Case 45 – 11th January 2023

Black Rhino Natural Causes

IPZ – Tsavo West National Park

Benja, an adult male black rhino, was reported to be emaciated and bleeding from the face. The rhino had been treated on 19th October 2022 for a filarial worm infection which had not healed. Rangers monitoring the rhino had also observed that female rhinos around Benja had been taken over by another male rhino

Examination

Benja was found in a pool of water, he immediately dashed into a nearby bush on hearing the approaching helicopter. He had a body condition score of 3 out of 5, and a light-skinned scar tissue could be seen on the left side of his jaw. No bleeding was observed, but minor wounds had developed on the scar tissue as Benja moved through the thicket The loss in body condition was attributed to the wound around the jaw which made it difficult for him to feed particularly given the recent drought that resulted in very dry forage. Additionally, given that Benja was the dominant bull, he expended a significant amount of energy in guarding his domain. Benja’s weight loss was therefore recognized to be a physiological result of predictable and known causes of stress. Closer examination of the previously treated jaw wound revealed considerable wound healing. Therefore, Benja was not darted since it would induce more stress The ranger team monitoring Benja was advised to keep a record of his body condition score and movement to facilitate assessment of his recovery.