Overview
- Thad and Angi Lacinak of Precision Behavior traveled in August to treat Thuza, a southern white rhino with a life‑threatening parasitic eye infection.
- The team used food to guide the animal into a narrow chute, desensitized him to touch and water on the face, then applied eyedrops while he remained calm.
- Within two weeks, the practitioners trained Daniel Terblanche and anti‑poaching guards to continue the care, and the medication is now given daily.
- Imvelo’s Community Rhino Conservation Initiative says the treated rhinos are thriving, and the successful intervention helped safeguard the pilot program.
- Southern white rhinos are listed as near threatened at about 16,000 in the wild, with poaching and habitat loss continuing to pose major risks.