Latest news with #SavetheRhino
Time of India
03-08-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Radioactive horns: South Africa's bold approach to rhino conservation
In a world-first effort to combat the ruthless poaching of rhinos, scientists in South Africa have developed a groundbreaking method: injecting rhino horns with radioactive material. The initiative, known as the Rhisotope Project, is the brainchild of researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) and marks a bold, science-driven attempt to save one of Africa's most iconic animals. South Africa is home to the largest population of rhinos in the world—particularly white rhinos and the critically endangered black rhinos. Yet, this very distinction has turned the country into a poaching hotspot. According to conservation charity Save the Rhino , over 400 rhinos have been poached in South Africa every year since 2021, driven by illegal trade networks that stretch from African parks to Asian markets. Read more: After humans, this mammal rules the Earth, and 5 countries with its thriving population (no, not cows!) Rhino horns are highly sought after in parts of Asia, where they are believed to have medicinal properties and are also viewed as luxury status symbols. The lucrative black market has made it difficult for governments and conservationists to keep pace. A radioactive breakthrough Enter the Rhisotope Project, a six-year research effort that cost roughly £220,000 ($290,000) and involved collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The method involves injecting a tiny amount of radioactive isotope into a rhino's horn, a process that has been rigorously tested and deemed completely safe for the animals. Wits University professor James Larkin, one of the key figures behind the project, told the BBC that the innovation shifts the approach from reactive to proactive. 'At least one animal a day is still being poached,' he said. 'This is a significant tool to help reduce the numbers of poaching.' The idea is not to harm anyone who touches the horn but to make the horn detectable by radiation monitors at ports, airports, and border crossings. Customs officers, who already use radiation detectors for other security purposes, could easily identify smuggled rhino horns—even those hidden inside massive 40-foot shipping containers. Pilot study The initial pilot involved 20 rhinos, all of whom responded well to the treatment. Larkin confirmed the material was 'completely safe' and did not harm the animals. The team's success in proving that the radioactive horns can be tracked through international freight systems marks a pivotal moment in the fight against wildlife trafficking. Jessica Babich, head of the Rhisotope Project, emphasized the scale of their ambition: '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.' Read more: 5 snake parks in India that are absolutely fang-tastic and what makes them special Conservationist Jamie Joseph, director of Saving the Wild , called the project 'innovative and much needed.' She noted that while this solution isn't the 'endgame,' it can still disrupt smuggling networks and help experts better understand trafficking routes through hard data. 'It will certainly help disrupt the flow of horns leaving the country and help experts better map out the illegal channels by providing reliable data,' she added. Despite its promise, the Rhisotope Project is not a silver bullet. Activists and scientists alike stress the need for stronger laws, enforcement, and political will. Without these structural changes, even the most advanced technologies may only offer short-term deterrence. Still, the Rhisotope Project represents a rare intersection of nuclear science, conservation, and real-world impact—an example of how innovation can step into spaces where policy and enforcement have lagged. As poachers use more sophisticated tools, so tools used to fight them are also being enhanced. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
The Citizen
19-06-2025
- The Citizen
Two rhinos poached in the Dundee district
The poaching of two rhinos on a farm outside Dundee has again brought into sharp focus the relentless killing of these animals, whose horns are prized possessions that are sold on the black market for thousands of rands. One rhino was slaughtered and dehorned, while another was shot and wounded by the poachers. The rhino managed to escape, but later had to be darted and died of apparent stress. SAPS spokesperson Constable Siyabonga Nkwanyana said the incident had been registered and an investigation is underway. According to the 'Save the Rhino' organisation, approximately 58 rhinos are poached every three months. In South Africa, 65 rhinos were killed in the first quarter of this year, compared to 88 throughout last year. Read more: The slaughter is not stopping HAVE YOUR SAY: Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram or email us at Add us on WhatsApp 071 277 1394. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The costume develops its own microclimate': what it's like to run a marathon in a novelty outfit
