Radioactive horn can repel poachers

20 Rhinos received a radioactive substance in his horns in South Africa on Tuesday. Scientists believe that the radioactive substance will curb rhino poaching.

Radioactive horn is easy to detect at border stations if an attempt is made to smuggle the horn or its ingredients out of the country. The authority can quickly identify the horn’s radioactive radiation with, for example, a hand-held scanner.

You can get radioactive material In the Rhizotope project initially 20 rhinos from the zoo, but the project can be expanded if successful. According to the researchers of the project, the radioactive dose is so small that it does not affect the rhino’s condition or habitat in any way.

International The Rhino Foundation evaluatethat about 15,000 rhinos live in South Africa, the largest number of rhinos in the world.

That is why there are also many poachers in the country. South Africa’s environment ministry said in February that poachers killed 499 rhinos in 2023.

Most of the killing work was done in the state’s large animal parks. The number is 11 percent more than in 2022, says the science news website Phys.org.

About rhinos the first ones were put to sleep in a rhino orphanage called Limpopon. It is located in the Waterberg in the northeastern part of the country.

Head of the Radiation and Health Physics Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg James Larkin first drilled a small hole in the horn. Then he tapped the radioisotope inside the horn with a small hammer.

Larkin told an AFP reporter who was there on Tuesday that two small radioactive chips were embedded in the horn. An anesthetized rhino felt no pain, Larkin said.

Radioactive the horn is useless to the poacher. It is also not safe for humans.

Horns are especially in demand in Asia. Especially in China and Vietnam, the antlers and the powder made from them are believed to have medicinal effects, although there is no evidence that they help with any ailment.

Rhino horns are in demand on the black market. The price of antler competes with the prices of gold and cocaine.

Sarveen there is enough of the installed isotope to alert the detectors at security checks at border stations and airports. Initially, detectors have been brought to border stations in case of nuclear terrorism.

In addition, the border authorities often have radiation detectors that they carry with them. They can detect antler smuggling in ports and airports in places where large radiation detectors cannot be used.

RhisothopeIn the coming months and years, members of the project will take blood samples from the rhinos that received the isotope.

This is how the conservators ensure that there is still radioactivity in the horn. According to Larkin, the horn can remain radioactive for five years.