The history of the capture of both black and white rhinos for release elsewhere in the wild, with the purpose of either rescuing threatened populations or in order to restock other areas, is briefly reviewed. The capture of rhinos for zoo purposes is excluded. Prior to 1960 capture was almost invariably effected by roping from a truck but with the advent of the Palmer Cap-Churr gun and syringe, and the subsequent development of a series of progressively more suitable drugs, chemical restraint soon became the general method of capture. Brief mention is made of the successive advances that followed the discovery of the drug mixtures commonly referred to as Sernyl, Flaxedil, Themalon and M99, and new hunting techniques developed in applying them and a short account is given of major translocation programmes carried out with their aid, or by roping. Note is also taken of the number and kind of casualities incurred in those operations and, where known, of the fate of the animals after release.
