South Africa Develops a New Solution to Combat Rhino Poaching
The University of the Witwatersrand is injecting rhino horns with radioactive isotopes that are harmless to the animals but can be detected by customs officials. This project is called the “Rhisotope Project.”
Rhino populations continue to decline, and this initiative is expected to significantly help reverse that trend. But how exactly?
POACHERS CAN NOW BE TRIED UNDER TERRORISM LAWS
First, making rhino horns radioactive reduces their commercial value. In addition, radioactively treated horns can be much more easily detected at international border crossings.
Moreover, rhino poachers are now prosecuted not only for illegal wildlife trafficking but also for smuggling radioactive materials.
Since this crime can fall under anti-terrorism laws, poachers face much harsher penalties. As a result, the project aims to deter poachers and ultimately prevent further decline in rhino populations.
Researchers from the Radiation and Health Physics Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand have also scientifically proven that the radioactive material used in pilot studies is safe for rhinos.
RHINOS ARE ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION
At the beginning of the 20th century, the global rhino population was around 500,000. Due to high demand in illegal markets, that number has now dropped to approximately 27,000.
Although South Africa has the world’s largest rhino population—around 16,000—an estimated 500 rhinos are still killed every year for their horns.
Thanks to this innovative project, there is hope that this downward trend can be reversed.