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Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has long cared for black rhinos and reticulated giraffe. Several black rhino births have occurred recently, and guests can almost always be assured seeing a baby giraffe on the park's spacious Serengeti Plains habitat. In the wild, reticulated giraffe are not as common as they once were, and the plight of black rhinos is far worse. Managing animals in a zoological environment is always challenging, but giraffe and black rhinos have their own unique requirements. Both species are browsers with specific nutritional needs. Health issues can occur in both species that not only can affect the animals the park cares for, but also put serious constraints on conservation efforts, including reintroduction attempts. In order to address potential health concerns and further conservation efforts, the veterinary and animal care staff of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay began to investigate the health status of giraffe and black rhinos in their care. A doctoral candidate and former zookeeper Celeste Kearney from the University of Florida is conducting a trial of a new diet with the park's reticulated giraffe herd. After having collected and analyzed blood and fecal samples, body weights and newborn growth, the initial results of the study are extremely encouraging. In addition, a blood test has been developed to screen black rhinos for a suspected immune-related disorder that affects blood clotting. Since very little is known about what is a normal state of health for both wild giraffe and black rhinos, further research is needed. Busch Gardens experts trek to Kruger National Park, Zimbabwe and back Busch Gardens' relationship with Kruger National Park began in May 2001 when veterinarian Dr. Mike Burton and Senior Keeper Jason Green escorted three white rhinoceros back to the Tampa park. Both organizations were excited about the possibility of further collaborations. In August 2002 Busch Gardens' Dr. Ray Ball returned to Kruger to perform health assessments on black rhinos and giraffe that were going to be moved to a new park in Mozambique. After a formal presentation and request to the region's Scientific Studies Committee, the adventure began. One of the largest translocations of animals in the history of Kruger was about to take place. Over the next two weeks, more then 1,000 animals were relocated to Mozambique as part of the development of the newest Transfrontier Park. When completed, this park will be as large as the state of Florida and extend into Zimbabwe as well. By the end of the first week Dr. Ball had assisted with the capture of more then 600 impala, 250 wildebeest, 100 waterbuck and 50 zebra. The only animal remaining was the giraffe. The plan for the giraffe was to immobilize them with a dart shot by a conservationist sitting in a helicopter, recover them and load them into a trailer for relocation. From the time the giraffe is darted, it must be brought under control within two to three minutes so the antidote can be given. Because anesthetic drugs are dangerous and high doses are required, this step was imperative. Once the animals were safe and secure, blood and urine samples were collected. Nine giraffe were successfully translocated and had samples collected for basic blood work and nutritional analysis. This was considered a significant step toward completing the giraffe health assessment survey. The work on the rhinos, however, proved more challenging. Numerous demands kept the game staff and veterinary crew very busy, and samples were collected from only a few animals. But the stored black rhino blood at Kruger allowed testing of a dozen animals with the newly developed test from Busch Gardens. None of the animals tested positive to the antibodies implicated in the health problems of captive black rhinos. While this proved promising, the team needed more information, so a trip to Zimbabwe was in order. After a 12-hour drive, Dr. Ball met up with former student, Dr. Asa Falham, and Dr. Chris Foggin from the Wildlife Health Unit. The base or operations was the Bubiana Conservancey in south central Zimbabwe. Outstanding rhino country, Bubiana is under intense development pressure. Zimbabwe moves rhinos frequently to protect them and provide appropriate habitat. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) manages the site and sponsors all black rhino work at the Bubiana Conservancy. Once there, the team captured an average of three rhinos each day. By the end of the week, health assessments had been performed on eight black rhinos. The field work this summer in South Africa and Zimbabwe was a tremendous success. Invaluable information on black rhino and giraffe was collected that will benefit zoological and wild populations. The working relationship between Busch Gardens and Kruger is strong and further collaborations are on the horizon. The work in Zimbabwe has also helped strengthen Busch Gardens' relationship with WWF in Africa and hopefully paves the way for future conservation success. Zimbabwe is a beautiful but troubled country and the fate of the black rhino is in question. Continued efforts by Busch Gardens both in-situ (see "Wild Definition" section) and ex-situ will hopefully enhance the probability that rhinos will thrive in Africa and elsewhere. |
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