Durban - One-hundred-and-fifty rhinos in private game reserves in KwaZulu-Natal have been de-horned in the last few months, easing the poaching problem in the region.
And the practice of using special Husqvama outdoor power products is gaining momentum, with an increasing number of private game reserves turning to Dr Mike Toft of Kifaru Wildlife Vet Services in Zululand, who is spearheading the campaign to de-horn rhinos in private reserves.
“I’d approached my clients with the idea late last year because the poaching pressure here has been relentless,” he said.
“Zululand Rhino Reserve was the first to come on board and since then, we’ve carried out the process at almost all of the private rhino-owning reserves in the province.”
The process has been filmed by various film and documentary groups, which will be submitting their footage to such channels as Discovery and Animal Planet.
Husqvana,which has a wide range of quality products, approached Toft suggesting that he add a battery-powered chainsaw to his tool kit as well as a battery blower to keep the rhino cool during the de-horning process.
Battery products are much quieter than their petrol equivalents and the lower noise levels results in less anxiety for the sedated animals.
Now, Toft uses a battery chainsaw and a petrol one: the petrol saw for the initial cutting and the battery saw for the finer trimming.
De-horning was first used in Zimbabwe in the 1980s to combat poaching. When rhinos are de-horned professionally, the horn is taken above the growth layer of the skin.The horn can be cut and trimmed without stopping continued growth.
While Toft and his assistant are running their campaign in private reserves, they have also offered their services to government reserves.