WildLife Group of the SAVA
Dehorning of a rhinoceros – J . G . du Toit
Reasons for dehorning a rhinoceros Poaching was always 0.1 % of the white rhinoceros population of South Africa . The rhinoceros horn is part of the same shopping trolley of the international smuggling syndicates that is filled with drugs , abalone , cigarettes , weapons and human trafficking . The rhinoceros must be dehorned for commercial reasons and to create a legal market for the product . Ranching for horn is at least ten times more profitable than cattle ranching on the same area of land . The sale of rhinoceros horn will earn foreign currency for the country . The dehorning of rhinoceros will give the live animal a value as explained in Chapters 9 & 14 . The philosophy is if you stop a free market you create a black market – this will be the end of the free living rhinoceros . However in certain cases the owners cannot dehorn their animals for reasons such as tourism or predation . This should not prevent ranchers who prefer so sell the horn of their animals instead of hunting them .
Planning a dehorning operation According to the Norms and Standards described in Chapter 2 the following is applicable . When live rhinoceros are darted for translocation , treatment or any other management purpose , samples of the horns and blood must be collected by using the DNA kits as provided by the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at Onderstepoort . The dehorning must be done while the rhinoceros is immobilized and must be done under the supervision of a veterinarian . Therefore a permit to capture the rhinoceros , to dehorn the animal , to transport and kept the horn must be obtained from the provincial authority ( Contact details in Chapter 2 ).
Dehorning technique A chainsaw , wood saw or steel saw can be used . The advantage of the chainsaw is that dehorning can be done quickly , thus reducing the down-time and risk of immobilization to the rhinoceros . The disadvantage is that a thick layer of horn is wasted with the cutting procedure . 1 . The hand saw cuts slower but less waste of horn occur during the cutting procedure . A hand saw can be used as a standby tool for the chain saw when mechanical problems occur .
2 . Protect the eyes ( heat and fumes ) and ears ( noise ) of a rhinoceros when a chain saw is used .
3 . The down time of a dehorning procedure must be less than 10 minutes .
4 . Cut horn horizontally just above the hairline . Care must be taken with young animals where the sinus is still well developed in the base of the horn . Do not round the edges of the horn because the horn will crack in the middle of the base and reduce growth and horn production . 5 . Cut the front horn first and then the back horn . 6 . The horn must be cut above the hairline . 7 . The horns of young animals must not be cut to low to prevent cutting in the sinuses
Factors to consider when dehorning rhinoceroses Economic Dehorning is a costly exercise due to the effort of finding the animals , and the costs associated with the immobilization process . The costs of a dehorning operation will depend on the rhinoceros population density , the size of the area , the vegetation type , topography of the terrain , the degree of habituation of the rhinoceroses , darting platform such as a helicopter or vehicle and experience of the capture team . Published estimates of the current cost of dehorning vary from : R5 000 ( US $ 620 per rhinoceros ( estimated for Kruger National Park ) and R8 000 ( US $ 1 000 ) per rhinoceros for private land ( Lindsey & Taylor , 2011 ). The costs can be reduced to use green hunts as a tool to dehorn the animal ( Refer to Appendix 5 ).
• A helicopter is necessary to dehorn animals effectively
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