HABITAT SELECTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF SOUTHERN WHITE RHINOCEROS (Ceratotherium simum simum, Burchell 1817) TRANSLOCATED TO OL PEJETA CONSERVANCY, KENYA

Abstract

Translocation has been used extensively as a management tool in rhinoceros conservation. However, information on post release habitat preference and home range size has been modest. Thus six southern white rhinoceros, three females and three males, translocated to Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia District of Kenya were studied between July 2006 and December 2008. The study was aimed at assessing the post release habitat preference and home range size of these rhinoceros by quantifying habitat quality of six study sites namely; Morani, Zebra, Oryx, Serat, Grants and Loldru. Study site quality was determined by estimating grass biomass, quantifying the relationship between normalised difference vegetation index values and faecal nitrogen while study site preference and estimates of home ranges were established by recording GPS locations of each or group of rhinoceros sighted. Study site preference index was calculated by comparing the proportion of white rhinoceros occurrence in each study site and the proportion of the study site sizes within the study area. A disc pasture meter was used to estimate grass biomass. The mean grass biomass for Ol Pejeta Conservancy was predicted to be 700 ±434 kg/ha at a mean disc height of 7.51 ±0.35 cm with the highest being in Loldru site (642 ±169 kg/ha) and the lowest in Oryx site (266 ±106 kg/ha). A significantly positive linear correlation between faecal nitrogen and the normalized difference vegetation index values was recorded in Zebra site (r = 0.997; p < 0.001), Oryx site (r = 0.996; p < 0.001) and Morani site (r = 0.714; p < 0.001) while a significantly negative linear correlation (r = -0.9; p < 0.001) was recorded in Loldru site. Zebra site was the highest utilized (18%) site when all the seasons were considered simultaneously while Grants site was the highest utilised site in both wet (19%) and dry (52%) seasons. In terms of site preference, Zebra site was the most preferred (+1) when all the seasons were considered simultaneously while Oryx and Serat sites were the most preferred (+1) in wet and dry seasons respectively. During post release monitoring phase, Females exhibited larger home ranges (22-25.4km2) than males in the wet season and smaller home range (28.6km2) than Males (29.7km2) in the dry season. Zebra site exhibited high quality forage and was consequently the most utilised and preferred site, hence the core areas of all rhinoceros studied were within this site. It is concluded that the post release distribution of these rhinoceros followed the principles of the Ideal Free Distribution theory, and the Zebra site within Ol Pejeta Conservancy is important for the conservation of these rhinoceros. The study recommends active management of these sites and a study on the role of water in distribution of white rhinoceros should further translocation of white rhinoceros be considered