Innovative Animal Training Saves Endangered Rhino's Eyesight in Zimbabwe
Corralling a wild rhinoceros into a small chute to administer eyedrops might appear like a far-fetched scheme. Yet, as the saying goes, if it seems crazy but works, then it is not crazy at all. In a remarkable conservation effort, animal behaviorists from the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society in Florida journeyed to Africa in August to assist an endangered white rhino suffering from a life-threatening parasitic eye infection.
A Desperate Situation in Hwange National Park
Daniel Terblanche, a security manager with Imvelo Safari Lodges in Zimbabwe, admitted that the plan was initially met with skepticism. "Believe me, we did not think of it; it was a completely ridiculous idea to us," Terblanche said. "But without trying all of the things that we could to rectify that situation, we would have been in trouble, I think." The crisis involved a male rhino named Thuza, whose health scare threatened the Community Rhino Conservation Initiative, a program supported by Imvelo Safari Lodges that reintroduces southern white rhinos to communal lands in Zimbabwe for the first time in the nation's history.
Margo McKnight, CEO and President of the Palm Beach Zoo, was visiting the area last year when Mark Butcher, managing director of Imvelo Safari Lodges, informed her about Thuza's condition. "This rhino had bleeding eyes. He was rubbing his eyes," Butcher explained. "And I was looking at a potential where this guy was going to lose his eyesight. And this is in a pilot project that has fantastic vision for a future for conservation throughout Africa."
Positive Reinforcement Techniques from Florida
Thad and Angi Lacinak, founders of Precision Behavior, traveled to Zimbabwe to collaborate with anti-poacher scouts. They devised a strategy based on lessons learned at the Palm Beach Zoo, where animals are trained to voluntarily participate in their own medical care. "With this few animals in this location in Africa, it was essential that we save all of them," Angi Lacinak emphasized. "So when they called and said, Thuza is going to lose his eye, a blind rhino is a dead rhino. So no matter what it took, we were going to go over there and try."
The approach involved coaxing Thuza into a confined space using his favorite foods and then desensitizing him to human touch and water squirts on his face. "Within about a week, we were actually putting the eye drops strategically in his eyes while he held for it," Lacinak noted. "And by the end of two weeks, we had transferred that skill set to not only Daniel, who was in charge of leading their guards, but to the guards."
Conservation Impact and Ongoing Challenges
The southern white rhino is classified as near threatened, with approximately 16,000 individuals remaining in the wild. Poaching and habitat loss continue to pose significant dangers. However, this intervention has provided a glimmer of hope. "They are consistently getting the medications into his eyes every day," Lacinak reported. "And the rhinos are just thriving now and they feel really, really confident that this solved their problem."
While Thuza and other rhinos still face numerous challenges in their natural habitat, at least his eyesight has been safeguarded through this innovative and compassionate effort, showcasing the power of animal behavior science in conservation.
