Radiated trophies Researchers want to protect rhinos from poachers with radioactivity
Researchers want to track down poachers in South Africa using radioactive substances. The material was injected into the horns of 20 rhinos, according to scientists at the University of Witwatersrand.
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- Researchers are using an unusual method to put a stop to poachers in South Africa.
- They have injected radioactive substances into the horns of 20 rhinoceroses.
- If the coveted horns are sold abroad, they could be detected during inspections using the isotope.
If poachers wanted to kill the animals and smuggle their coveted horn abroad, it could be detected during checks with the help of the isotope.
Project leader James Larkin explained that the researchers wanted to make use of a worldwide network of radiation monitors that had been developed to prevent nuclear terrorism. "We are exploiting that," he said. The researchers hope to be able to use the method on elephants, pangolins and other species endangered by poaching.
Around 500 animals fall victim to poachers every year
For the project, researchers drilled a hole in the horn of anesthetized rhinoceroses and filled it with a radioactive isotope. Nithaya Chetty, who was involved in the project, assured that the material was only very weakly radioactive. The possible consequences for the animals had been extensively tested.
Critics questioned the effectiveness of the method. "(Poachers) have found other ways to get rhino horn out of the country, (...) or off the continent," said Pelham Jones of the South African Private Rhino Owners Association. "They bypass the border crossings because they know that this is the area with the highest risk of seizure or interception."
According to conservationists, there are around 27,000 rhinos left in the world, an estimated 16,000 of which live in South Africa. Around 500 are killed there every year.
dpa