Moving large animals around is a seductive idea in conservation. If there are plenty of animals in one place and too few in another, moving some between the two seems an obvious solution. Sometimes it is. But with animals as large, mobile and socially complicated as elephants and rhinos, the move itself can turn out to be the straightforward part.
This autumn, 12 rhinos are due to be moved from a well-established reserve in North West Province in South Africa to another protected area, in the Waterberg region, as part of efforts to establish and strengthen secure rhino populations. I am involved with the conservation work around the move, including research that will follow what happens after the rhinos arrive.
