructed. Each pen was approximately 5-5 m square. At the Lamai, separate and circular pens of some 4-5 m diameter were built over a larger area.
The Black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis will not usually retreat before human encroachment and, as a result, it is killed by incoming settlers or by the Game Division in defence of human life and property. Even in the game controlled areas, where human rights are limited to settlement only, and in conservation areas where human rights are denied, rhinoceroses are poached for 'rhino horn', which is regarded as having antitoxic and aphrodisiac properties.
Horn is used as aphrodisiac
Rhinoceroses were captured in daylight. They were chased, usually one at a time, and noosed from one of two pursuing vehicles. Once caught, the rhinoceroses were cast, hobbled, loaded on to a lorry, taken to camp and then released in individual holding pens. At some stages of the work blood slides were prepared and prophylactic drugs were administered at capture. Most, but not all, of the animals were allocated numbers. Lamai, 1964. There was one death directly attributable to capture. A rhinoceros (3474) charged the catching truck at full force, staggered back dazed and died almost immediately. No postmortem examination was carried out.
When travelling it was found that the lowering of buckets of water into the crate caused excitement and disturbance. On the other hand no reaction was caused by syphoning water into the crate and the animals quickly learned to suck water from the end of a hose-pipe.
It was noted that the Lamai rhinoceroses were essentially grass eaters, whereas those at the Grumeti browsed to a large extent on woodland bush. It is known that grazing, as distinct from browsing, encourages the propagation of intestinal parasites. Helminthiasis can be further aggravated by coprophagous habits. This vice, which has been reported amongst rhinoceros elsewhere (Klingel & Klingel,1966), was particularly noticeable under captive conditions in the Lamai, and may have contributed to the worm build up there. S. tremletti was first identified in samples taken from Black rhinoceros in the Tsavo National Park, Kenya (Round, 1962). In this area elephant Loxodonta africana had caused widespread destruction of natural habitat and rhinoceroses were dying from malnutrition (Glover & Sheldrick, 1964). Round confirmed the identification of S. tremletti at Lamai and drew attention to concurrent Kiluluma infestation. Thus, in view of the experiences at the Tsavo and at the Lamai, there may be a case for regarding S. tremletti as a pathogenic nematode in Black rhinoceros.
