Black rhinoceros are slow to colonize a harvested neighbour's range

Live-harvests from source populations for translocation are key to rapid recovery for many species. Contrary to common assumption, however, reduced density might not immediately improve vital rates because animal recolonization is slow - creating management uncertainty about harvest adequacy or sustainability. Reports measuring animal recolonization are rare. We measured the response of the 19 same- or opposite-sex neighbours of 11 live-harvested black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis minor) in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa, by comparing the size and location of their activity areas for an average two years before and after harvest. The only significant change was a decolonization response by opposite-sex neighbours, especially males after the harvest of a female neighbour. Recolonization of habitat after harvest, at least by neighbours, might not just be slow but also further delayed by the disruption of long-standing breeding relationships with important implications for the spatial pattern and frequency of harvest.