Rhinos go nuclear to foil traffickers

The University of the Witwatersrand's Rhisotope Project is embedding low-level radioactive isotopes into rhino horns to combat poaching

- Sheree Beega

What if radiation, feared for its destructive power, could instead become a tool for wildlife protection? That provocative question sparked a pioneering international collaboration to halt one of Africa’s devastating wildlife crises: rhino poaching.

Led by James Larkin, the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) Rhisotope Project has spent the past six years transforming this novel idea into reality. Nuclear technology is being used to combat rhino poaching by embedding low-level radioactive isotopes into rhino horns. This makes the trafficked horns detectable at borders, effectively disrupting the illegal trade.

The initiative is the brainchild of Wits researchers in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other international partners. Now, after safety testing and border detection simulations, the project has reached operational status.

“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,” said Larkin, the project's chief scientific officer and the director of the radiation and health physics unit at Wits.

Six months ago, radioisotopes were embedded into the horns of 20 rhinos in the Unesco-listed Waterberg Biosphere in the pilot phase. Blood tests and veterinary monitoring showed no adverse effects on the animals from the isotopes levels used.

Using a technique known as biological dosimetry, researchers cultured blood samples and examined the formation of micronuclei in white blood cells — a proven indicator of cellular damage. No such damage was found.