Re-Introduction Success of Black Rhinoceros in Marakele National Park

Abstract

Re-introduction is a key conservation management response and forms the backbone of several species recovery programmes (Armstrong & Seddon, 2008). The south-central black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis minor ) (black rhino hereafter) epitomizes this conservation response with several genetically connected strongholds in Zimbabwe and South Africa (Kotze et al., 2014). The Kruger National Park and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve are home to key populations. The population in the Kruger National Park was created through re-introduction of 81 black rhinos between 1971 and 1990 (Ferreira, Greaver & Knight, 2011). Within South Africa, the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project (Sherriffs, 2003) seeks to create several populations in addition to 10 already established populations, as part of implementing the National South African Black Rhino Management Plan (Knight, Balfour & Emslie, 2013).