Non-invasive assessment of ovarian activity in free-ranging eastern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli) in Kenya

Black rhinos experience suboptimal population growth in Kenya, thus fecal progestagens were measured in 17 females at Ol Jogi Wildlife Conservancy to assess ovarian function. Regular and irregular cycles were observed, however neither were associated with poor reproductive performance. These methods and findings are foundational for future studies. Eastern black rhinos (Diceros bicornis michaeli) are a critically endangered species living in diverse habitats across Africa. In Kenya, once threatened with extinction due to massive poaching pressures, increased protection has resulted in losses being less than 1% annually today. Still, some populations have failed to achieve desired population growth targets. At Ol Jogi Wildlife Conservancy, some individuals are experiencing sub-optimal reproduction based on historical calving records and long inter-calving intervals (>3 years). Hormones drive the reproductive process, so non-invasive assessments of endocrine patterns can be useful indicators of individual reproductive health. In this study, we analysed longitudinal fecal progestagen metabolite (fPM) concentrations in all breeding female eastern black rhinos at Ol Jogi (n = 17) and compared the prevalence of irregular estrous cycles (longer or shorter than 20-40 days) and anestrous periods (interluteal period more than twice the length of a normal follicular phase, i.e. > 10 days) between optimal (inter-calving interval < 3 years) and sub-optimal (>3 years) reproducing individuals. Ten rhinos were pregnant during at least part of the study period. A total of 12 complete cycles were observed in seven females with an average length of 36 +/- 3 days and equal numbers of regular and irregular cycles. Single anestrous periods averaging 67 +/- 13 days were observed in five females. Surprisingly, a majority of cycles in optimal reproducing individuals were categorized as irregular based on fPM profiles. Overall, results suggest that irregular ovarian activity and isolated bouts of anestrus do not have negative impacts on reproductive performance in this subpopulation at Ol Jogi. A high priority is to continue using noninvasive hormone monitoring to evaluate how ecological or other variables influence reproductive success in this and other eastern black rhino subpopulations in Kenya.