ARR-FOUNDATION: FEBRUARY 2014: POSTMORTEM REPORT OF A WHITE AND A BLACK RHINOS IN LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK

By DR. E. Ndambiri.

CASE 1.

Background Information

Joe an adult male white rhino was found dead in the morning of 16/2/2014 within Muhya Course way following gunshots in the night of 15/2/2014. It had two horns intact. A postmortem was performed on 16/2/2014 to establish the cause of death.

Important Postmortem Findings

1. It was found on right lateral recumbence. Ears and anal area had been predated on.

2. Both horns were removed for safe custody by Lake Nakuru National Park rhino team.

3. On examination two skin puncture points were evident. One on the left metacarpal joint anteriorly

which was probed and led to an exit on posterior side on the same joint. The same joint depicted bruise anteriorly. The second one was at left eye dorsoposteriolaterally. It was probed and led to neck after fracturing frontal bone. It was tracked parallel to the cervical vertebrae distally and was lodged at left humeral neck where it caused complete fracture. The soft tissue along the bullet truck was highly damaged and riddled with blood due to heavy hemorrhage following gunshot wounds. The single bullet head recovered was handed to rhino warden.

Conclusion

The two gunshots on the same limb incapacitated the mobility of the white rhino and caused massive haemorrhage after tearing brachial plexus. The white rhino died of circulatory shock.

Pictorial Presentation

Dead white rhino

Point of bullet head entry

Bullet head entry and exit point

Massive hemorrhage

Fracture at metacarpal joint

Bullet head track

Lodged bullet head

Retrieving bullet head

Retrieved bullet

Important Postmortem Findings

1. It was found on sternal recumbence with two horns intact. Its skin depicted several natural wounds. It was in poor body condition and mucus membranes were pale.

2. Both horns were removed for safe custody by Lake Nakuru National Park rhino team.

3. On examination two distinct movable swellings were palpable on the left side of neck. The left side of neck and left fore limb area was skinned to expose the swellings. The larger swelling was at mid neck region caudal to a smaller one which was just behind the occipital bone. As the two swellings were being excised behind the larger one and near the cervical vertebrae was a bullet head lodged in the muscles. The bullet head was recovered and the two swelling were excised. They were hard mass with large one weighing two kilograms and small one weighing one kilogram. Nothing was found inside. They were hard muscle-like masses. The discovery of the bullet led to thorough search for any foreign metallic object by use of metal detector.

4. Two bullet heads were discovered near the occipital bone behind the location of small swelling lodged in the muscles beneath nuchal ligament. Another bullet head was detected distal to the location of big swelling in the cervical muscles. The fifth one was detected on the right side of the mid neck lodged in the muscles. The chest was opened and explored with metal detector. Pleural adhesions were evident and lungs were swollen. Pericardial sac had been teared at apex. The liver was covered with fibrin which had organized itself as fiber network. The stomach cavity was explored and the sixth bullet head was discovered at omentum near ventral colon on the left side. More exploration led to the discovery of a seventh bullet head in the left colon lumen mixed with colon fermentation material.

5. There were no tracks leading to where these bullet heads were lodged. Possibly they healed because the condition had been a long standing one. This made tracking difficult but the metal detector helped a lot. The two masses excised are believed to be hardened pus abscesses.

Conclusion

The seven gun shots caused silent death which was attributed to massive organ failures especially the heart, lungs and liver.

Pictorial Presentation

Rhino on sternal recumbence