This week, scientists at the University of the Witwatersrand injected the horns of live rhinos with tiny chips of radioactive material. The goal is to deter poachers who kill the animals for their horns. According to CBS News, "in parts of Asia, the horns are thought to have unproven, powerful medicinal properties and at one point they were more expensive than cocaine in Vietnam."
"The radioactive pellets render the horn… essentially poisonous for human consumption," said the university's science dean Nithaya Chetty.
The pellets are harmless to the animals. In 2023, despite government efforts, 499 rhinos were killed in state-run parks, marking an 11% increase from 2022. As part of the "Rhisotope" pilot project, 20 live rhinos will be given a radioactive chip "strong enough to set off detectors that are installed globally" originally meant to prevent nuclear terrorism, said James Larkin, director of the University of the Witwatersrand's radiation and health physics unit.
Previously:
• A couple of rhinos casually walk inside a building as if they own the joint (video)
• The last male white rhino in the world has died
