Behaviour and recruitment of translocated black <i>rhinoceros diceros bicornis</i>

Abstract

Black rhinoceros were translocated to the Addo Ele- phant National Park from Kenya and released into a small fenced enclosure. Serious fighting attributed to the conditions under which the animals were released, the unusually high population density, the meeting of strange animals, aggression associated with mating and individual temperament resulted in the deaths of three animals within three weeks. Later fighting between bulls accounted for two more animals. A peak in mating activity was recorded during spring to mid-summer, followed by a peak calving period in late summer. The calving interval (35 months) is longer than that of unrestricted populations but ages at first mating in cows (4 years 6 months, 4 years 7 months) are comparable. First parturition at Addo occurs later (8 years, 8 years 5 months) than in wild animals and the young are hidden for the first few days after birth. Under conditions of stress a subadult bull readily took to swimming as a means of escaping from other animals.