Latest news with #RhisotopeProject
Euronews
15 hours ago
- General
- Euronews
Latest count shows gains and losses for rhino species worldwide
The number of critically endangered black rhinos has increased slightly, but there is bad news for other rhino species, according to a global count released Thursday by the International Rhino Foundation. The latest estimates show that black rhino numbers went up from 6,195 to 6,788. White rhinos had declined, however, from 15,942 to 15,752 since the last count in 2021. Black and white rhinos are only found in the wild in Africa. The number of greater one-horned rhinos, found in northern India and Nepal, rose slightly from 4,014 to 4,075. But Javan rhinos have declined from an estimated 76 to just 50, the foundation said, and that was entirely due to poaching. There is only one known population of Javan rhinos left, at a national park on the Indonesian island of Java. The Sumatran rhino population stands at just 34-47 animals, around the same as previous estimates. The global population of all rhinos is approximately 26,700. Rhinos threatened by new trafficking routes The International Rhino Foundation says it gets its figures from counts by specialist rhino groups at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the global authority on endangered species. It does not count rhinos in zoos, only those in the wild or in national parks. The rhino foundation said there were worrying new trends from South Africa, which has more rhinos than anywhere else in the world. There, the average number of rhinos in individual populations was below what conservationists recommend to maintain a viable population. It also said a new rhino horn trafficking route was emerging between South Africa and Mongolia, while Qatar was becoming a growing hub for horn trafficking. Radical radioactive anti-poaching tactics Rhino poaching is still a major problem in South Africa and elsewhere to feed the illegal market for rhino horn products in parts of Asia. South Africa loses between 400 and 500 rhinos a year to poaching. It is often looking for new ways to deter poachers. One group of scientists launched a project last week to inject radioactive material into the horns of rhinos. Last year, about 20 rhinos at a sanctuary were injected with isotopes in trials that paved the way for the project's launch. The radioactive isotopes, even at low levels, can be recognised by radiation detectors at airports and borders, leading to the arrest of poachers and traffickers. Researchers at Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit say that tests conducted in the pilot study confirmed that the radioactive material was not harmful to the rhinos. 'We have demonstrated, beyond scientific doubt, that the process is completely safe for the animal and effective in making the horn detectable through international customs nuclear security systems,' said James Larkin, chief scientific officer at the Rhisotope Project. 'Even a single horn with significantly lower levels of radioactivity than what will be used in practice successfully triggered alarms in radiation detectors,' said Larkin. The tests also found that horns could be detected inside full 40-foot shipping containers, he said.
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- Science
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Scientists Make Rhino Horns Radioactive to Fight Poaching
MOKOPANE, South Africa (AP) — A South African university launched an anti-poaching campaign July 31 to inject the horns of rhinos with radioactive isotopes that it says are harmless for the animals but can be detected by customs agents. Under the collaborative project involving the University of the Witwatersrand, nuclear energy officials and conservationists, five rhinos were injected in what the university hopes will be the start of a mass injection of the declining rhino population. They're calling it the Rhisotope Project. Last year, about 20 rhinos at a sanctuary were injected with isotopes in trials that paved the way for the July 31 launch. The radioactive isotopes even at low levels can be recognized by radiation detectors at airports and borders, leading to the arrest of poachers and traffickers. Researchers at Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit say that tests conducted in the pilot study confirmed that the radioactive material was not harmful to the rhinos.'We have demonstrated, beyond scientific doubt, that the process is completely safe for the animal and effective in making the horn detectable through international customs nuclear security systems,' said James Larkin, chief scientific officer at the Rhisotope Project. 'Even a single horn with significantly lower levels of radioactivity than what will be used in practice successfully triggered alarms in radiation detectors,' said Larkin. The tests also found that horns could be detected inside full 40-foot (12-meter) shipping containers, he said. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that the global rhino population stood at around 500,000 at the beginning of the 20th century but has now declined to around 27,000 due to continued demand for rhino horns on the black market. South Africa has the largest population of rhinos with an estimated 16,000, but the country experiences high levels of poaching with about 500 rhinos killed for their horns every year. The university has urged private wildlife park owners and national conservation authorities to have their rhinos injected.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
Scientists turn rhino horns 'radioactive' to help tackle poaching
Conservationists in South Africa have launched an unusual new campaign, which they hope will stop the poaching of have begun injecting the animals' horns with a radioactive material. The process is safe and harmless to the rhinos, but will allow authorities to detect smuggled horns as they're transported around the world. Last year experts trialed the project, which proved to be so successful that it has now been rolled out to include more rhinos in the country. How does the process work? The process has been developed by scientists at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. Called the Rhisotope Project, it involved six years of research and testing to make sure it was safe and harmless to the order to carry out the procedure, the rhino is put to sleep, so it doesn't feel any then injects two tiny little radioactive chips into the to the team, the dose is low enough that it does not impact the animal's health or the environment in any it is hoped that it can help stop poaching as the dose means the horn can't be consumed by radiation is also "strong enough to set off detectors that are installed globally" at international border if a poacher tries to transport a horn with the radioactive chip in it, it can be Babich, head of the Rhisotope Project, explained why helping the animals means so much to the team. She said: "Our goal is to deploy the Rhisotope technology at scale to help protect one of Africa's most iconic and threatened species."By doing so, we safeguard not just rhinos but a vital part of our natural heritage," Babich added. How big of a problem is rhino poaching? Poachers can get a lot of money for horns on the black market where the price by weight rivals that of Africa has the largest rhino population in the world, and hundreds of the animals are poached there every to conservation charity Save the Rhino, each year since 2021, more than 400 rhinos have been poached in the horns of African rhinos are often exported to places such as Asia, were they are used in traditional medicine and also seen as a status are two different species of African rhino - white rhinos and black rhinos are considered threatened, while black rhinos are critically endangered.
