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Rhino Horns Injected With Radioactive Isotopes to Stop Poaching

Posted on 8/1/25 at 8:51 am
Posted by Shexter
Prairieville
Member since Feb 2014
18976 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 8:51 am
quote:

MOKOPANE, South Africa (AP) — A South African university launched an anti-poaching campaign Thursday to inject the horns of rhinos with radioactive isotopes that it says are harmless for the animals but can be detected by customs agents.


https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-rhinos-poaching-nuclear-5ac06bea1fba938ee2ce3b1f9bfa5675



quote:

Last year, about 20 rhinos at a sanctuary were injected with isotopes in trials that paved the way for Thursday’s launch. The radioactive isotopes even at low levels can be recognized by radiation detectors at airports and borders, leading to the arrest of poachers and traffickers.


quote:

“Even a single horn with significantly lower levels of radioactivity than what will be used in practice successfully triggered alarms in radiation detectors,” said Larkin.


The tests also found that horns could be detected inside full 40-foot shipping containers, he said.
This post was edited on 8/1/25 at 9:48 am
Posted by SallysHuman
Lady Palmetto Bug
Member since Jan 2025
12694 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 8:54 am to
Radioactive Rhinos... nothing could go wrong here, right?
Posted by Jcorye1
Tom Brady = GoAT
Member since Dec 2007
76373 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 8:55 am to
This post was edited on 8/1/25 at 8:56 am
Posted by 777Tiger
Member since Mar 2011
87832 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 8:56 am to
quote:

The radioactive isotopes even at low levels can be recognized by radiation detectors at airports and borders, leading to the arrest of poachers and traffickers.


check me if I'm wrong Sandy but if the isotopes are recognized by radiation detectors at the airports and borders isn't it too late for the rhino?
Posted by auggie
Opelika, Alabama
Member since Aug 2013
30775 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 8:58 am to
Nuclear Rhinos would be a great name for a band.
Posted by wallowinit
Louisiana
Member since Dec 2006
17007 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:00 am to
quote:

Nuclear Rhinos would be a great name for a band.


A light jazz band.
Posted by PaBon
UPT 17th W/D
Member since Sep 2014
2226 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:00 am to
Miss the 1980’s after reading this.
Posted by jbgleason
Bailed out of BTR to God's Country
Member since Mar 2012
19776 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:02 am to
Kicker is that they poach the horns to take to Asia and grind up. Rhino horn powder is thought to be an aphrodisiac. I know they ingest it (pills? Snort it? No clue.)

So now the people buying the rhino horn drug that makes it through customs will get cancer and die?
Posted by auggie
Opelika, Alabama
Member since Aug 2013
30775 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:03 am to
quote:

A light jazz band.

Have to have a great horn section.
Posted by notsince98
KC, MO
Member since Oct 2012
21260 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:03 am to
quote:

check me if I'm wrong Sandy but if the isotopes are recognized by radiation detectors at the airports and borders isn't it too late for the rhino?


But it is not too late to arrest the poacher and get them off the streets. That saves other rhinos.
Posted by Sponge
Member since Nov 2018
4554 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:03 am to
Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
40445 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:03 am to
If you poach a rhino you deserve to be decapitated. Scum of the earth.
Posted by SlowFlowPro
With populists, expect populism
Member since Jan 2004
464284 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:06 am to
quote:

check me if I'm wrong Sandy but if the isotopes are recognized by radiation detectors at the airports and borders isn't it too late for the rhino?


Yes, but it's all but impossible to stop that in the field.

Making the horns worthless is how to stop it.
Posted by soccerfüt
Location: A Series of Tubes
Member since May 2013
72563 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:10 am to
Posted by slidingstop
Member since Jan 2025
1636 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:36 am to
quote:

But it is not too late to arrest the poacher and get them off the streets. That saves other rhinos.


I'm all for whatever saves the rhinos but this seems pretty ineffective. Way too many poachers in Africa to think arresting someone at the airport is going to make any discernable difference. But good on them for trying.
Posted by LarryCLE
Member since Apr 2017
1668 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:45 am to
quote:

Way too many poachers in Africa to think arresting someone at the airport is going to make any discernable difference.

Yep, and they’re just going to be catching low level couriers. None of the African or Chinese dealers.
Posted by Bjorn Cyborg
Member since Sep 2016
33781 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:49 am to
quote:

Yes, but it's all but impossible to stop that in the field.

Making the horns worthless is how to stop it.




A dude tried this and was fought at every turn. He had the right idea, but the governments of the world wouldn't give him a chance.




Meet the man trying to save endangered rhinos – by selling their horns

He wanted to breed rhinos and sell them around the world for people to set up rhino ranches, thus making it a commodity and not worth poaching.

The governments would not allow him to sell even his harvested rhino horn.

This post was edited on 8/1/25 at 9:50 am
Posted by Fat and Happy
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2013
19401 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 9:59 am to
So, they don’t want poachers to kill rhinos but they inject them with radioactive isotopes instead?
Posted by fr33manator
Baton Rouge
Member since Oct 2010
132971 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 10:02 am to



The project's CEO

This post was edited on 8/1/25 at 10:04 am
Posted by Shexter
Prairieville
Member since Feb 2014
18976 posts
Posted on 8/1/25 at 10:09 am to
quote:

but they inject them with radioactive isotopes instead?


Article says "harmless to the animal"
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