Diceros bicornis. We wish to record a case of buccal irritation in a black rhinoceros, 'Chewore', due to chewing of Xanthosoma mafaffa at the Tashinga Camp, Matusadona National Park, Kariba, Zimbabwe, on 27 April 1995. The rhinoceros was approximately 12 months old and weighed 385 kg.
South Africa. The black rhinoceros is known to browse extensively on several of the highly irritant, latex-containing Euphorbia spp. such as E. virosa in Namibia and E. ingens and E. grandicornuta in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (G Hughes and D Cooper, Natal Parks Board, pers. com 1996) without any apparent damage the buccal mucous membrane. Domestic ruminants and man, in contrast, are severely affected if they attempt to eat these plants or even have skin contact with the latex. It is, therefore, extraordinary that a relatively much less irritating plant like X. mafaffa would have such a clearly irritating effect in this species.
South Africa. The black rhinoceros is known to browse extensively on several of the highly irritant, latex-containing Euphorbia spp. such as E. virosa in Namibia and E. ingens and E. grandicornuta in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (G Hughes and D Cooper, Natal Parks Board, pers. com 1996) without any apparent damage the buccal mucous membrane. Domestic ruminants and man, in contrast, are severely affected if they attempt to eat these plants or even have skin contact with the latex. It is, therefore, extraordinary that a relatively much less irritating plant like X. mafaffa would have such a clearly irritating effect in this species.
We wish to record a case of buccal irritation in a black rhinoceros, 'Chewore', due to chewing of Xanthosoma mafaffa at the Tashinga Camp, Matusadona National Park, Kariba, Zimbabwe, on 27 April 1995. The rhinoceros was approximately 12 months old and weighed 385 kg.
