Ridiculous news befalling Uganda’s Tourism sector at the start of the year 2021 indicates that Ziwa Rhino sanctuary part of the most long lived Rhino by the names of Nandi died at the age of 22 years after battling a strange illness.
According a press statement issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority – Nandi breathed her last on February 28th 2021.
The statement also reveals that, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary’s most adorned female Rhino deceased on the night of the February 28th 2021.
Nandi’s death follows a similar recent death of her daughter Achiru who deceased on January 17, 2021.
According UWA spokesperson, Mr Bashir Hangi, the deceased’s health was characterized with body weight loss, reduced activity followed by worsening health till her last breath as this was initially identified sometime in August 2020.
Bashir revealed that, ‘’Nandi’s drinking, resting and feeding behaviour went abnormal before succumbing to a strange illness while she was expecting her seventh calf, and therefore she was too fragile to be handled like anyother regular Rhino as a lot of care was needed to protect her life and that of the unborn calf away from danger’’.
Hangi also noted that, ‘’Uganda Wildlife Authority veterinarians frequently visited the Sanctuary to carry out diagnosis at every stage her health including; administering antibiotics, de-wormers, and picking of samples for further investigations but all in vain’’.
“The first suspicion was that Nandi had intestinal worms and relevant remedies were applied but did not yield fruit. Nandi was safely immobilized by our veterinary doctors on 27th January 2021 for further examination as samples were extracted, tests conducted at Lancet laboratories and the National Animal Disease Diagnostic and Epidemiology Centre although results from the serum chemistry done at Lancet Laboratories were shared with Rhino Fund Uganda Management and other stakeholders’’. He added
“From a post-mortem undertaken on March 01, 2021 by a team of pathologists from Makerere University and Wildlife Veterinarian from UWA, the results show a generalized proliferation and enlargement of all the lymph nodes indicating lymphoproliferative disorder, which may be neoplasm or granulomatous disease,” said Hangi.
“Other significant lesions in advanced stage were observed in the lungs, kidneys and along the gastro intestinal tract (GIT),” he said, adding that, a range of samples were taken for histopathology, serology, microbiology and culture to determine the cause of death.
In conclusion, Nandi was donated by Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida, USA in 2006 at the age of 7 years together with Hassani, a male rhino that was aged 5 years then. The two together with four other rhinos earlier introduced from Solio Ranch in Kenya started a breeding nucleus that had since evolved to 35 rhinos. However, with the death of Nandi and the daughter Achiru, the total number of rhinos at the sanctuary has reduced to 33 individuals.
Nandi had her first calf named Obama in June 2009 and later Malaika “Angel” the female on June 4, 2011. Both Obama and Malaika were the first rhino calves born in Uganda in more than 30 years since the rhinos were declared extinct in 1982.
Nandi has left another 4 surviving off-springs; Uhuru (8), Sonic (6), Apache (4) and Armiju (2).
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