JANUARY 2014: POSTMORTEM REPORT OF THREE BLACK RHINOS IN LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK

By DR. E. Ndambiri.

Background Information

Parameters	Rhino Particulars
	Rhino 1	Rhino 11	Rhino 111
Name	Nameless	Not established	Not established
Species	Black Rhino	Black Rhino	Black Rhino
Identification	None	Not established	Not established
Age	Approx. 2 years	Adult	Adult
Carcass Age	Approx. 4 days	More than 10 days	More than 10 days
Sex	Female	Female	Male
Suspected date of death	20/1/2014	16/1/2014	16/1/2014
Location of Death	GPS 37M 0172179 UTM 9955002 Elevation 1903M	GPS 37M 0178960 UTM 9964037	GPS 37M 0179026 UTM 9964020
Case History	Remains found together with two horns	Found dead with both horns missing	Found dead without any horn
Postmortem Date	23/1/2014	25/1/2014	25/1/2014

Important Postmortem Findings

Rhino 1; The area where death occurred was covered by dense bush. The carcass had been predated on almost completely with few bone and skin pieces remaining at the site.

Tentative cause of death could not immediately be established but it was suspected to have been due to post darting complication. This was derived at following the report that during the recently concluded ear notching exercise a given candidate was darted and never recovered due to difficult terrain within the same area.

Rhinos 11 & 111; The two carcasses were both on left lateral recumbence and about thirty meters apart. The female was about a hundred meters from the lake shore while the male was about fifty meters from the road. The general area was ‘Kambi Nyuki Special Camp Site’ and sites had dense shrubs and acacias canopy.

Both carcasses seemed of the same age. They were slightly predated on especially on the heads, limbs and ears. They were heavily decomposed with all generations of the maggot. Soft tissues had turned to thick fluid. Attempt to turn the carcass made bones to separate/pull off from one another.

No meaningful postmortem could be done due to the status of the carcasses. Meanwhile the tentative cause of death was suspected to have been due to human involvement because all four trophies (horns) were missing and that they had precisely been cut off at their base.

Pictorial Presentation of Postmortem Findings

Rhino 1; The few bones and piece of skin remains

Rhino 11; Attempt to turn carcass over

 Rhino 11; Female on left recumbence

Rhino 111; Male on left recumbence