It's called The Rhisotope Project and could help save these remarkable creatures.
Anything radioactive is generally a bad idea, especially in the case of humans or animals. However, for South Africa’s rhinoceros population, radioactivity could be lifesaving. Indeed, rhisotope.org reckons that nuclear science could be the answer to stopping poaching.
“Every 20 hours in South Africa a rhino dies for its horn,” says project lead James Larkin, explaining that trafficked horns are “currently being the most valuable false commodity in the black-market trade, with a higher value even than gold, platinum, diamonds, and cocaine.”
So, to help combat this cruel trade, researchers at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg have successfully inserted low doses of radioisotopes into 20 live rhinos in an effort to stop poachers.
The goal with the radioisotopes is to take advantage of the existing nuclear security infrastructure at ports of entry around the globe. Poachers who transport treated horns through radiation detectors will be found out, hopefully discouraging further poaching. “Ultimately, the aim is to try to devalue rhinoceros [horns] in the eyes of the end users, while at the same time making the horns easier to detect as they are being smuggled across borders,” said Larkin.
Here's a short video to explain the project further...