Boucher goes in to bat for rhinos

130417. Cape Town. Mark Boucher and Mike Horn with team members next to a Rhino who's DNA sample was taken at a Cape Nature Reserve. Urgent action continuesr to protect the country’s rhinos – this time by recording them on a national DNA database. Yesterday, fresh steps were taken by former star cricket wicket keeper Mark Boucher, who launched the SAB Boucher not-for-profit company last year – bearing the motto “Our Rhinos in Safe Hands” and sponsored by the SA brewing giant. The rhino were selected at a Cape reserve, which requested not to be named in order to protect the integrity of their anti-poaching campaign – in the light of the 232 rhinos already slaughtered in SA this year. Before dawn, Eastern Cape-based vet Murray Stokoe took to the skies in a nimble Robinson 44 chopper. Once the pilot and scouts had found the creatures, Stokoe darted the creatures from the air with a miniscule amount of a drug – 0.4ml of “M99”. Picture Henk Kruger/Cape Argus

130417. Cape Town. Mark Boucher and Mike Horn with team members next to a Rhino who's DNA sample was taken at a Cape Nature Reserve. Urgent action continuesr to protect the country’s rhinos – this time by recording them on a national DNA database. Yesterday, fresh steps were taken by former star cricket wicket keeper Mark Boucher, who launched the SAB Boucher not-for-profit company last year – bearing the motto “Our Rhinos in Safe Hands” and sponsored by the SA brewing giant. The rhino were selected at a Cape reserve, which requested not to be named in order to protect the integrity of their anti-poaching campaign – in the light of the 232 rhinos already slaughtered in SA this year. Before dawn, Eastern Cape-based vet Murray Stokoe took to the skies in a nimble Robinson 44 chopper. Once the pilot and scouts had found the creatures, Stokoe darted the creatures from the air with a miniscule amount of a drug – 0.4ml of “M99”. Picture Henk Kruger/Cape Argus

Published Apr 18, 2013

Share

Cape Town - Urgent action to protect South Africa’s rhinos continues – this time by keeping a record of the animals on a national DNA database.

On Wednesday, fresh steps were taken by former Proteas wicketkeeper Mark Boucher – who started the SAB Boucher not-for-profit company last year, which bears the motto “Our Rhinos in Safe Hands” and is sponsored by the South African brewing giant.

The rhinos were selected at a Cape reserve, which was not named to protect the integrity of their anti-poaching campaign in light of the 232 rhinos already slaughtered in South Africa this year.

Before dawn, Eastern Cape vet Murray Stokoe took to the skies in a Robinson 44 chopper.

Once the pilot and scouts had located the rhinos, Stokoe darted the animals from the air with a minuscule amount of a drug – 0.4ml of “M99”.

Within five minutes, the rhinos began to stumble and collapse.

Stokoe was immediately on hand to administer a second drug to stabilise their breathing.

As the animals lay slumped, the team then took up various positions to closely monitor their temperatures, breathing rates and any obvious reaction to the drugs.

Stokoe’s team then gave each rhino two crucial markings and took three unique samples.

First, a tiny notch was made in each rhino’s ear, to mark it visually for future reference. A tiny piece of flesh was taken as a sample.

Holes were drilled in each of their two horns. The drill shavings were stored, too.

In the drilled holes, microchips were implanted before the holes were refilled.

Blood was also taken from each animal as a third sample.

Once these tasks were completed, the team retreated to safety and Stokoe carefully administered a “wake-up drug”.

Within minutes – in one instance within seconds – the rhinos struggled to their feet, shook their heads and sauntered off.

The darting of the rhinos was part of ongoing efforts to build a national DNA database of all South Africa’s rhinos.

“It’s all about gathering enough information about each creature to potentially build watertight criminal cases against criminals, should these animals be targeted,” Stokoe explained.

Any horns recovered by police in future could be analysed by forensic laboratories, and then matched against the growing national database.

“We have done about 6 000 – each new rhino recorded is a step forward,” Boucher told the Cape Argus.

Wednesday’s team members included explorer Mike Horn and three of his “Young Explorers”.

Horn assisted these hand-picked students in activating and working on pioneering environmental projects around the world – working as crew on the rhino DNA project was just one of 400 such projects worldwide, he said.

Also volunteering their time were WP Rugby chief executive Rob Wagner, cricketer JP Duminy and various SAB executives. - Cape Argus

Related Topics: