Example of a permanent boma infrastructure SANParks
Wild animals are kept in bomas before they are transported for live sales at auctions, for quarantine, for adapting to a new environment before release, for treating sick animals, for feeding emaciated animals and for research. The type of facility will be determined by the type and number of animals to be kept, and the duration that the animals will be held captive. The number and type of pen required will also depend on the size, age and sex of the animal to be kept. Special pens are required for keeping black rhinoceroses, white rhinoceroses and giraffes. Animal auctions also require special, well-built pens that adhere to the guidelines and regulations of the various conservation authorities.
General bomas
The following are guidelines and aspects to keep in mind when building a boma:
• Holding pens should be built on level terrain in a quiet area away from human activity, the pen should be able to drain well to prevent a mud bath.
• The pens should provide sufficient shelter for the animal against the winds.
• A neat, solid and practical set of pens should be constructed with approximately 2 m² of bar space per 50 kg of live animal weight.
• The pens should be planned so that there is enough space for big vehicles to move around. It is advisable to build a loading ramp at the loading zones against which a vehicle can park.
• The minimum wall height of a holding pen is 3 m.
• If it is possible, the sorting, bleeding and loading areas should be planned so that it forms a slight curve. This will ensure that the animals cannot see the vehicle at the end of the passageway and can be loaded more easily.
• Any spaces should be closed between the ramp and the vehicle so that the animals do not hesitate or injure their legs.
• A water trough of stone and cement should be constructed that can hold at least 50 litres of water; it must be situated in the corner of the pen.
• A wooden walkway above the passageway of the pens simplifies handling, loading, offloading and supervision. This is not suggested, however, for wildlife auctions for viewing by the public. Such viewing could be done from the ground level through observation windows.
• A few sliding gates or doors at the start of the passageway will simplify the loading, sorting, selection and classification of animals.
• Wooden posts that are used for the pens should be packed tightly and every third or fourth post must be attached firmly to cross wires or cables.
• Several spare pens should be constructed to hold the animals while their pens are being cleaned, or for keeping sick, disabled injured or irritable animals.
• The door of each pen should be as sturdy as the walls.
• Trees in pens can cause injuries, but a third of any pen should be roofed to provide shelter and shade in addition to any trees in the pens.
Temporary pens or camps
If animals are only kept for a short time, before transport or release, or when only single consignments of animals are purchased from time to time, permanent holding facilities are unnecessary. A simple pen could be constructed of plastic or hessian, reinforced with wire mesh or nets can be erected in the field without a great deal of labour and will serve the purpose well. This pen can be erected at the locality where the animals are to be released, and the material can be stored for future use.
Material
The material that is used for the temporary pen should appear like a solid wall. The pen should be at least 3 m high and reinforced on the outside with wire mesh or capture nets. The posts should be planted firmly into the ground at 5 m intervals. When strong winds are likely, droppers can be fixed to the cables between the posts as reinforcement.
Materials used for temporary permanent bomas must be able to keep in the different types of animals
Shade
When the natural vegetation in the pen does not provide sufficient shade, a shelter should be erected. A shade cloth that allows 60 to 70% of sunlight to penetrate can be used in this case. The shade cloth can be pulled over three lengths of wire and attached to the posts in the pen. After use, the shade cloth can be rolled up.
Offloading ramp
The offloading ramp should be sturdy and reach the height of the transport vehicle’s load bed. It should also be safe so that the animals cannot injure themselves during offloading. Hessian bags filled with soil and covered with a layer of soil can serve as a temporary offloading ramp and can be removed later by simply shaking the soil out of the bags.
Individual animals in small pens
Adult males, or aggressive animals that have to be kept individually in a pen, can be kept in small pens inside or outside the main pen. The same material that is used for the boma can be used for this purpose. Gates or doors that are covered with plastic or hessian provide access to these pens.
Gates or doors
A wide gate or door that is made of the same material as that covering the boma is necessary for gaining access to the pen to feed and release the animals.
