Imire - A Must Visit for Wildlife Enthusiasts

Source: Herald

Date: 11 August 2007

Author: Anon

Located an hour's drive away from Harare, Imire Game Park is a must visit for the wildlife enthusiasts with a diverse offering of animals to see but the sanctuary's ace is the rhino breeding station.

Imire Game Park offers a black rhino breeding station and is proud of its contribution to the survival of the black rhino not only in Zimbabwe but also throughout the world. History has it that the population of the rhino species in the world has been declining and hence the need to safeguard it.

At Imire, they separate the baby from its mother after six months instead of the normal 18 to 23 months breastfeeding period of the rhino.This is called weaning.

They then give the baby rhino some supplementary feeding. This will also enable the mother to become active for pregnancy after about two years instead of the normal four years.

The breeding process is a very important exercise as it has helped to keep up the existence of this rare species.

However, the supplementary feeds required by the rhino are expensive and it is very important to give the rhinos enough food.

Funding comes from Save the Rhino Australia for breeding the rhino as well as other wildlife organisations.

Poaching was cited as the major setback to the development of the breeding project here in Zimbabwe.

"We have lost various animals to poachers and we are always on the lookout for these people, man is the cause of the demise of the rhino," said Morris Mkala, a game guide.

"Handling the rhino requires one to be careful and skilful, as the animal is vicious at times," added Makuse Dinary, a rhino handler at Imire Game Park.

A black rhino has a weight that ranges between 1 000 to 3 000 kilogrammes. It can be up to 1,7 metres tall.

The black rhino has two horns, the front horn, which measures up to one metre and the back horn, which is smaller, about 55 centimetres long.

The black rhino is a browser and has a relatively narrow snout with a prehensile lip. Its gestation period is approximately 15 to 16 months and birth intervals of a single calf ranges from two and half to four years.

The female rhino reaches its sexual maturity at the age of four and the male at seven. Normally, adult females have overlapping ranges and hence are not as solitary as is commonly portrayed.

Male rhinos are usually solitary and possibly territorial. A black rhino can live up to 40 years.

Zimbabwe last year donated a black rhino to Botswana's Khama Rhino Sanctuary in an effort to boost the breeding population of the endangered species in Southern Africa.

The male black rhino from Imire Game Park joined a female one at the Botswana sanctuary in Serowe where it has been staying for years by itself. The donation was expected to boost Botswana's breeding stock.