South African scientists are now injecting live rhino horns with non-toxic radioactive isotopes to make them unsuitable for human consumption and easier to track at border crossings, according to a press release from the South African Academy of Science. University of Witwatersrand In Johannesburg.
The program, launched on Tuesday by the university’s Radiation and Health Physics Unit (RHPU), has been in the works for several years as a way to combat poachers who sell deer antlers, which are often smuggled out of the country and used as alternative medicine.
The humorously named “Project Lithotope” will involve injecting low doses of a radioactive isotope into the horns of 20 sedated rhinos and monitoring their health over the next six months. If successful, the university says the project could be expanded to include elephants, pangolins, and other plants and animals.
Consuming products made from the horns makes them “essentially toxic for human consumption,” one of the researchers told the French scientific journal Nature. AFPBut in reality, the main objective is to identify smuggling activity before the smugglers leave the country.
Most major airports and seaports, including in South Africa, are already equipped with equipment to detect radioactive material to protect against nuclear weapons. In theory, someone trying to smuggle a radioactive horn could set off alarms and invite a tough police response. But scientists are quick to point out that the process is harmless to the animals.
“Each insertion was closely monitored by specialist veterinarians and great care was taken to ensure that no harm was caused to the animals,” Professor James Larkin, who is leading the project, said in a press release. “After months of research and testing, we also confirmed that the inserted radioisotopes posed no health or other risks to the animals or those caring for them.”
Witwatersrand posted a video Youtube Learn about the innovative process a university team used to combat poaching.
“Every 20 hours in South Africa a rhino dies for its horn,” Larkin said. “Poached horns are then smuggled around the world for use in traditional medicines and as a status symbol. As a result, rhino horn is now the most valuable counterfeit commodity on the black market, worth more than gold, platinum, diamonds and cocaine.”
The International Rhino Foundation reports that the number of rhinos killed in South Africa in 2023 will be 499, an 11% decrease from 2022. There are an estimated 16,800 white rhinos and 6,500 black rhinos left in the world. In South Africa alone, Approximately 80% They account for approximately 10% of the world’s white rhinos and 30% of the world’s black rhinos.
