Melbourne
DEGRADED savannah in the far north of Queensland may be soon be home to
the largest group of endangered rhinoceroses outside Africa. An official
delegation is visiting South Africa this weekend to request that about 50 black
rhinos and a similar number of southern white rhinos be transplanted to
Queensland to form a breeding colony.
The project鈥檚 supporters say that the savannah of Queensland is almost
identical to rhino habitat in Africa. 鈥淲e have the resources and technology to
act as a sanctuary,鈥� says Tim Nevard, manager of the North Queensland Rhino
Project. 鈥淎 gene pool will be created outside Africa and, if needed, animals can
be sent back.鈥�
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Two sanctuaries are planned. One of 5000 to 10 000 hectares would be within
90 minutes鈥� drive of Cairns, so that it could be visited by tourists whose entry
fee would help fund the project. A larger sanctuary of 100 000 to 200 000
hectares would be sited further inland, between Longreach, which is close to the
Tropic of Capricorn, and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Much of this country has been
degraded by cattle grazing. The ground cover consists of grasses and plants
native to Africa. 鈥淭here isn鈥檛 a better place in the world to mimic African
conditions on such a large scale,鈥� says Nevard.
The plan has the backing of the Queensland Department of Tourism, Small
Business and Industry and a foundation called Sanctuary Reserve, established by
George MacFarland, a South African who has lived in Australia for 20 years.
MacFarland and Nevard will visit South Africa with Bruce Davidson,
Queensland鈥檚 tourism and industry minister. They are due to meet the director of
the Kwazulu-Natal Parks Board, George Hughes, and the board鈥檚 rhino conservator.
鈥淲e are having very sensitive discussions with very senior officials in South
Africa and we鈥檝e had some very encouraging signs,鈥� says MacFarland.
South Africa is the last remaining stronghold for both the black and southern
white rhinos. Its national parks are doing a good job in protecting the
remaining animals, says Nevard, but 鈥渁ll the eggs are in one basket鈥�.
Establishing colonies elsewhere would be a sensible insurance policy, he says.
About 500 rhinos exist in captivity throughout the world. 鈥淏ut these rhinos are
in 42 institutions so there is no one place where there are enough animals to
ensure a stable, long-term population,鈥� says Nevard.
But some conservationists oppose the plan. 鈥淭he stress the rhinos would
suffer in being captured could cause some deaths,鈥� says Sally Nicholson, an
expert on the translocation of wild animals with the British arm of the World
Wide Fund for Nature. 鈥淢oney would be far better spent protecting the rhino
in situ.鈥�
Others argue that the Queensland government should concentrate on protecting
Australian species. 鈥淭ourists to northern Australia want to see Australian
wildlife, not African rhinos,鈥� says David Kimble, who runs the Chakoro Nature
Refuge, a small private reserve near Cairns. He dismisses the rhino project as
鈥渃rass commercialism鈥�.
But some scientists are enthusiastic. Tim Flannery, a mammalogist at the
Australian Museum in Sydney, sees the opportunity for a unique scientific
experiment. 鈥淚 would love to see what impact a large browser, like the rhino,
has on the Australian ecosystem,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t would be like going back 40 000
years when Australia had its own browsing megafauna.鈥