Shape
The boma can be round or oval. A diameter of 30 to 40 m is sufficient for a round boma and a size of 50 x 30 m for an oval one. The eventual size will depend on the number of animals that are to be kept.
Water provision
Petrol or oil drums that are cut in half should not be used because the animals may injure their legs when they run into them. Rubber water containers that hold 20 to 50 litres of water each can also be used for temporary water provision, provide that the animals will drink from them.
Permanent pens
Permanent holding pens are recommended when animals are captured and held regularly; when small-scale capture operations are planned from time to time; when the animals are confined to adapt to a new area; when animals are captured over time in passive capture bomas; or for quarantine purposes. To ensure that the animals are in good physical condition during an auction, the pens should be properly built and safe for the animals until they are translocated.
Guidelines for auction pens
Aerial photograph with overhead passageways allowing potential buyers to view the animals without disturbing them too much
The following guidelines for live animal auctions should help minimize stress and mortalities.
Boma site
Auction pens should be built in a quiet area away from the noise and the immediate proximity of major roads and rail links. Protect the animals from the sun and any prevailing strong winds. The pens should face north to ensure maximum radiation from the sun. The terrain must allow rapid drainage or runoff of rainwater.
Structure
The wall should be built with solid materials like wooden posts. Gaps should be allowed to provide ventilation and visibility. The wooden parts must be treated with creosote to prevent termite damage. The creosote should be painted quite a while before the animals are chased into the pen. The passageways between the pens must not be more than 2 m or less than 1 m wide. The floors and passageways should be covered with coarse sand. Wooden ladders can be placed strategically in the passageways so that the workers can escape if necessary.
Extent
The size of the pens will be determined by the animal’s size. The minimum size of a pen should be 9 m². The ideal pen could extend up to 15 m in length, but its width should be 5 m throughout. The sizes of a holding pen are determined by the following ratio: 1 m² space for every 50 kg of live weight of animal kept.
Height
The wall of a holding pen should be at least 3 m high and at least 4 m high for the giraffe. Further precautions are required for waterbuck and greater kudu. These include a solid overhang of shade cloth on the inside of the walls, placed over the top of the pen to contain these jumpers. It is strongly recommended that these animals should be tranquillized.
Passageways
All the pens are connected by passageways to expedite the movement of the animals. The door or gate to the pens should form an effective barricade in the passageways so that the animals can be moved in and out of the pens with little effort. The passageways should be at least 1 m wide, but no wider than 2 m, and must connect with the terminal loading bay and loading platform.
Ventilation
A free airflow through the pens is vital and the walls should not be solid. But any gaps between the planks or posts of a wall should not exceed 20 mm.
Sufficient ventilation is important for animal health and also unique for different species
Doors & Gates
The doors or gates of the pens should be as strong as the walls and must be slightly wider than the passageway so that they will press against the opposite wall of the passageway, this will form a funnel and the animals will move out more easily.
Loading ramp
The loading ramp should be sturdy and fully adaptable, especially in terms of height, for loading the animals into any form of a transport vehicle. The floor of the ramp should be strong enough to carry the weight of the animals being loaded and the surface should be non-slip. The slope of the ramp should not be greater than 30 degrees.
Water provision
Each pen should be provided with a water trough in one corner that is made of material that cannot injure the animals, such as stone and cement. The trough should be situated in such a way that it can be cleaned and refilled daily from outside the pen, and it must be placed away from the feeding area to prevent contamination of the water with the food. A trough of approximately 0.5 x 0.5 x 1m inner measurement is sufficient. The trough should have rounded edges and hold a minimum of 50 litres of clean, fresh water at all times, and the bottom should be rounded to make cleaning easier. Watering facilities operating on a ball-valve system are suggested. Old oil and fuel drums must never be used because they injure the animals, and they rust.
Feeding area
The feeding area must be separate from the drinking area and should be under a waterproof roof for protection from the rain. Feeding racks must be positioned so that the feed can be provided from outside the pen without disturbing the animals. Feeding racks are only suggested for the giraffe because of possible injuries to other animals. The best quality food should be obtained and put out before the animals are placed in the pens. Food should always be available. Feeding areas should be large enough to allow all the animals to feed without conflict.
