In an effort to save the rhinoceros from poachers, conservationists have been cutting off their horns. Evidence of whether the efforts are effective or not was scant until a new study was released this week.
Dehorning rhinos is working, according to the research published in the journal Science.
The dehorning of 2,000 rhinos resulted in a 78% decline in rhino poaching across eight reserves in southern Africa, per the seven-year study.
“For decades, tackling wildlife crime has involved catching and arresting poachers,” said Timothy Kuiper, the lead author on the paper, per The New York Times. “Our study suggests that we need to strategically rethink whether that’s sustainable and is really making step changes.”
Why are rhinos poached at such high rates?
The material that makes up a rhino’s horn is considered extremely valuable in Southeast Asia, especially in China and Vietnam. It’s used in traditional medicines in that area of the world.
Because rhinos are a critically endangered species, the use of their horns in the medicines is illegal. Dealers in the secret market are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for the horns, according to The Guardian.
How does dehorning a rhino work?
Conservationists began dehorning rhinos around 1989.
Scientists sedate the rhinos and cover their eyes and ears as they cut the horn off with a chainsaw. It’s also an opportunity to put microchips on the rhino and collect samples for research. The horns do grow back, so dehorning takes place around every two years.
“It is a big part of what a rhino is, having a horn,” Kuiper told The Associated Press. “So having to remove it is kind of a necessary evil, if I can put it that way. But it’s very effective. There’s no doubt it saved hundreds of rhinos’ lives.”
Rhinos do “use their horns to defend themselves against predators, to compete for territory and, in the case of black rhinos, to look for food,” according to what a rhino researcher told AP.
Dehorning is not the only solution to poaching
While relatively cost-effective, dehorning rhinos is not the only solution when it comes to solving the issue of poaching. Some dehorned rhinos were still killed for the stump of horn or horn growing back.
Rangers and other park personnel need more support and training, while governments should “address socioeconomic inequalities that push people, including rangers, into poverty and make them more likely to get involved in organized crime,” The New York Times reported.
Addressing the demand for rhino horns is crucial to tackling the problem of poaching rhinos.
“Dehorning is not a long-term solution,” Kuiper said, per the Times. “At the end of the day, it’s a small thing that can be done to hopefully buy time for the broader work that needs to happen.”