Abstract
The greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. Mycobacterium orygis-associated disease was identified in a single greater one-horned rhino in Chitwan National Park in February 2015 prior to a planned translocation of five greater one-horned rhinoceros from Chitwan National Park to Bardia National Park for conservation purposes. This paper describes a qualitative disease risk analysis conducted retrospectively post-translocation for Mycobacterium orygis and this translocation, with the aim to improve the understanding of disease threats to the conservation of greater one-horned rhino. The disease risk analysis method used was devised by Sainsbury & Vaughan-Higgins (Conservation Biology, 26, 2017, 442) with modifications by Bobadilla Suarez et al (EcoHealth, 14, 2017, 1) and Rideout et al (EcoHealth, 14, 2017, 42) and included the use of a scenario tree and an analysis of uncertainty as recommended by Murray et al. (Handbook on import risk analysis for animals and animal products. Volume 1. Introduction and qualitative risk analysis, 2004), and the first time this combination of methods has been used to assess the risk from disease in a conservation translocation. The scenario tree and analysis of uncertainty increased the clarity and transparency of the analysis. Rideout et al.'s (EcoHealth, 14, 2017, 42) criteria were used to assess the source hazard and may be useful in comparative assessment of source hazards for future conservation translocations. The likelihood of release into the destination site of Mycobacterium orygis as a source hazard was estimated as of low risk, the risk of exposure of populations at the destination was of high risk and the likelihood of biological and environmental consequences was low. Overall, the risk from disease associated with Mycobacterium orygis as a result of this translocation was found to be low. Recommendations on disease risk management strategies could be improved with a better understanding of the epidemiology including the presence/absence of Mycobacterium orygis in greater one-horned rhino to develop effective disease risk management strategies.
Highlights
The greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), known as the Indian rhinoceros or the Asian one-horned rhinoceros, listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and classified vulnerable on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN’s) Red List, is the only rhinoceros species found in Nepal (Talukdar et al, 2008; WWF, 2017)
This paper describes a qualitative disease risk analysis conducted retrospectively post-translocation for Mycobacterium orygis and this translocation, with the aim to improve the understanding of disease threats to the conservation of greater one-horned rhino
The disease risk analysis method used was devised by Sainsbury & VaughanHiggins (2012) with modifications by Bobadilla Suarez et al (2017) and Rideout et al (2017), and included the use of a scenario tree, and an analysis of uncertainty as recommended by Murray et al (2004), the first time this combination of methods has been used to assess the risk from disease in a conservation translocation
Summary
The greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) (hereafter, 'GOH rhino'), known as the Indian rhinoceros or the Asian one-horned rhinoceros, listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and classified vulnerable on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN’s) Red List, is the only rhinoceros species found in Nepal (Talukdar et al, 2008; WWF, 2017). The range of the GOH rhino originally spread across the northern Indian subcontinent but, due to urbanisation, loss of habitat, poaching and hunting for sport (WWF 2017), they are restricted to a few small, isolated populations in India and Nepal (Subedi et al, 2013). All GOH rhino live within National Parks, which have been vital to their survival, and the Kaziranga National Park in India is home to 70% of the global population. Attempts to increase the population in other National Parks are important because the population is vulnerable to a catastrophic event, such as a disease outbreak (Kaziranga National Park, 2017). Buffer zones surrounding the National Parks in Nepal were set out in 1996 in an attempt to provide additional habitat, encourage community participation in conservation, improve the economic benefits to the community and reduce human and GOH rhino conflict (WWF Nepal, 2006; Chitwan National Park, 2015).
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