Food provision
Food of the best quality should always be available to the animals. Enough food to feed all the animals expected for at least two weeks should be obtained before the auction. Browsers such as the Nyala and greater kudu should be fed natural food upon being put in a pen, and the black rhinoceros should be fed natural food during its entire stay in the boma. The food should be stored on pallets above the ground in a dry area under a roof to protect it from pollution and rain.
Shelter
The wild animals should be protected from strong prevailing winds and the sun and rain by a roof over the pens. The roof should cover at least a third of the pen and be high enough so that the animals can move around and stand comfortably under it. A solid roof that slopes away from the pen and is fitted with gutters is recommended.
Drainage & Sanitation
Efficient drainage should be considered a priority before the pens are erected. Pens should be built on an elevated area so that any water will drain out and away from the pens and not into an adjacent pen or the passageway. Straw must be provided as bedding in each pen, which must be cleaned daily.
Overhead passageways
Overhead catwalks above the passageways are useful for handling, moving and sorting the animals, but they are not recommended for public viewing purposes unless the animals have been suitably tranquillized. The public should view the animals through observation windows provided in the passageways at ground level, or through the spaces between the posts. Food should never be thrown into a pen from the catwalk.
Additional Pens
Extra or standby pens should always be available to keep any animals while their pens are being cleaned, and these should be of similar size to the largest pens. The spare pens can also be used for accommodating, sick, disabled, injured or surplus animals, or animals that will not be auctioned soon.
Viewing the animals
Only potential buyers should be allowed to view the animals, and this should be done under strict supervision.
Management of the boma
The management of animals in pens should only be done by properly trained attendants.
Parasite control
All the animals should be treated for internal and ectoparasites upon their arrival at an auction boma. Appropriate anthelmintic and acaricides should be used.
Quarantine pens
A quarantine area should be enclosed by a 3 m high-security perimeter fence that is at least 10 m away from the quarantine pens. This is to prevent contact between the animals in quarantine and any other animals and to restrict the possible escape of quarantined animals from the quarantine area. Stables might be required for animals being kept in cold regions, especially in the winter. Extra pens should be available for the isolation of sick, injured or disabled animals, or any combination of these conditions. Adequate veterinary facilities should be provided for the isolation and treatment of sick animals, and the collection of blood samples when this is required to comply with the relevant import or export regulations.
Inspection of animals at auctions
According to STANZA code 1884-1; all the animals at live wildlife auctions are sold without guarantee. At the drop of the auctioneer’s hammer, the legal ownership of the animals is immediately transferred to the buyer. Buyers can ensure their animals against death during transportation, but have no guarantee as to the health of the animals they bought; therefore, they must be sure about what they are buying because these purchases are legally binding. Sick, disabled, injured or unfit animals should never be offered for sale.
To ensure that only fit and healthy animals are bought at auctions, a wildlife veterinarian should visually inspect the animals in the holding pens a day or two before the auction, and should check especially for the following:
• The general physical condition, state of health and level of apparent stress of the animals.
• Signs of listlessness and weakness.
• Skin wounds caused by fighting could indicate internal injuries.
• Signs of diarrhoea.
• Sick, disabled or injured animals.
• Tick or mite infestation so that the appropriate acaricidal treatment can be prescribed.
• Lameness and stiffness caused by foot-rot, capture myopathy or injury to the hooves or legs.
The wildlife veterinarian should complete the checklists as prescribed by STANZA codes 1884-1 and 1884-3 for each pen. The list must be signed by the veterinarian who conducted the inspection and must then be presented to the auctioneers and organizers of the auction
Figure 3.102 is a design of holding pens for a large number of wild animals that can also be used as quarantine pens.
Schematic design of a set of holding pens for wild animals which can serve as quarantine boma as well Bothma Du Toit 2010 Game ranch management