Correct identification of species is important for all types of management of groups and individuals, both captive and free-living, including handling, housing, feeding, breeding, veterinary care…

Accurate identification of species is important in breeding programmes to avoid hybridisation, and in consideration (important for release purposes) of whether an individual wildlife casualty undergoing rehabilitation is a native species, a feral introduced species or an exotic animal escaped from a collection.

Identification of subspecies as well as species should be made and recorded, including the location of origin of the individual (or for captive-bred animals, the founder individuals), to allow for changing taxonomic information, such as new recognition of a subspecies or species.

The occurrence and appearance of disease may vary widely across apparently similar species, making species identification vital in disease investigation and management, while species differences in response to drugs (e.g. anaesthetic dosages required) must also be considered.

Identification methods can not be used for all species

A combination of two or more methods of identifying is useful, for example, you can combine eartags (easily visible color) with transponders implanted.

We must take special care to newborn animals, must be marked for identification as soon as possible, but it is important to consider the impact it can have on the mother-child bond.

You would never get a permit to tag for frivolous reasons.

Depending on the animal and the tag, tagging is used to obtain different information. Habitat use and migration patterns are one of the main reasons. You cannot protect an animal unless you know how it uses it’s habitat (the place it lives).

For marine animals it can give amazing insight into dive patterns and hunting behaviour that would remain a complete mystery otherwise, they even have the capacity to give you information on the tilt of the animal in the water column! Tags can give detailed information on home range size and core habitat characteristic. Home range is the area in which the animal spends it’s time and core range is the area within the home range it utilises intensively. Capturing an animal to tag it also gives scientists the opportunity to take blood samples that they would never otherwise get which is very useful as, for example, you can find out more about the gene pool and how different populations are or are not interbreeding.

With the tags can also get information about the social structure of the different species.

When yo do the tagging is important  to think about animal welfare, so you have to use the least invasive method possible to obtain the information needed.

The labels are particularly useful in species that are difficult to study.

The South African National Parks (SANParks) has requested help to stop rhino poaching.

South Africa is home to the largest rhinoceros populations in the world, including about 4,500 black rhinos, classified as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and about 20,000 southern white rhinos. White rhinos are classified as “near threatened” by the IUCN, which means they may face extinction in the near future.

According to the official statistics in 2010, 333 rhinos were hunted in 2011 the number was 448, while 668 were shot last year, mostly in the Kruger National Park, in the northeast of the country, but this year poachers have killed and 96 copies.

These data are more troubling when compared with previous data; between 1990 and 2007 rhino poaching averaged about 15 per year. The rhino poaching has also increased in Kenya, Zimbabwe and neighboring countries.

More than 90 percent of the horns of rhinos are sold in Asia, where you can buy a kilo for 40,000 Euros. In Asia there is a belief that rhino horn has aphrodisiac powers, but not only that, also used in traditional Chinese medicine and in the development of ceremonial daggers.

South African government has engaged the army to try to stop poachers also the South African National Parks have announced significant rewards to anyone with information that may be useful to make arrests and convictions.

The aim is to reduce rhino poaching between 10% and 18% each year for a period of five years, to protect the species and ensure the ecosystem and the environment.

But despite all these efforts by the government, experts agree that the only truly effective measure in the long term to deter poachers would curb demand for horns. This implies a strengthening of law enforcement in the importing countries, and especially education needs of consumers.