map of historic distribution of Ceratotherium simum in Southern Africa
The white rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum simum (Burchell) became extinct in the Transvaal in 1896. In 1961 the first white rhinoceroses were re-introduced from the Umfolozi Game Reserve to the Kruger National Park (KNP). Over a 12-year period a total of 345 white rhinoceroses were relocated to the KNP. BY 1993 their numbers had increased to 1875.
The white rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum simum (Burchell) became extinct in the Transvaal in 1896. The southern white rhino Ceratotherium simum simum did not occur south of the Orange River in historic times, while its southern limit in the east was the region of the present-day Umfolozi Game Reserve. The northern boundary of the range of the southern white rhino was the Zambezi River and the region of the Namibia-Angola border (Figure 1). White rhinos were particularly abundant in eastern Botswana and adjacent parts of the western Transvaal. Harris reported seeing 80 in a day's march north of the Magaliesberg Range towards the upper Limpopo River. Favoured habitats seem to have been semi-arid savanna, and the species apparently never occurred on the temperate grasslands of the Transvaal Highveld, nor did it extend into the moist grasslands of Natal. The distribution of white rhino in the west of their historic range seems to coincide with the 400 mm rainfall isohyet.
White rhinoceroses are also very partial to wallowing in the mud-holes that form on the clayey soil on the bottom-lands. It seems thus that the Combretum woodland landscapes fulfil most of the white rhinoceros's needs. Wallowing also took place at waterholes. White rhino either rolled in muddy hollows to secure a thick coating of mud or they lay down in pools of water for periods of up to several hours. Following a mud wallow, white rhino rubbed themselves against stumps or rocks in the vicinity. Ticks that had been rubbed off with the mud could be seen.
Field observations have shown that in the mornings white rhinoceros feed by preference on the shade-loving grasses such as Panicum maximum that grow on the riverbanks. When it gets warm they utilize the watersheds to rest in the shade. The catenary sequence (Figure 2) in the Combretum landscapes in the KNP affects the habits of white rhino. During the early morning white rhino typically feed on the bottomlands, riverbanks and brackish areas adjacent to the water courses. The soils on the footslopes and valley bottom have a high clay component and small pans form here during the rainy season. White rhino are very fond of wallowing or lying in these pans.
White rhinos are dependant on regular access to surface water and will drink daily or twice daily during the wet season when water is abundantly available. During the dry season some animals are forced to make a journey to longer-lasting waterholes and drinking frequency was reduced to 2-4 day intervals. White rhino are dependant on regular access to surface water although they can go for 3 days without drinking.
