A deightful reason to celebrate on Tueday's #worldrhinoday happened before the day was over. A black rhino, airlifted by helicopter in June then relocated to a safer place than the poacher-laden Zimbabwe, gave birth 930 miles away in Botswana. Sharing the birth on this special day, says Medical Web Times, makes the joyous birth of this critically endangered species all the more special.
Botswana's Okavango Delta is now the new home to the eight rhinos relocated in June, and they are thriving happily.
"The condition of almost all the released animals is fairly good and they have adapted to the local vegetation very well," said The Malilangwe Trust, according to Discovery.
The mother black rhino was very near the end of her pregnancy, but is accepting of her new home land and alive to raise her newborn.
Black rhinos are under around-the-clock danger from poachers, says the International Rhino Foundation, with upwards of 1200 killed in 2014; 2015 is on track to have an even higher number.
Relocation programs, like this and WWF sponsored rescues are responsible for taking the endangered rhinos from heavily poached areas to more secure reserves, according to National Geographic.
Rhino DNA Index (RhODIS) is making progress with DNA profiles for individual rhinos in South Africa. Taking a blood sample for sequencing, the database then can determine exactly which rhino was killed for its horn which helps in prosecuting cases where the poachers are caught. Wildlife forensics' high degree of resolution with the DNA testing even shows which country in Africa the horn actually came from.
