Recently, South African scientists injected radioactive material into live rhinoceros horns to make them easier to detect at border posts in a pioneering project aimed at curbing poaching.
Twenty live rhinos in total are part of the pilot ‘Rhisotope’ project whereby they will be administered a dose.
The radioactive material would render the horn useless… essentially poisonous for human consumption.
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.
Rhinoceros horns are highly sought after on black markets, where their price by weight rivals that of gold and cocaine.
South Africa is home to the world’s largest rhino population, with approximately 80% and 33% of the world’s 16,800 white and 6,500 black rhinos respectively.
