Battling to save rhinos from man Published date: 06 March 2014 | Published by: Dominic Robertson Read more articles by Dominic Robertson Email reporter MORE than 5,000 miles from her Mid Wales home, a woman is leading the battle to ensure the survival of one of the world’s most endangered species. Caroline Rees, 37, from Newtown, moved from Montgomeryshire to Botswana last year to take part in a project to reintroduce the rhinoceros to the Southern Okavango Delta. The project was set up in 2001 because of the threat poachers pose to rhinos. They can make up to $65,000 per kilo for Rhino horn, which is used in some traditional Asian medicines despite there being no scientific evidence it has any effect. Caroline’s journey to Botswana began six years ago when she decided to swap her life working with computers to follow her dream and help protect endangered species. She said: “I decided I could either sit in the office thinking about this dream or I could go out and live it. I have always been fascinated by animal behaviour, I love the outdoors and as cheesy as it sounds I wanted to make a difference.” Her first study involved research into the Golden Monkey at the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and an application to a project run by Bristol University saw her making her way to Botswana to study the rhino. Although Caroline is now well accustomed to dealing with rhinos, she admitted her first experience was a little daunting. She said: “The first time I saw a rhino close up was when they were being held in a ‘boma’ (an enclosure) they came right up to the fence to check me out and I have to say my heart was thumping so loud I thought they must have heard it. It really is like looking at a dinosaur. They are very inquisitive and they are massive. Their anterior horns are very intimidating and I don’t mind admitting I was intimidated.” Caroline’s job is to study how the reintroduced rhinos adapt to their new environment. Fitted with GPS anklets and VHF radio tracking devices in their horns Caroline and her tracker follow the creatures and make notes on where and what they are feeding on. Caroline said she loves the work but that it is not always as exciting as it sounds. She said: “It’s fun – but it is very hard work. I think some people have a rose tinted view of what being a researcher is all about. The fact is if anything can go wrong it usually does. Jacking up a Land Rover in 40 degree heat in thick sand to change a tyre, or breaking down literally in the middle of nowhere is not great. “The water crossings from one island to another are a challenge. Usually you would want to walk across to test the ground before driving through but when you are dealing with hippo and crocodile infested waters it’s not always advisable. I have got stuck a couple of times which is always an adventure. On one occasion it took three hours to walk back to camp, dodging elephants all the way there.” Caroline said she hopes she can play a part in making sure the rhino once again thrives in Africa. She said: “My ultimate goal is to contribute to the long term survival of the rhino in Africa. “It seems the only way to keep rhino safe at the moment is to move them to more secure areas, so translocation is a huge factor in safeguarding the species.” Caroline is seeking funding to support her research and anyone who wishes to donate can do so by visiting bris.ac.uk/centenarycampaign/how/ Once on the page you can click ‘donate now’ but people must enter ‘RHINO PROJECT’ in the ‘comments box’ for the money to reach Caroline’s project. Alternately people can phone 0117 9287938 or visit ‘experiment/projects/space-use-and-social-bonds-of-re-introduced-white-rhino-in-the-okava
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 18:18:59 +0000
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