Radioactive Rhino Horns Set to Add to Anti-Poaching Arsenal

Program backed by Rosatom seeks to make horns detectable
Almost 400 rhinos were poached in South Africa last year

A rhino at a private game reserve as part of a pilot project to use nuclear science as an anti-poaching tool, in South Africa.Source: Rosatom

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Paul Burkhardt

May 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Sign up to our Next Africa newsletter and follow Bloomberg Africa on Twitter

Researchers are working on a pilot program backed by Russia’s Rosatom Corp. to inject rhino horns with radioactive material, a tactic that could discourage consumption and make it easier to detect illegal trade.