VN March 2023

Vetnuus | Maart 2023 4 As a Highschool pupil, I was in a year that was subjected to Julius Caesar as the chosen Shakespeare work. I can remember very little more than ‘Et tu Brute’ and the Ides of March from the timeless treasure (languages were not my strong point). ‘Et tu Brute’ can loosely be translated as ‘not you too, Brutus’ or ‘You too, Brutus?’ The Ides of March falls on the 15 th of March, the day the soothsayer warned ol’ Ceasar about. Also, the day that knife went flashing into his back. In the Northern hemisphere, March is considered the month of expectation. With the Astrological Spring Equinox taking place in the north, down here in the South, it is the Astrological Autumn Equinox. The word “equinox” is derived from the Latin words meaning “equal” and “night,” referring to the roughly 12-hour days and 12-hour nights that occur twice each year. It indicates amoment of stillness before the Earth shifts directions. In Addition to the above two events, March is also St Patrick’s day, celebrated on the 17th of March. The St. Patrick’s Day symbols are shamrocks, the colour green, leprechauns, parades, corned beef and cabbage, green beer, and the harp. While some of these symbols directly tie to St. Patrick, most correlate more with celebrating Irish culture and showing Irish pride. Happy St Paddies day to all Irish descendants. InVetnews, we celebrate the rhino this March.“Rhinos are under pressure worldwide” is one of the cliché statements of our lifetime. Nobody in the conservation business can be under the false idea that it is not true. Our leading article is a short writeup on a very interesting and enlightening project on the DNA of our own unicorn (although actually a bicorn – but let’s not go there). What happened to the genetic variance after the bottleneck in the late 1800s is under the spotlight. Moreover, it looks at how genetic analysis of individuals can help breeders and legal hunters make intelligent decisions to determine the genetic future of these special animals. An article on the eyebrow-raising upside-down transportation of rhinos is very reassuring. The piece on rhinos with positive TB results reminds us not to act irresponsibly and to take responsibility to make sure we make every effort not to spread diseases. I wish that March would be the month of expectation, that the last stuffed rhino would not turn around and say:” Not you too, conservationist”. May we stand still a little on the 21 st of March when the sun stops, returns on his age-old journey, and consider all species under threat. Happy first month of autumn all. v Andriette From the Editor Editor’s notes / Redakteurs notas Andriette van der Merwe "March is the Month of Expectation. The things we do not know - The Persons of prognostication Are coming now." - Emily Dickinson, March is the Month of Expectation