Six rhino in northern KwaZulu-Natal have been rescued from severe drought amid fears they could die due to a lack of rain and searing heat. Already this year at the uMkhuze game reserve - which falls within the World Heritage-listed iSimangaliso Wetland Park - five adult white rhino have died, some of them after getting stuck in the mud at a water pan.Game capture teams from iSimangaliso and wildlife authority KZN Evemvelo Wildlife removed six rhino - four adult females and two calves - from uMkhuze this week to the wetter Western Shores section of the park.The rhino were also dehorned."The severity of the current drought, coupled with extremely high ambient temperatures, has resulted in food shortages and severe nutritional stress for some of the animals."Consequently, it was determined that the rhino in poor condition should be relocated as an emergency measure," said iSimangaliso CEO Andrew Zaloumis.This was despite the fact the white rhino population in the uMkhuze section of iSimangaliso was below ecological capacity and despite supplied water points flowing well."It was important to do this before their condition deteriorated to a point where they would have been too weak to be translocated," Zaloumis said.Animals' health in the park is rated on a scale of one to five, with five being "optimum" and one being "very poor".After a survey of the rhino population in the park about 15 were found to be at the lower end of class three and below.But because of good rains this week, only the six rhino were relocated.Zaloumis, however, said more moves could not be ruled out."It's best to leave the remaining rhino that are in poor condition where they currently are to enjoy the more protein-rich grass that will result from this recent rain."But while the rain has bought us some time, far more rain is needed before the rhino are completely out of danger. Intensive monitoring will continue and the situation reassessed early in the new year," said Zaloumis.Meanwhile, iSimangaliso officials said their decision to dehorn rhino in the park to deter poachers had been a success. The "completely painless" process took place in August and was done to at least 20 rhino.There have been no incidents of poaching in the park since...