Rhea Rescue

Translocation of Rheas in Argentina
Dr. Marcela Uhart

I got home yesterday from a very intense week of nocturnal field work in the Entre Rios province of Argentina, near the Uruguay border. I was called in by Fundacion Vida Silvestre Argentina (FVSA) to assist in capturing and relocating a group of rheas. Rheas (Rhea americana) are large, flightless birds similar to ostriches. They are a protected species. A rancher in Entre Rios plans on converting his cattle fields into corn and soybean crops. He wanted the rheas on his property removed, or they will have to be killed when he makes the switch.

We drove 8 hours from Buenos Aires to the ranch. I was there to provide veterinary expertise in capturing, handling, and health assessment of the rheas. In addition to the FVSA team, several local gauchos (the South American equivalent of “cowboys”) were on hand. The gauchos were trained in using bolas, a type of lasso with balls on the ends. The gauchos throw the bolas at an animal’s legs, and the balls wrap around, causing the animal to fall. This is a technique I had not used before, but it worked well. We searched for the rheas by night, and there was no moon last week. As it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, it was extremely cold (-5° C or less with terrible winds). When we found rheas, we would use spotlights to stun them. Then, the gauchos threw the bolas at the birds’ feet, causing them to fall. The rest of the team would manually restrain the birds, and a hood was used to cover their eyes and calm them down.

Sometimes, during the capture, the birds would injure themselves by stumbling over fences on the ranch. I provided medical attention to any rheas that sustained injuries in this way or to ones that showed signs of shock after the excitement of the capture. I also tagged them and took samples from all the animals we captured. These samples will be analyzed to assess the health of the rhea population. The entire procedure took about 15 minutes, and we were able to capture 3 to 5 rheas a night. For transport, the rheas were placed in large wooden crates lined with hay, which allowed them room to stand or rest. Then the rheas were driven to their new home, and released.

In all, we were able to capture and relocate 21 rheas. By the end of the week, a nice group was established at their new home. It is another ranch, but this one is part of a wildlife refuge, Refugio de Vida Silvestre La Aurora del Palmar. It is a beautiful area, with green rolling hills, characterized by a rare type of local palm. The rheas should do well there, under the protection of the Refugio. I’m off to New York next week to meet up with the rest of the Field Vet team. After that, I’ll be assisting in a mara health evaluation project in Patagonia, Argentina.

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