South African researchers have launched the Rhisotope Project, an initiative to inject rhino horns with harmless radioactive isotopes as part of collective efforts to crack down on poachers by making horns detectable at international customs checkpoints, according to a report published by The Associated Press on Thursday.
The project is being spearheaded by the University of the Witwatersrand, alongside nuclear energy authorities and conservationists, the report said.
Small-Scale Trial to Widespread Rollout
According to the report, about 20 rhinos received low-level radioactive injections in the initial trials last year. On Thursday, the program expanded with five more rhinos treated under formal launch conditions, marking the start of what organisers hope will become nationwide coverage of the vulnerable animal population.
Safe & Detectable: Science That Works
South African officials say the isotopes pose no harm to the animals. James Larkin, chief scientific officer for the project, told the news agency, “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.”
“Even a single horn with significantly lower levels of radioactivity than what will be used in practice successfully triggered alarms in radiation detectors,” he stressed while noting that horns remain detectable even inside full 40-foot shipping containers.
Saving a Species in Crisis
Rhino populations across the world, especially in Africa, have faced consistent threats on account of centuries of poaching. Rhino populations worldwide have crashed from 500,000 in the early 20th century to just 27,000 today, the AP report stated, citing estimates from the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
According to the report, South Africa holds 16,000 of those rhinos but loses around 500 per year to illegal horn collectors.
The university, the report said, has urged private wildlife parks and government conservation agencies to adopt the radioactive-horn protocol. By mass-injecting the rhino population, they believe poachers and traffickers could be detected and prosecuted at major transit points worldwide.
