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Radioactive horns are designed to deter poachers
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Researchers in South Africa are working on a possible way to deter rhino poachers. They want to make the horns radioactive. James Larkin of the Witwatersrand University explains how this is supposed to work. “By injecting a small amount of radioactive isotopes into the horns of rhinos. We hope this will have two effects. First, it will devalue the rhinoceros horn in the eyes of the end user. Because if it is radioactive, the users will not want in their possession. ” Second, a radioactive horn removed by a poacher is much easier to track, says Larkin. Because there are radiation monitors at many ports, airports and border crossings. The study is still in the early phase. The rhinos are currently not injecting radioactive isotopes, but rather stable isotopes to see how they behave in the horns and how it affects the rhino’s health. The horn of an African white rhinoceros can weigh up to 2.5 kilograms. Poachers can earn between 60 and 80,000 US dollars on the black market with one kilo of rhino powder. That makes it more expensive than gold.
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The injected rhinoceros horns would not be healthy for the end consumer, nor would they be easy to smuggle for the poacher.
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