An anti-poaching tactic now has rhinoceroses with radioactive horns in hopes of saving the declining population.
The Rhisotope Project, a collaborative effort between the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, nuclear energy officials, and conservationists, launched by injecting five rhinos with radioactive isotopes that are completely harmless to the animals but can be detected at airports, borders, and large shipping containers by customs agents.
James Larkin, chief scientific officer for the Rhisotope Project, was quoted by The Guardian, "We have demonstrated, beyond scientific doubt, that the process is completely safe for the animal and effective in making the horn detectable through international customs nuclear security systems."
As The Guardian reported, the global rhino population stood around 500,000 in the early 1900s but is now an estimated 27,000 due to the high demand for rhino horns on the black market.
South Africa's large rhino population — around 16,000 — also attracts the highest levels of poaching, with about 500 rhinos killed each year for their horns.
"Every 20 hours in South Africa a rhino dies for its horn," Larkin said, according to a Wits University newsletter. "These poached horns are then trafficked across the world and used for traditional medicines, or as status symbols. This has led to their horns currently being the most valuable false commodity in the black-market trade, with a higher value even than gold, platinum, diamonds, and cocaine."
With only five rhino species left in the world, conservation efforts are crucial to preserving natural ecosystems. The idea is to detect the illegal smuggling of rhino horns before they cross the borders and put a stop to poaching efforts entirely. If successful, there are plans to expand the trials to other endangered species.
Two Belgian Malinois dogs, Rico and Rimba, have been trained in Indonesia's Ujung Kulon National Park to protect Javan rhinos from active poachers. Some argue that removing their horns would be a better strategy, although this is not a permanent solution as their horns grow back within two years. The once-extinct black rhino population in South Africa is set for a revival after five long decades, as 10 of the critically endangered species have been sent to Zinave National Park as a "founder population."
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