Maybe you didn’t know it, but to protect ourselves from human nature itself, which is capable of generating the most absolute chaos, most of the main airports and ports, including those in South Africa, already have the necessary infrastructure to detect radioactive material. So that? To detect nuclear weapons. Thus, in theory, we avoid smuggling between countries. In a twist, science has just found in this infrastructure a solution for stop poaching.
Radioactive horns. The news is as surprising as it is true: a group of South African scientists has been injecting radioactive material directly into live rhino horns for some time. The idea: make them easier to detect at border posts. Behind the project is the Radiation and Health Physics Unit (RHPU) of Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg.
Why the horns. Of course, the enclave where it is happening is not trivial. South Africa is home to most rhinos on the planet and, as such, it is a hotspot for poaching driven by, and here comes the key, demand from Asia. Yes, there the horns are used in traditional medicine for its supposed therapeutic effect (not proven).
As Professor James Larkin, who directs the project, explained, “every 20 hours in South Africa a rhino dies for its horn.” In fact, before this surprising twist in the script, an attempt had been made to save the rhino with another unexpected move: investing in bonds.
Not only that. Researchers indicate that the smuggling of these horns has now made them “the most valuable counterfeit product on the black market, with a value even greater than that of gold, platinum, diamonds and cocaine. These poached horns are trafficked around the world and used for traditional medicines or as status symbols,” they assure.
Radioactivity injection process. under the name Rhisotope Projectresearchers are drilling low doses of radioisotopes into the horns of 20 sedated rhinos whose health will be monitored for the next six months. We are talking about two small radioactive chips in the area of the horns that are then “finished off” by spraying 11,000 microdots in the area.
Long term. If successful, the program could be expanded in the long term to include elephants and pangolins, as well as other plants and animals, according to the university. The material, in principle, would last five years on the horn, which “was cheaper than removing it every 18 months.”
“Each insertion was closely supervised by expert veterinarians and great care was taken to avoid any harm to the animals,” Larkin explains.. “Through months of research and testing, we have also ensured that the inserted radioisotopes do not pose any health or other risks to the animals or those who care for them.”
Poison to humans. In essence, once the dose of radioactivity is inserted, the consumption by any means of products made from the horns will make them “essentially poisonous for human consumption,” they say in the work. Be that as it may, the main objective is none other than to identify smuggling attempts, if possible, before they leave the country.
How the alarm goes off. Apparently, this infrastructure found in many airports works more or less simply. Anyone trying to get past the radioactive horns would set off alarms and trigger a police response. By the way, scientists remember that the process is not harmful to animals, since the dose of radioactive material is so low that it does not affect the health of the animal or the environment in any way.
Figures that have led to the situation. Last year, the country’s Environment Ministry said that, despite the government’s efforts to combat illicit trade, 499 of these giant mammals died in 2023most in state parks. In figures, it represents an increase of 11 percent compared to 2022.
To give us an idea of this sad realitywe are talking about figures of up to $60,000 per kilo, which explains why rhino horn is still one of the most lucrative illegal markets.
Image | Witts University, Martin Pettitt
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*An earlier version of this article was published in June 2025
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