Latest news with #UniversityOfTheWitwatersrand
BBC News
05-08-2025
- 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.
CBC
01-08-2025
- Science
- CBC
Conservationists are giving rhinos radioactive horns to save them from poachers
Injecting radioactive isotopes into the horn of a living rhinoceros is a lot easier than it sounds, says James Larkin. "You basically drill a hole in the horn, put a carefully selected radio isotope into the horn in a couple of places, then you seal it up, you reverse the tranquillizer, and you send the rhino on its way for the next five years," he told As It Happens guest host Paul Hunter. "It's easy. All done and dusted in a couple of minutes." Larkin is the chief science officer at the Rhisotope Project, which aims to protect South Africa's critically endangered rhinos by making their horns radioactive. The doses, he says, are too weak to pose any risk to the animals, but strong enough to set off nuclear security system alarms at international border crossings. The goal is to deter people from poaching rhinos, and catch those who do. Scientists who are not involved in the project welcome the innovative effort to protect the critically endangered animals, but stress that this work alone not enough to save them. Low doses proved safe in trial The Rhisotope Project project is a collaboration between nuclear energy officials and conservationist scientists, in partnership with South Africa's University of the Witwatersrand, where Larkin is the director of the Radiation and Health Physics Unit. "Having seen enough of those videos of animals being mutilated … it came to me that, hey, maybe I could do something about it using my background," he said. First, he says, they had to make sure that it worked, and was safe for the rhinos. So over the last six years, he and his colleagues have been testing the idea, first in the lab with computational modelling to determine the safest effective dose, and later in the field, where they injected 20 black and white rhinos at the Rhino Orphanage in South Africa's Limpopo province. Followup studies on the rhinos, he says, showed no negative effects from the radiation, which he says is the human equivalent of getting three CT scans a year. "No, it will not harm the animals and, no, they won't glow in the dark." Larkin said. The radiation is, however, strong enough to set off radiation detectors at airports and other border crossings. "Over the years, because of the threat of nuclear terrorism, these detectors have been installed around the world at harbours, airports and places like that to stop the illicit movement of radioactive material," Larkin said. "So we're standing on the shoulders of that in many ways. The systems are there. The operating procedures are there. So we've just merely said: let's use that to help reduce the trafficking of rhino horn." The goal, he says, is not only to catch people trafficking the horns, but to deter other poachers from even bothering to try. It's one of several novel approaches to rhino conservation in recent years. A study published last year also showed that de-horning rhinos reduced poaching by 78 per cent over a seven-year period on eight reserves. De-horning doesn't affect the animals' health or ability to procreate, but a 2023 study found it may impact their behaviour, causing them to socialize less and reduce the size of their home ranges. Hundreds of rhinos killed every year The Rhisotope Project has injected five rhinos so far outside the original trial group, but are hoping their work will lead to mass injections across the country. They're encouraging private wildlife park owners and national conservation authorities to sign on. 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. Larkin says a rhino horn can fetch as much as $60,000 US ($82,000 Cdn) on the black market. It's sometimes used in traditional medicines in Asian countries, but Larkin says their main purpose is as a symbol of wealth and status. "Nowadays, it's being able to show off to your friends and business colleagues, to be honest," he said. Berger says he hopes this method can be adapted to protect other highly poached animals, and says he's already in talks with conservationists who work to protect elephants, which are poached for their horns, and pangolins, which are hunted for their scales. Joel Berger, a wildlife ecologist at Colorado State University who is not involved in the project, welcomed the initiative. "Having studied black and white rhinos in southern Africa and watching the gruesome toll of poaching, now — some 30 years later — it's incredibly exciting that new technologies are being tested to try to thwart the illicit trade," Berger told CBC in an email. "The use of radioactive isotopes implanted in horns to enhance detectability of smuggled horns across borders offers hope to capture greedy marketers of the world's innocent icons." Still, he says, it's not enough on its own to save the rhinos. Authorities also need to crack down on the criminal networks that keep the rhino horn trade alive, he said.
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rhino horns turned radioactive to fight poachers in South Africa
South African scientists have launched an anti-poaching campaign in which rhino's horns will be injected with a radioactive material. The group, from the University of the Witwatersrand, said the process is harmless to rhinos but will allow customs officers to detect smuggled horns as they're transported across the world. South Africa has the largest rhino population in the world, and hundreds of the animals are poached there every year. The university's venture, called the Rhisotope Project, was launched on Friday after six years of research and testing. "Our goal is to deploy the Rhisotope technology at scale to help protect one of Africa's most iconic and threatened species," said Jessica Babich, head of the Rhisotope Project. "By doing so, we safeguard not just rhinos but a vital part of our natural heritage." Tests conducted in the pilot study, which involved 20 rhinos, confirmed that the radioactive material was not harmful to the animals. "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 a professor at Wits University who is also part of the project. The horns of African rhinos are often exported to Asian markets were they are used in traditional medicine and also seen as a status symbol. White rhinos are considered threatened, while black rhinos are critically endangered. You may also be interested in: World's first IVF rhino pregnancy 'could save species' Illegal trade booms in South Africa's 'super-strange looking' plants PODCAST: Women in South Africa and Zambia protect wildlife from poachers Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Africa Daily Focus on Africa
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Why South Africa is injecting Rhino horns with radioactive isotopes
South Africa has launched an innovative anti-poaching campaign, injecting rhino horns with radioactive isotopes to deter illegal trafficking. The University of the Witwatersrand, alongside nuclear energy officials and conservationists, initiated the project on Thursday, with five rhinos receiving the harmless isotopes. These are designed to be detectable by customs agents. The university hopes this marks the start of a mass injection programme for the nation's declining rhino population. Last year, about 20 rhinos at a sanctuary were injected with isotopes as part of initial trials that paved the way for Thursday's launch. The radioactive isotopes even at low levels can be recognised by radiation detectors at airports and borders, which can lead to the arrest of poachers and traffickers. Researchers at Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit say that tests conducted throughout the pilot study confirmed that the radioactive material was not harmful to the animals. '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 of 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 confirmed that individual horns could be detected inside full 40-foot shipping containers, he said. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, an international conservation body, 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. Private and public rhino owners and conservation authorities have been urged approach the university to have their rhinos injected.
The Independent
01-08-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Why South Africa is injecting Rhino horns with radioactive isotopes
South Africa has launched an innovative anti- poaching campaign, injecting rhino horns with radioactive isotopes to deter illegal trafficking. The University of the Witwatersrand, alongside nuclear energy officials and conservationists, initiated the project on Thursday, with five rhinos receiving the harmless isotopes. These are designed to be detectable by customs agents. The university hopes this marks the start of a mass injection programme for the nation's declining rhino population. Last year, about 20 rhinos at a sanctuary were injected with isotopes as part of initial trials that paved the way for Thursday's launch. The radioactive isotopes even at low levels can be recognised by radiation detectors at airports and borders, which can lead to the arrest of poachers and traffickers. Researchers at Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit say that tests conducted throughout the pilot study confirmed that the radioactive material was not harmful to the animals. '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 of 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 confirmed that individual horns could be detected inside full 40-foot shipping containers, he said. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, an international conservation body, 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. Private and public rhino owners and conservation authorities have been urged approach the university to have their rhinos injected.