Richard Stoate: 'I was pretty hot and tired – the last couple of miles were quite tough.' Richard Stoate: 'I was pretty hot and tired – the last couple of miles were quite tough.' Photograph: Zac Goodwin/PA A few minutes before the 2023 London Marathon began, Richard Stoate was getting into costume on the side of the road. It was a two-person job: the 43-year-old wasn't just wearing trainers and sportswear for the 26.2-mile run. He was raising money for the young people's charity WellChild, so – with his partner's help – he climbed into a 10ft (3-metre) purple nurse costume. Advertisement As the race started, his pace was a little too fast. He said: 'If you overtake someone, they're like: 'Oh God, I've been overtaken by the guy in the massive nurse uniform.'' Towards the end, with all the extra weight, Stoate was running out of puff. Five hours and 47 minutes later he crossed the finish line. 'It was a relief to get the thing off,' he said. 'I was pretty hot and tired by that stage.' Towering nurses, magic fairies, stocky rhinos, mighty oak trees, colossal chocolate bars, well-known monuments – marathons attract their share of wacky characters each year. But what's it really like to drag these weird costumes over 26 miles? Whether it's outfits that chafe and scratch, amusing comments from spectators, costumes falling apart mid-race, or the sheer heat and sweat inside heavy foam suits – completing a marathon in a novelty costume brings a somewhat unique running experience. Scores of people got in touch with the Guardian to tell their tales. Advertisement Rhinoceros costumes from Save the Rhino International have been a feature of the London Marathon since 1992. But the temperature inside can be punishing. Former chief executive Cathy Dean last donned the suit in 2022. She said: 'The costume develops its own microclimate – it's incredibly hot and sweaty inside. You need to wear a sweatband around your forehead to stop your eyes from stinging. 'And after a while you begin to smell the sweat of all the previous runners that has soaked into the plastazote over the years.' The rhino suits get sprayed after each run with furniture polish, but it doesn't actually clean them. Then there's the weight. About 10kg, the rhino suit is attached to a frame worn like a rucksack – with straps at the shoulder and waist – but the head bobs annoyingly. 'So you start holding on to the sides to stabilise it,' Dean said, which causes stiff arms 'as if you're holding a tea tray out in front of you'. Advertisement This year, 14 people will run the London Marathon in Save the Rhino suits. 'They'll be pounding the streets of London, that's a proper crash of rhinos,' Dean said. Ann Beardsley, 73, and her sister have completed the 'Disney Dopey Challenge' more than 10 times. It's a fancy dress event of four races: a 5k, 10k, half- and full-marathon across four days in Disneyland Florida. The sisters ran as matching pink flamingos one year. But, Beardsley said, the headwear kept blowing away – so she 'became a decapitated flamingo'. Another time they were rainbow fairies. The wigs itched, the tutus scratched, the hats kept falling off, but 'it was all part of the fun', she said. The annual races gave the sisters – one living in North Carolina, the other in Oregon – a happy excuse to get together. When Kellie Clark decided to run the London Marathon as a large Marathon (the old name for Snickers), in an effort to win a Guinness World Record, she deployed cardboard, fabric and her sister's help to build the outfit. They had to follow guidelines – on the chocolate bar's length and rigidity – which made it heavy and awkward to run in. Advertisement 'It was a very short stride,' she said. But even so, on her third attempt in 2022, Clark's Marathon bar won the women's world record for 'fastest marathon dressed as a candy confectionery item', clocking 4hrs 26mins. The record was stolen the next year by a pack of Haribo. Clark, 42, who lives in Morecambe, has also completed York Marathon (as a Yorkie bar), a pandemic marathon in a beer garden (as a pint of ale) and the London Marathon (as a pea-shaped superhero). She does it to inspire her children – aged 11, 10, eight and four – that they can achieve anything, and to follow their dreams, while raising money for charity. 'They love the silly things I do,' she said. But running in a novelty outfit isn't without risk. George Bingham, a 64-year-old in West Yorkshire, ran the London Marathon raising money for Sue Ryder in 2010 as the Angel of the North, the 20-metre sculpture by Antony Gormley. Advertisement His running outfit, 3.5 metres tall and 4.5 metres wide, was constructed from glass fibre rods, stuck together with marine glue and covered in a rust-coloured skin. It was light, but 'the slightest breeze threw you,' he said. 'You've got to just try scurrying along.' When Bingham was running over Tower Bridge, he said a gust sent him perilously towards the edge. 'I had to be rugby-tackled by two stewards to stop me from being blown over,' he said. 'They really were life-savers.' But above all, running a race in a novelty outfit can be emotional: people are raising money for charities close to their hearts, and the encouragement from fans can be overwhelming. Robert Duncombe, 57, ran 2022's London Marathon as a tree, raising money for the Oak Cancer Centre at Royal Marsden hospital, where he is chief pharmacist. He said the 8ft bespoke suit, made by a company that constructs football mascots, was 'bouncing up and down on my shoulders'. The foam insulation meant Duncombe was 'sweating buckets' – but the 'electric' crowd atmosphere powered him through. Advertisement He said: 'Coming over Tower Bridge, you take a right, it's eight or 10 people deep, and that wall of noise hits you – even slightly muffled through the costume – you could hear these chants of: 'Tree! Tree! Tree!' It was just so special.' Dean said running in a costume was 'like being on a red carpet. The crowds go absolutely bonkers.' After her marathon, she said, the most overworked muscles weren't her legs. 'I remember my cheek muscles aching because I was smiling so much.'
