South Africa has a proud conservation record. The desert-adapted black rhino, riverine rabbit and African wild dog, though, are some of the most iconic on the endangered list.
What is being done to save them, and where can you see them?
Dryland Dinosaur
To the untrained eye, a desert-adapted black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis bicornis) looks almost exactly like any of the four black rhino subspecies in Africa. Unlike the bigger wide-lipped, grass-eating white rhino, black rhinos are equipped with a pointy, prehensile upper lip for eating twigs.
A grey, tetchy, short-sighted beast, the desert-adapted black rhinoceros tends to charge first and ask questions later – showing a dismaying agility and turn of speed for its one tonne bulk.
Desert-lover
A guide may point out that the horns of a desert-adapted black rhino are not quite as curved as those you’d see on the other black rhino subspecies in South Africa. But the most important difference, as the name indicates, is its love for dry conditions, which means it is mostly found in the arid south west of the country.
A Glimmer of Hope
Since 2000, small populations have been translocated to national parks in the arid Karoo and Kalahari, and their numbers have steadily increased to a few dozen (there are hundreds more in neighbouring Namibia). But they are still classified as critically endangered in South Africa.
Desert Rabbit
If you have seen a riverine rabbit, count yourself among a very small, lucky and exclusive club. There are fewer than 300 adults left, and they’re nocturnal.
Riverine rabbits are endemic to South Africa, and their habitat is highly specialised. You’ll find them only along the river courses in the semi-desert Karoo. But farmers use the same territory for growing crops.
Unlike Other Rabbits…
Riverine rabbits are appealing little beasts, mostly brown right down to their fluffy tails, with cream bellies and throats. A black stripe from mouth to cheek gives them a dashing, moustachioed air. These rabbits also have very broad, furry feet, as if they were perpetually wearing fluffy slippers.
Unfortunately, the other distinguishing characteristic of this species is that they don’t breed like (other) rabbits. The riverine variety bears only one or two young a year.
To the Rescue
The Riverine Rabbit Working Group (part of the Endangered Wildlife Trust) was established in 2003 in the tiny Karoo town of Loxton. They’re educating farmers, farm labourers and children about these elusive creatures. They are also rehabilitating ruined river banks.
Your chances of seeing a riverine rabbit are vanishingly slim, but you may get lucky, particularly if you volunteer with Dr Vicky Ahlmann of the Working Group.
The Painted Wolf
Wild dogs, also called Cape hunting dogs, are singular predators with tricolour pelts and enormous Mickey Mouse ears. The swirl of tan, white and black on their bodies earned them their Latin name, Lycaon pictus, which means ‘painted wolf’.
Wild dogs, only distantly related to domestic dogs, live in packs and are some of the most efficient hunters in the bush.
Can’t Outrun Trouble
Because they have high-revving metabolisms, these dogs need plenty of food. A pack often hunts a buck a day. And they need vast areas of wilderness to roam in, which is part of the reason they are endangered.
Until recently, even ardent conservationists persecuted them for their alleged cruelty. A wild dog kill is not pretty, but it is quick and efficient.
No, No, After You
Paradoxically, their social lives are intensely altruistic. Unlike most other predators, wild dogs lead peaceable lives together, and they make special efforts to feed old, very young and injured pack members who can’t hunt. Instead of fighting for food, they have a system of ritualised begging – in fact, they compete to be more submissive.
Most of South Africa’s wild dog population of 500 (part of a southern African population of around 3 500) is found in Kruger National Park. Other smaller provincial parks are experimenting with setting up a ‘metapopulation’, which means the animals are periodically translocated to keep the gene pool fresh.
Links
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: www.iucnredlist.org
Desert black rhino:
- The best places to see them are Mountain Zebra National Park near Cradock, Addo Elephant National Park near Port Elizabeth, the Karoo National Park near Beaufort West and the new national park outside Kimberley. For bookings and enquiries: www.sanparks.org
- For bookings and enquiries at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve go to: www.tswalu.co.za
- The African Rhino Specialist Group: www.rhinos-irf.org
Riverine rabbit:
African wild dog: