Скачать или смотреть South Africa starts injecting rhino horns with radioactive material to curb poaching

(31 Jul 2025)
FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4594073

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Limpopo, South Africa - 31 July 2025
1. Wide of University of the Witwatersrand officials directing sedated rhino to safety
2.  SOUNDBITE (English) James Larkin, chief scientific officer of the Rhisotope Project:
++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED BY SHOT 3++
“We developed the use of radioisotope to devalue rhino horn, so you're using radioactive materials, small quantities of it inserted into the horn of a rhino, which is like then putting a massive bright light into the horn that no one can turn off. It stays there and as it goes across borders the detectors are in place that can pick it up. And it's the, you know, because, as we said earlier, you know, those detectors have been installed for other reasons, but just as capable of picking up the rhino horn as they are smuggling nuclear material.”
3. Various of official piercing holes and spraying radioactive substance into rhino's horn
4. Wide of workers pushing and directing sedated rhino
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jessica Babich, CEO of the Rhisotope Project:
++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED BY SHOTS 4, 6-8++
“Whilst dehorning needs to be done every 18 to 24 months this only needs to be done every five years. And also because the procedure is so quick and simple, firstly, the animal is under less stress and duress. Secondly, it actually costs much less in terms of veterinary costs and drugs. And then because you only need to treat every five years, it ultimately saves money for the rhino owners because they're so brave looking after these animals and continuing to be their custodians and reserves, etc. So we're trying to help and just up the ante a bit in the anti-poaching game.”
6. Wide of rhino waking up after anesthesia
7. Close of rhino
8. Mid of rhinos and warthogs
STORYLINE:
A South African university launched an anti-poaching campaign on Thursday to inject the horns of rhinos with radioactive isotopes that it said were harmless for the animals but which can be detected by customs agents.

Under the collaborative project among University of the Witwatersrand, nuclear energy officials and conservationists, five rhinos were injected Thursday in what the university hopes will be the mass injection of the declining rhino population.

Last year, about 20 rhinos at a sanctuary were injected with isotopes as part of initial 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, which can lead to the arrest of poachers and traffickers.

Researchers at Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit said that tests conducted throughout the pilot study confirmed that the radioactive material was not harmful to the animals.

The tests also confirmed that individual horns could be detected inside full 40-foot shipping containers, he said.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, an international conservation body, estimates that the global rhino population stood at around 500,000 at the beginning of the 20th century but has now declined to around 27,000 due to continued demand for rhino horns on the black market.

South Africa has the largest population of rhinos with an estimated 16,000 but the country experiences high levels of poaching with about 500 rhinos killed for their horns every year.

Private and public rhino owners and conservation authorities have been urged approach the university to have their rhinos injected.

AP video shot by Alfonso Nqunjana

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