The Guardian
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘The costume develops its own microclimate': what it's like to run a marathon in a novelty outfit
A few minutes before the 2023 London Marathon began, Richard Stoate was getting into costume on the side of the road. It was a two-person job: the 43-year-old wasn't just wearing trainers and sportswear for the 26.2-mile run. He was raising money for the young people's charity WellChild, so – with his partner's help – he climbed into a 10ft (3-metre) purple nurse costume. As the race started, his pace was a little too fast. He said: 'If you overtake someone, they're like: 'Oh God, I've been overtaken by the guy in the massive nurse uniform.'' Towards the end, with all the extra weight, Stoate was running out of puff. Five hours and 47 minutes later he crossed the finish line. 'It was a relief to get the thing off,' he said. 'I was pretty hot and tired by that stage.' Towering nurses, magic fairies, stocky rhinos, mighty oak trees, colossal chocolate bars, well-known monuments – marathons attract their share of wacky characters each year. But what's it really like to drag these weird costumes over 26 miles? Whether it's outfits that chafe and scratch, amusing comments from spectators, costumes falling apart mid-race, or the sheer heat and sweat inside heavy foam suits – completing a marathon in a novelty costume brings a somewhat unique running experience. Scores of people got in touch with the Guardian to tell their tales. Rhinoceros costumes from Save the Rhino International have been a feature of the London Marathon since 1992. But the temperature inside can be punishing. Former chief executive Cathy Dean last donned the suit in 2022. She said: 'The costume develops its own microclimate – it's incredibly hot and sweaty inside. You need to wear a sweatband around your forehead to stop your eyes from stinging. 'And after a while you begin to smell the sweat of all the previous runners that has soaked into the plastazote over the years.' The rhino suits get sprayed after each run with furniture polish, but it doesn't actually clean them. Then there's the weight. About 10kg, the rhino suit is attached to a frame worn like a rucksack – with straps at the shoulder and waist – but the head bobs annoyingly. 'So you start holding on to the sides to stabilise it,' Dean said, which causes stiff arms 'as if you're holding a tea tray out in front of you'. This year, 14 people will run the London Marathon in Save the Rhino suits. 'They'll be pounding the streets of London, that's a proper crash of rhinos,' Dean said. Ann Beardsley, 73, and her sister have completed the 'Disney Dopey Challenge' more than 10 times. It's a fancy dress event of four races: a 5k, 10k, half- and full-marathon across four days in Disneyland Florida. The sisters ran as matching pink flamingos one year. But, Beardsley said, the headwear kept blowing away – so she 'became a decapitated flamingo'. Another time they were rainbow fairies. The wigs itched, the tutus scratched, the hats kept falling off, but 'it was all part of the fun', she said. The annual races gave the sisters – one living in North Carolina, the other in Oregon – a happy excuse to get together. When Kellie Clark decided to run the London Marathon as a large Marathon (the old name for Snickers), in an effort to win a Guinness World Record, she deployed cardboard, fabric and her sister's help to build the outfit. They had to follow guidelines – on the chocolate bar's length and rigidity – which made it heavy and awkward to run in. 'It was a very short stride,' she said. But even so, on her third attempt in 2022, Clark's Marathon bar won the women's world record for 'fastest marathon dressed as a candy confectionery item', clocking 4hrs 26mins. The record was stolen the next year by a pack of Haribo. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Clark, 42, who lives in Morecambe, has also completed York Marathon (as a Yorkie bar), a pandemic marathon in a beer garden (as a pint of ale) and the London Marathon (as a pea-shaped superhero). She does it to inspire her children – aged 11, 10, eight and four – that they can achieve anything, and to follow their dreams, while raising money for charity. 'They love the silly things I do,' she said. But running in a novelty outfit isn't without risk. George Bingham, a 64-year-old in West Yorkshire, ran the London Marathon raising money for Sue Ryder in 2010 as the Angel of the North, the 20-metre sculpture by Antony Gormley. His running outfit, 3.5 metres tall and 4.5 metres wide, was constructed from glass fibre rods, stuck together with marine glue and covered in a rust-coloured skin. It was light, but 'the slightest breeze threw you,' he said. 