Scientists in South Africa have inserted radioactive material into rhino horns to prevent the activity of rhino poaching. Many rhinos have been killed and their horns sold for traditional medicines and tonics, or as a status symbol for wealth. There is a demand for rhino horn in Asian countries, mainly Vietnam and China.
According to Helping Rhinos, it has been over 150 years since the African Savannah was home to a million black and white rhinos. However, by the twentieth century, the numbers dropped, and poaching escalated as the illegal trade of rhino horns grew.
International trade in rhino horns has been banned since 1977, but profits on the black markets has increased since early 2000s. During its peak time, rhino horn was selling for $65,000 per kg, more than gold or cocaine. However, the price has dropped to $25,000 per kg.
Thousands have been killed in South Africa over the past decade. Rhinos are usually lonesome animals and stray away from socializing – requiring large areas to graze and live. A rhino’s horn is made of keratin, which is the same substance that makes up human hair and fingernails, and although scientific studies have proven no medical benefit from rhino horns, it is still high in demand in Asian countries.
Rhino horn is used in Traditional Asian Medicines, but there is no proof that they are effective. To fight this scourge, South African conservationists have begun inserting radioactive pellets into the horns of white rhinos at The Rhino Orphanage in Mokopane, Limpopo Province in South Africa, as a way of ending the illegal rhino horn trade.
James Larkin, the leader of the project, says the £1000 pellet is cheaper and less damaging than other anti-poaching methods such as removing the horns, which has been done with a chainsaw. This project is an advantage to the global nuclear surveillance system, which means that sensors installed at border posts will be able to detect the horns’ radiation and alert the authorities.
According to figures from the International Rhino Foundation, South Africa is home to the world’s largest rhino populations. “Ultimately, the aim is to try to devalue rhinoceros horn in the eyes of the end users, while at the same time making the horns easier to detect as they are being smuggled across borders,” said Larkin.
Scientists from the University of Witwatersrand’s Radiation and Health Physics Unit (RHPU) reported that twenty rhinos were sedated to drill small holes into each of their horns in order for the non-toxic radioscopes to be inserted.
“Each insertion was closely monitored by expert veterinarians and extreme care was taken to prevent any harm to the animals,” said Larkin. “Over months of research and testing we have also ensured that the inserted radioisotopes hold no health or any other risk for the animals or those who care for them.”
Larkin and his team have been working on this project for the past three years, and the insertion was the “final phase” of the research project. “This is an example of how cross-disciplinary research and innovation makes a real difference” said Lynn Morris, professor and deputy vice-chancellor for research and innovation at Wits University. She says that this novel approach pioneered by Prof Larkin and his colleagues has the potential to eradicate the threat of extinction of this unique wild-life species.
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