How to stop rhino poaching: make their horns radioactive
In 2015 alone, 1,349 rhinos were pointed out in Africa. In the years that followed, these figures have decreased, but at least one rhinoceros is still killed every day. To solve this problem, a group of researchers offered a ready to use idea – we mean Really out of the box.
Make their horns radioactive.
The poaching of rhinos is mainly motivated by the demand for horns in countries like China and Vietnam. The idea behind the Rhisotope project is that buyers will not be interested in horns injected with radio-isotopes (radioactive versions of an element), and even if they are, border controls could use radiation detection technology to detect illegal goods.
“It was one of these three in the morning:” What if I put a small quantity in the horn? ” “Said James Larkin, professor at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, poaching hotspot in rhinos. “I realized that we could probably find this sweet spot where the dose was small enough not to harm the animal, but large enough to trigger a detector.”
In this spirit, Larkin and his colleagues injected low levels of radioactive isotopes into horns of 20 rhinos at the Biosphere Waterberg reserve during a trial phase six months ago. Consecutive blood tests and veterinary inspections confirmed that rhinos were unharmed. More specifically, the researchers have analyzed the blood of the rhinoceros for micronuclea in their white blood cells – a sign known of cellular damage. They found no micronuclei during the tests.
But for the theory to work, the doses must be traceable by radiation detection technology. As such, the team “simulated transport scenarios with 3D printed horns on hand luggage, air freight shipments and priority package delivery systems,” said Larkin in a recent declaration. The printed horns had properties similar to keratin, the same material as real rhino horns. Obviously, nobody thought that sticking a real rhinos via a TSA scanner was a good idea.
“In each case, even a single horn with radioactivity levels significantly lower than what will be used in practice successfully triggered alarms in radiation detectors,” he added. The detectors even caught individual horns in 40 -foot shipping containers.
[ Related: Rhino horns are shrinking, and humans are to blame. ]
The approach has proven to be both safe and effective, the rhisotope project is officially operational this month, which means that the owners can request that their rhinos be treated with radio-isotopes.
“Our goal is to deploy large -scale rhisotopes technology to help protect one of the most emblematic and threatened species in Africa,” said Jessica Babich, CEO of the Rhisotope project. “In doing so, we protect not only rhinos but a vital part of our natural heritage.”
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