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The new initiative aims to restrict illegal wildlife trade through the injection of radioactive elements, a scientific intervention.
Mokopane, South Africa— In a new effort to combat wild rhino poaching, researchers in South Africa have begun injecting radioactive elements into the rhinos’ horns. The veterinarians and nuclear experts are working in collaboration to devalue rhino horns, which are the most trafficked wildlife commodity across the world.
The process involves calming the rhinos before drilling a hole into their horns to insert radioactive elements. This treatment was administered to 20 live rhinos on the country’s international border by the researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit. The approach is designed to identify nuclear materials and existing radiation, thus relieving the fear of poachers and traffickers.
Professor James Larkin, who leads the project, explained and stated, "We are employing this method to enhance our ability to intercept these horns during trafficking, utilizing a global network of radiation monitors designed for counterterrorism purposes.”
As the growth population has drastically reduced due to persistent demand for rhino horns, South Africa, which holds the largest rhino population, has been specifically hit by poaching. Despite a temporary decline during the pandemic period in 2019, poaching incidents have risen again after lockdown.
About the efficacy of the radioactive approach, critics have raised skeptical and ethical concerns about frightening cultural poaching networks. Questioning it practically, Pelham Jones of the Private Rhino Owners Association cited alternative smuggling routes that bypass the usual border checks.
The radioactivity levels are used minimally and extensively with safety measures, as assured by Professor Nithaya Chetty, Dean of the Science Faculty at Witwatersrand.
This move marks a major step towards safeguarding most of the endangered species, with applications for pangolins and elephants also under consideration.
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