12 Jan 2007 - By Hewitt Chizyuka* - When Zimbabwe achieved independence in 1980, the southern African nation had about 2,000 black rhinos — the world’s largest population at the time. But escalating poaching activities in the country’s parks over the years saw that number plummet to several hundred by the 11000s. Worried about the future of this endangered species, a plan to safeguard became desperately clear.

“The rapid decline of rhino populations in protected areas led us to develop a conservation strategy,” said Raoul Du Toit, who is in charge of WWF’s rhino conservation project in Zimbabwe.

“An important component of this strategy is the translocation of rhinos from vulnerable areas to commercial ranches where viable founder populations can be protected and bred successfully.”

Removing fences

WWF’s rhino conservancy project was established as an “insurance policy” for black rhinos in Zimbabwe. As part of this policy, some animals have been translocated from national parks to privately-owned ranches throughout the country. The aim of this relocation programme is to find suitable habitat that is large and secure enough to protect the rhinos.

Such an ambitious plan has been made possible with support from private landowners and commercial ranches, who in many cases have removed fences to join neighbouring properties, transforming their cattle operations into rhino conservancies.

“The development of these conservancies forms a unique and exciting development in wildlife conservation in Southern Africa,” said Du Toit. “We are trying to increase black rhino numbers by increasing the land available for their conservation, thus reducing pressure on existing reserves and providing new areas in which they can breed.”

“What is more,” added Du Toit, “well-managed conservancies provide opportunities for revenue generation through game viewing and other activities. This means that setting aside largely infertile land for wildlife management benefits local people as well as the wildlife – a win-win situation.”

Currently, the two largest conservancies, Save and Bubiana, cover 3,200km2 and 1,200km2 respectively.

“For genetic and demographic reasons it is important that these new founder populations be as large as possible and that they breed rapidly in areas which could eventually hold large populations,” added Du Toit.

Breeding success is already visible in some parts of the country. Conservancies in the lowveld, for example, in the arid, southern part of Zimbabwe, have seen rhino numbers rise.

According to WWF, the lowveld conservancies today are home to two-thirds of Zimbabwe’s 500-strong black rhino population — the third largest population in Africa after South Africa and Namibia.

People vs. wildlife

But just as it looked like the black rhino was finally starting to make a come back in Zimbabwe, government-introduced land reform in 2000 saw large-scale settlement by subsistence farmers move on to commercial ranching areas, including the conservancies. Today, these new settlements are competing with rhino populations for space, grazing pastures and water.

On a recent field visit to the Bubiana Conservancy, located about 600km south-east of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, a WWF team came across some of the new settlers and asked them how they saw their future and that of their wildlife neighbours.

“I just want to see if I can increase my cattle head from 40 to at least 350,” said one farmer who declined to be named.

“I also wish I could be allocated 3,000ha within this conservancy as opposed to the 800ha in which I currently have. Given the scarcity of rainfall and grazing pasture in this area, one needs at least that size of land in order to stay viable.”

When questioned about the rhinos, the farmer claimed to have no real problems with the presence of the species on the conservancy, as long as they didn’t affect their cattle.

“Elephants are a bigger nuisance,” the farmer continued. “Perhaps you could just take both the rhinos and the elephants away from here in the interest of the welfare of our cattle.”

With more people moving on to conservancies, hunting is also starting to present a threat to the rhinos. According to WWF, the proliferation of snares in the lowveld conservancies has directly accounted for the deaths of at least 20 rhinos, especially calves.

Moving the threatened species to better protected areas is becoming one of the best options for their survival.

Rhino rescue

On one particular field visit, a WWF rhino capture team was busy translocating some rhinos from the Bubiana Conservancy, which was starting to become overcrowded, to the Bubi River Conservancy, some 60km away.

As part of the delicate operation, an 11-year-old female had just been immobilized in order to be fitted with a radio signal in its horn.

“This rhino has experienced a particularly hard life in Bubiana,” said Natasha Anderson, who has worked as a local rhino monitoring coordinator in the lowveld area for over ten years. “You can see she has very noticeable snare scars on one of her rear legs.”

To add to this rhino’s woes, one of her five calves was burnt to death when he was only three-weeks old following a bushfire that some settlers ignited to facilitate their hunting with dogs. Another calf was gored to death by an adult bull rhino.

“It is a real battle for these rhinos nowadays,” Anderson added. “I have been involved in their management and monitoring for quite sometime and I have seen how stressed they have become in recent years.”

WWF’s Du Toit concedes that land occupation will continue in the conservancies and rhinos will continue feeling the squeeze.

“Despite the challenges, we will continue to identify less occupied areas, including private land, where the rhinos can be moved to,” he said.

“Our responsibility is to increase numbers of black rhino and we recognize the value of partnerships with other sectors to help us achieve this goal.”

* Hewitt Chizyuka is a Communications Officer at WWF’s Southern Africa Regional Programme Office based in Harare, Zimbabwe.

END NOTES:

• Since its inception in 1961, WWF has been working to ensure the survival of rhinos. By establishing protected areas and rhino reserves, developing anti-poaching operations, directing translocations to ensure viable populations, and advancing innovative conservation plans, WWF hopes to provide a more secure future for the species in Africa, as well as in Asia.

• Today, almost 98 per cent of the black rhino (Diceros bicornis) population is found in just four countries: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya. In South Africa there has been ongoing recovery of black rhino populations, and the country's population now accounts for approximately 40 per cent of the total black rhino wild population.