Rhino horns go radioactive to stop poaching

After years of outsmarting conservation efforts, rhino horn traffickers may finally meet their match – and it’s coming from an unlikely source: nuclear science.

The Rhisotope Project, led by a team at Wits University in South Africa in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is using low-level radioactive isotopes to make rhino horns traceable at border checkpoints.

After six years of testing, the project has now reached a point where it’s ready for widespread use.

Safe for rhinos, tough on traffickers

Six months ago, the project embedded trace amounts of radioactive material into the horns of 20 rhinos living in the UNESCO Waterberg Biosphere.

Since then, scientists have been closely monitoring the animals. Blood tests and veterinary checkups show no harm has been done.

“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 Professor James Larkin, chief scientific officer of the Rhisotope Project.

To verify safety, researchers used a method called biological dosimetry. They cultured blood samples from the rhinos and looked for signs of cell damage in white blood cells. None were found. This confirms that the isotope levels used are well within safe limits.

Nuclear tools fight poaching

Nuclear tech, often tied to energy or medicine, is now helping fight wildlife crime in a surprising new role. It’s a shift from the lab to the landscape, where science meets real-world urgency.

“This is one example of how Wits University’s researchers work and think innovatively, stepping out of the clinical environments of their laboratories to bring bold, creative solutions to some of the world’s toughest challenges,” said Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, vice-chancellor and principal of Wits University.

South Africa is home to most of the world’s rhinos. For more than a decade, it’s been losing them to poachers who sell the horns on the black market.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) now lists white rhinos as “Near Threatened” and black rhinos as “Critically Endangered.”

The project hopes to reduce this threat by making smuggled horns easier to detect. It aims to work not just visually, but with standard radiation detectors already used at airports and ports worldwide.

Rhino horn tracking in real life

To make sure the technology works in real-world conditions, the team tested how detectable the treated horns would be during transport.

“We simulated transport scenarios with the 3D-printed horns in carry-on luggage, air cargo shipments, and priority parcel delivery systems,” said Larkin. “In each case, even a single horn with significantly lower levels of radioactivity than what will be used in practice successfully triggered alarms in radiation detectors,”

The horns even showed up inside full-size shipping containers. That means border security officers around the world could start catching illicit shipments much more reliably.

Global effort to protect rhinos

The Rhisotope Project is a registered non-profit and will be fully operational starting August 2025. The team encourages conservation groups, rhino owners, and government agencies to reach out and participate.

“Our goal is to deploy the Rhisotope technology at scale to help protect one of Africa’s most iconic and threatened species,” said Jessica Babich, CEO of the Rhisotope Project. “By doing so, we safeguard not just rhinos but a vital part of our natural heritage.”

The project is already getting international attention – not just from wildlife groups, but from the nuclear -science community.

“This project exemplifies how nuclear science can be applied in novel ways to address global challenges,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “By leveraging existing nuclear security infrastructure, we can help protect one of the world’s most iconic and endangered species.”

For once, rhinos may have the upper hand. And with science on their side, their horns may become less of a prize – and more of a trap – for traffickers.

—–

Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates. 

Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

—–