IOL News
4 days ago
- Science
- IOL News
Wits University and IAEA's innovative nuclear project aims to protect rhinos from poaching
The Rhisotope Project operates as a registered non-profit organisation and will be fully operational from August 2025. Image: Wits University website A groundbreaking effort to tackle rhino poaching has seen Wits University working with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to insert radioactive isotopes into rhino horns to deter and detect poaching activities. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, the South African Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment reported 103 rhinos poached. In a statement on its website, Wits University said the Rhisotope Project aims to create a powerful deterrent for traffickers. 'After six years of intensive research and testing, the Rhisotope Project has officially reached operational status – where rhinos will effectively be protected through nuclear technology.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The university said six months ago, low levels of radioactive material were embedded into the horns of 20 rhinos living in the UNESCO Waterberg Biosphere. Experimental results on the blood tests of the animals, as well as veterinary inspections have confirmed that the rhinos are unharmed by the radioisotope levels used. 'We have demonstrated, beyond scientific doubt, that the process is completely safe for the animal and effective in making the horn detectable through international customs nuclear security systems,' said Wits University Professor James Larkin who is also the Chief Scientific Officer of the Rhisotope Project. To test the system's detection capability, researchers used 3D-printed rhino horns with identical shielding properties to real keratin (the organic material of which rhino horn is made). 'We simulated transport scenarios with the 3D-printed horns on carry-on luggage, air cargo shipments and priority parcel delivery systems and in each case, even a single horn with significantly lower levels of radioactivity than what will be used in practice successfully triggered alarms in radiation detectors,' said Larkin. The tests also confirmed that individual horns could be detected inside full 40-foot shipping containers. The IAEA said its support to the Rhisotope Project leverages its central role in strengthening the global nuclear security framework.
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Science
- Los Angeles Times
Scientists in South Africa are making rhino horns radioactive to fight poaching
MOKOPANE, South Africa — A South African university launched an anti-poaching campaign Thursday to inject the horns of rhinos with radioactive isotopes that it says are harmless for the animals but can be detected by customs agents. Under the collaborative project involving the University of the Witwatersrand, nuclear energy officials and conservationists, five rhinos were injected in what the university hopes will be the start of a mass injection of the declining rhino population. They're calling it the Rhisotope Project. Last year, about 20 rhinos at a sanctuary were injected with isotopes in trials that paved the way for Thursday's launch. The radioactive isotopes even at low levels can be recognized by radiation detectors at airports and borders to track down poachers and traffickers. Researchers at Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit say that tests conducted in the pilot study confirmed that the radioactive material was not harmful to the rhinos. 'We have demonstrated, beyond scientific doubt, that the process is completely safe for the animal and effective in making the horn detectable through international customs nuclear security systems,' said James Larkin, chief scientific officer at the Rhisotope Project. 'Even a single horn with significantly lower levels of radioactivity than what will be used in practice successfully triggered alarms in radiation detectors,' he said. The tests also found that horns could be detected inside filled 40-foot shipping containers, he said. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that the global rhino population stood at around 500,000 at the beginning of the 20th century but has declined to around 27,000 due to continued demand for rhino horns on the black market. South Africa has the largest population of rhinos with an estimated 16,000, but the country experiences high levels of poaching, with about 500 rhinos killed for their horns every year. The university has urged private wildlife park owners and national conservation authorities to have their rhinos injected.
