South African scientists have launched an anti-poaching campaign in which rhinos’ horns will be injected with a radioactive material.
The group, from the University of the Witwatersrand, said the process is harmless to rhinos but will allow customs officers to detect smuggled horns as they’re transported across the world.
South Africa has the largest rhino population in the world, and hundreds of the animals are poached there every year.
The university’s venture, called the Rhisotope Project, cost around £220,000 ($290,000) and involved six years of research and testing.
“At least one animal a day is still being poached,” James Larkin, a Wits University professor involved in the project, told the BBC.
“I think the figures are only going to go one way if we don’t watch out…. this is a significant tool to help reduce the numbers of poaching, because we’re proactive rather than being reactive.”
Prof Larkin added that the pilot study, which involved 20 rhinos, confirmed that the radioactive material was “completely safe” for the animals.
The Wits University researchers, who collaborated with the International Atomic Energy Agency, found that horns could even be detected inside full 40-foot (six-metre) shipping containers.
Jamie Joseph, a prominent South African rhino campaigner, said the Rhisotope Project was “innovative and much needed”.
“It’s not the endgame – only better legislation and political will can bring an end to the rhino crisis. But it will certainly help disrupt the flow of horns leaving the country and help experts better map out the illegal channels by providing reliable data,” Ms Joseph, director of the Saving the Wild charity, told the BBC.
Each year since 2021, more than 400 rhinos have been poached in South Africa, conservation charity Save the Rhino says.
Jessica Babich, head of the Rhisotope Project, said: “Our goal is to deploy the Rhisotope technology at scale to help protect one of Africa’s most iconic and threatened species.”
“By doing so, we safeguard not just rhinos but a vital part of our natural heritage.”
The horns of African rhinos are often exported to Asian markets were they are used in traditional medicine and also seen as a status symbol.
White rhinos are considered threatened, while black rhinos are critically endangered.