'You've got to just try scurrying along.' When Bingham was running over Tower Bridge, he said a gust sent him perilously towards the edge. 'I had to be rugby-tackled by two stewards to stop me from being blown over,' he said. 'They really were life-savers.' But above all, running a race in a novelty outfit can be emotional: people are raising money for charities close to their hearts, and the encouragement from fans can be overwhelming. Robert Duncombe, 57, ran 2022's London Marathon as a tree, raising money for the Oak Cancer Centre at Royal Marsden hospital, where he is chief pharmacist. He said the 8ft bespoke suit, made by a company that constructs football mascots, was 'bouncing up and down on my shoulders'. The foam insulation meant Duncombe was 'sweating buckets' – but the 'electric' crowd atmosphere powered him through. He said: 'Coming over Tower Bridge, you take a right, it's eight or 10 people deep, and that wall of noise hits you – even slightly muffled through the costume – you could hear these chants of: 'Tree! Tree! Tree!' It was just so special.' Dean said running in a costume was 'like being on a red carpet. The crowds go absolutely bonkers.' After her marathon, she said, the most overworked muscles weren't her legs. 'I remember my cheek muscles aching because I was smiling so much.'
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Yahoo
International group points finger at one nation not doing its part on critical issue: 'Everyone should be sharing'
Efforts to put an end to rhino horn trafficking are being foiled by one of the hotbed countries for the illegal practice: Vietnam. Fortunately, the nation's lack of cooperation is not being ignored; representatives were taken to task on the international stage in early February 2025, according to Mongabay. But will the increased scrutiny be enough to make a difference? The Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) held its annual meeting in early February 2025. At the meeting, the topic of rhino horn trafficking was discussed, and an increasingly tired issue came to the fore. For years now, pressure has been put on Vietnam to improve its enforcement measures and its reporting methods regarding rhino horn trafficking. This included sharing samples of seized horns with the South African Rhino DNA Indexing Systems (RhODIS). "Ideally, everyone should be sharing samples of seized rhino horn with South Africa," Jo Shaw from the NGO Save the Rhino says. Unfortunately, Vietnam is not necessarily the only nation that's slacking in its rhino-protecting duties. In fact, Taylor Tench of the Environmental Investigation Agency claims that most rhino horns are never shared with RhODIS. Putting an end to rhino horn trafficking is a key component to protecting these beautiful endangered creatures. While there are other threats to the rhino population — like plastic pollution — poachers are by far the greatest. A shocking 96% of African Black rhinos were poached between 1972 and 1996. This was largely done to satisfy consumer demand for rhino horns. Vietnam (along with China) was the largest market for the product, and that remains true even today. Knowing this information, it's fairly clear why it's important not only to trace seized rhino horns but also for Vietnam to be an active participant in the practice. It's heartbreaking to know that the rhinoceros is threatened largely by the greed and materialism of humans. However, there are other humans out there who may be the biggest reason the beautiful species survives. Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely It depends on the species I don't know No — leave nature alone Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Conservationists in Africa have been working to protect the critically endangered eastern black rhino. In July 2024, they were amazed and delighted to find a baby black rhino in the wild. A trail camera provided Indonesian conservationists with an equally shocking discovery in August 2024. Footage revealed a critically endangered Javan rhino and its calf walking through Ujong Kulong National Park. These amazing discoveries are the result of tireless conservation efforts. It's important to remember that while some people are willing to extinguish an entire species for profit, others dedicate their lives to ensuring that they survive. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
