Florida zoo’s innovative eye treatment saves endangered rhino in zimbabwe’s conservation program

What started as a “completely ridiculous idea” has become a conservation success story, proving that sometimes the most unconventional solutions yield remarkable results. Animal behaviorists from Florida’s Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society traveled to Zimbabwe in August to perform an unprecedented medical intervention: administering eyedrops to a wild rhinoceros suffering from a parasitic eye infection.

The patient was Thuza, a male southern white rhino participating in Zimbabwe’s groundbreaking Community Rhino Conservation Initiative near Hwange National Park. This pilot program, supported by Imvelo Safari Lodges, marks the first time in the nation’s history that southern white rhinos have been reintroduced to communal lands. When Thuza developed severe eye bleeding and began rubbing his eyes obsessively, the infection threatened not only his sight but the entire conservation program’s future.

The innovative treatment required corralling the massive animal into a small chute—a technique that left local wildlife managers skeptical. “Believe me, we didn’t think of it; it was a completely ridiculous idea to us,” said Daniel Terblanche, security manager with Imvelo Safari Lodges. However, the desperate situation called for creative measures.

Thad and Angi Lacinak, founders of Precision Behavior and partners with Palm Beach Zoo, successfully executed the treatment plan. Their intervention saved Thuza’s eyesight and preserved the integrity of a conservation initiative that could serve as a model for rhino reintroduction programs throughout Africa. The success demonstrates how international collaboration and innovative thinking can make the difference between extinction and recovery for endangered species.