What is Rhino De-Horning?
Rhino de-horning at Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa. Photo (c) andBeyond.com. Used by permission.
How de-horning is helping save rhinos from poachers in Africa
Poachers hunt and kill rhinos due to the value of their horns. The de-horning of a rhino reduces the chance that it will be killed by poachers.
How Big Is the Problem?
Poaching is the biggest threat to white and black rhinos across Africa and worldwide. According to the non-profit organization Save the Rhino, here are some statistics related to poaching in South Africa:
At a high point in 2014, there were 1215 rhinos poached in South Africa
The numbers declined to 451 rhinos poached in 2021 due to de-horning and other efforts…
Yet, even though the number of poached rhinos has significantly decreased, there’s still much more work to be done. Any loss of rhinos due to poaching is highly concerning, as rhinos are also threatened by environmental issues and loss of habitat due to human encroachment.
What’s a De-horning Experience Like?
Simply put, a de-horning is both the greatest adventure and deeply impactful personal nature encounters you may ever experience.
You will speed along with a ground crew of Phinda guides, rangers, and a licensed veterinarian that rushes to the site of an anesthetized rhino once a helicopter has tracked and darted the animal from a helicopter.
Once the rhino is comfortably sedated, it is blindfolded, and earplugs are put in to further shield it from noise and discomfort. Then, a skilled ranger marks the site of the cut and proceeds to remove the upper and lower horns with a chainsaw, which has proven to be the quickest and most effective method.
Rhino de-horning at Phinda Private Game Reserve. Video: Carrie Asby of Nature Heart Safari.
Experience it yourself as part of Nature Heart Safari
Nature Heart Safari guests may either directly take part in the care of the rhino or can just stand by and watch the proceedings. It may be hard to know in advance how you might react in the situation, face-to-face with one of nature’s mightiest creatures. Witnessing a horn removal is an emotional and bittersweet experience… but all done in the name of love and in protecting this crucial yet endangered species. Learn more about the safari here.
Does a De-horning Hurt the Rhino?
The tranquilizer used to anesthetize the rhino ensures it sleeps peacefully throughout the de-horning experience. As for the horn, the material it’s made from (keratin) is equivalent to a human’s toenail or fingernail. In other words, it has no nerve endings that could cause post-procedure pain or significant discomfort. And just like a fingernail, the horn will grow back over time.
But Don’t They Miss Their Horns?
Everything in nature has its purpose, and a rhino does indeed have uses for its horn. These include foraging for food and digging for water, marking and defending territory, and defending young calves.
Luckily, a study conducted in Namibia in 2022 shows that de-horning has little significant impact on a rhino’s ability to keep on being a rhino. And that includes their ability to successfully reproduce, defend calves with their sheer size and strength, and live out standard lifespans.
In fact, a de-horned rhino will be less likely to pick a fight with a rival bull, meaning fewer rhino-on-rhino deaths. So, Phinda and other reserves aim to ensure as much as possible that rival bulls are each dehorned to keep an even playing field. Also, due to wildlife management practices, the rhino’s few natural predators (think big cats) have plenty of other game inside the parks and are very unlikely to target rhinos and their young.
That said, more research is required to understand the full impact or removing a horn. It is a sad, yet incredibly beneficial and humane practice that is unfortunately one of the best methods to save the animals from their greatest predator: mankind.
Aren’t There Any Other Options?
Parks and reserves across Africa and beyond have adopted de-horning as an effective way to protect rhinos against poachers. But there’s also a huge emphasis on security at the reserves –
which, unfortunately is still needed even for dehorned animals. Dehorning is not a 100% solution to prevent poaching; a poacher may go for the stub of a horn… or even kill the animals out of spite.
There is also ongoing lobbying for legislation to protect the animals and the enforce prosecution of poachers. Still, the work is slow-going and may even be hampered in cases of corruption inside local governments. When money is at stake, there can always be people willing to turn a blind eye to law enforcement.
How Else Can I Help?
The fees from all guests inside the Phinda Reserve go directly to its wildlife management and conservation efforts - and for groups that participate in de-horning, that fee goes directly to support future de-horning efforts. So, you are already giving back to the rhinos and other wildlife in the Phinda Game Reserve just by being there!
Also, defenders of wildlife in Africa who are pushing for legislation point to safaris and other tourism as a huge economic boon to the countries inside Africa. After all, no animals = no tourism.
Beyond this, there are numerous non-profit organizations for which preservation of rhinos (and/or other endangered animals in Africa). The Rhinos Without Borders project is a partnership between andBeyond and the Great Plains Conservation to move rhinos from other locations to the relative haven of Botswana.
Guests at the lodges at &Beyond Phinda can also donate to The Mun-ya-wana Conservation Fund. The funds go toward helping protect the rhinos at the reserve.
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