Black Rhino Conservation

We’re delighted to share our latest work on the impact of dehorning on black rhino home ranges and social interactions! The analyses showed that dehorned black rhinos reduced their home ranges in average by 45% and were 37% less likely to engage in social interactions between each other. See the article for more detail!

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2301727120

PNAS_dehorning_Duthe2023-1 Télécharger

IRF Grant

Vanessa Duthé — Sun, 30 Apr 2023 16:45:09 +0000

Recently, in partnership with the Munyawana Conservancy, we were granted a grant from the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) for a project entitled « Further developing rhino horn pods for improved cost-effective monitoring and research of dehorned rhinos in the Munyawana Conservancy« . This project aims at testing and comparing two different prototypes of horn pods on black rhinos and white rhinos in the Munyawana Conservancy.

For more details:

IRF’s 2023 Rhino Research Funding

LoRhino phase 2: pod trials

Vanessa Duthé — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 15:56:57 +0000

In August 2022, 18 more pods were fitted to black rhinos for further trials. Press play to see more.

Dies Academicus 2020

Vanessa Duthé — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 14:00:04 +0000

Science without borders at the University of Neuchâtel: Black rhino research

A project presentation clip for this year’s Dies Academicus with the theme Science without borders.

http://www.unine.ch/unine/home/luniversite/Evenements/dies-academicus/dies-academicus.html

Our latest publication in Conservation Science and Practice

Vanessa Duthé — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 12:58:26 +0000

Duthé V, Defossez E, van der Westhuizen R, Glauser G, Rasmann S. Out of scale out of place: Black rhino forage preference across the hierarchical organization of the savanna ecosystem. Conservation Science and Practice, e191, (2020).

Duthe_et_al-2020-Conservation_Science_and_Practice Download

LoRhino: phase 1

Vanessa Duthé — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 14:34:38 +0000

A glimpse of what has been happening with the first phase of our project LoRhino project with HEIG-VD, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the University of Neuchâtel. LoRhino aims at providing tracking and mapping habitat use data of black rhino through LoRa technology.

Video shot by Saman Handschin.

LoRa network to track black rhinos

Vanessa Duthé — Sat, 17 Aug 2019 13:05:18 +0000

Monitoring black rhinos is not an easy task, we spend many hours tracking them on foot in dense vegetation and rocky terrain. Luckily we have partnered with the HEIG-VD that have a vast experience in telecommunication technologies. We’ve installed LoRa base stations that will help track individuals and map their habitat use in the reserve. Currently our LoRa network is being tested and will be adjusted to cover any blindspots Next, rhinos will be equipped with GPS tracking devices that communicate through LoRa