In 2015, a biotech company began creating fake rhino horns, hoping to reduce demand,
and decrease poaching around the world.
Poaching is the practice of illegally hunting protected animals, and is associated with
extreme brutality and cruelty.
Many species across the globe face extinction because of this practice, yet illegal wildlife
trade brings in $19 Billion dollars a year.
So, why haven’t we stopped poaching?
Well, overall, Elephants are the most commonly poached animals.
Hunters target them for their ivory, a highly durable substance that comes from their tusks.
Ivory was once widely used in the United States and Europe, but due to the near extinction
of certain elephant species, its use has been scaled down.
As far back as 1956, the Steinway Piano Company replaced their ivory keys for plastic ones
due to a decline in elephant populations.
But poachers have found a new market in China, where a booming middle class is eager to decorate
their homes with rhino horns and ivory goods.
In 2011 alone, 1 in 12 African elephants was killed by poachers.
And in just a three year period, 100,000 elephants were poached in countries like Kenya, Tanzania
and Uganda.
But despite efforts by nonprofit groups like the International Anti-Poaching Foundation,
the practice still continues.
Although hunting for ivory was officially banned by a 1989 international convention,
most developing nations lack the resources to combat poaching on their own.
Poaching has become a high tech industry, with hunters even using helicopters to spot
their prey, and evade capture by police.
Its is so lucrative that even some African militaries illegally engage and support the
activity.
To deal with the threat, many anti-poaching groups take on a militarized approach.
They use high power artillery, drones, and even satellite imagery to defend endangered
species.
In South Africa, some Rhinos are fitted with GPS devices, and a special ink is injected
in their horns.
This ruins their use in medicines, and makes illegal ivory easy to spot.
But some say that the preventative measures in place can end up hurting indigenous populations.
Tribes like the Baka people of Gabon still rely on hunting and gathering for their livelihood.
But anti-poaching groups have been accused of arresting, even beating these tribes people,
accusing them of illegal poaching.
The human rights organization Survival International even opposes the creation of conservation
areas, claiming that it hurts tribal people, displacing them from long-held land.
Despite the devastating consequences of poaching, the increasing market value for rare animal
products continues to drive the industry forward.
And governments have long struggled to police their vast preserves.
Considering the limited supply, extreme demand, and lack of resources, poaching is likely
to continue relatively unabated.
I recently got a chance to check out a 3-D printed rhino horn and meet the founders of
a biotech startup that’s trying to save the rhino species with this new technology.
You can learn about it by watching my video on Seeker Stories.
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