No evidence that dehorning black rhinos negatively impacts the species' reproduction or survival, study finds



According to new research from the University of Bristol Vet School, Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, and Save the Rhino Trust, there are no statistically significant differences in the breeding, birth, survival, life span, and death rates between horned and dehorned black rhinos.

The poaching of black rhinos is just one of the many risks to the survival of this critically endangered animal. In an effort to prevent poaching, many reserves throughout several African nations, including Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, now dehorn their rhinos. However, few research have examined the effects of dehorning, particularly in black rhinos.

The goal of the study was to add to the body of knowledge regarding the productivity of populations of horned and hornless black rhinoceros (of the subspecies Diceros bicornis bicornis) in four subpopulations in Namibia.

One of the populations had never been dehorned, whereas three of the populations had undergone some kind of dehorning at least once. The parameters examined included calf survival, life duration, and cause of death statistics, as well as the age of females at the time of the birth of their first calf (age at first reproduction, or AFR), the average gap between each female's calves, and birth sex ratios.

The study revealed no proof that dehorning harms black rhinos, which is positive for the practice's continued usage as a poaching deterrent in this species. It is critical that anti-poaching tactics should not adversely affect rhino population expansion.

It has been proposed in the past that dehorning rhinos might have some impact on their biology and behavior, either as a result of the repercussions of losing their horns or as a result of the dehorning procedure itself, which requires the animal to be sedated.

"In an ideal world, no one would want to remove arguably one of a rhino's most iconic features, its horn, but unfortunately this is not an ideal world and persistent poaching has forced many reserves to resort to dehorning," said Lucy Chimes, a former MSc student from the University of Bristol Veterinary School.

Our research revealed no statistically significant differences in any of the indicators of population productivity compared between horned and hornless rhinos, which is encouraging for the use of dehorning as a deterrent to poaching in black rhinos.

Following the findings, additional research is required due to the limited sample size. Future studies must collect data from as many reserves, conservancies, and national parks as they can in as many nations, in order to perform a more thorough examination of dehorning's consequences as well as its efficacy as a deterrent to poaching. The sharing of data will also enable more extensive research on subjects including rhino behavior, habitat utilization, and management techniques.

University of Bristol

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