Poisonous Rhinos Discourage Poachers

[n2doc]

nalysis by Tim Wall
Sun Sep 11, 2011 10:14 AM ET

Last year, radioactive boars frustrated hunters in Germany. This year poisonous rhinoceroses are discouraging poachers in South Africa.

Like the boars, the rhinos are not a product of nature, but a result of human actions. In this case though, the toxic treatment was intentional.

The Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve in Krugersdorp, north of Johannesburg, South Africa, discovered that a medical mixture used to kill parasites on the rhinos also made their horns toxic to humans. The AFP recently reported on this new tool in the fight to protect wildlife.

The treatment helps the health of the horn-heads by preventing parasites, but causes convulsions and headaches in any human who partakes in a rhino horn home remedy. Rhino horn is made of keratin, the same material as fingernails and hair, and prized in parts of Asia an an aphrodisiac and for other medicines.

The mixture also contains a dye that makes the horns glow neon pink in an airport scanner, even when ground into powder.


more
http://news.discovery.com/animals/poisonous-rhinos-discourage-poachers-110911.html

[Poll_Blind]

1. Awesome!

PB

[tblue]

2. Take THAT, poachers!!!

:applause: How brilliant is that?

[Lasher]

3. There ya go!

Now if they could figure out a way to discourage people from making knife handles out of rhino horns!

[Warpy]

4. That's just brilliant

The use of pink fluorescent dye is a nice touch.

It helps the rhinos and makes the idiots looking for a stiffy sick. Better they should pay for Viagra.

[PearliePoo2]

5. Oh, this is such good news!

So many poor animals are killed because of STUPID traditions, superstitions and misconceptions that a certain body part will make a pecker bigger and harder.
Hopefully the Rhinos can now breathe a little easier and live longer.

[20score]

6. That is great news!

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. Nature has found the way.

[whopis01]

15. Not exactly nature, was it? N/t

[Exen Trik]

18. Nope, but it IS natures method.

Nature gives good advice, no?

[DirkGently]

8. ... on to bear spleen and tiger blood? Perhaps they could explode when ingested?

:D

[catbyte]

9. Awesome!

[PearliePoo2]

10. Now...let science do something about other STUPID misconceptions...

Bear gall bladders and tiger penises. They are sought for the same reasons.
People are so stupid, it's nauseating.

[Lost-in-FL]

11. How awesome!

- doing cabbage patch dance -

[diane in sf]

12. Let them buy Viagra instead.

[roguevalley]

13. finally, good news. god bless the people who did this.

[Faryn Balyncd]

14. keep it up

[kestrel91316]

16. Excellent.

[Nihil]

17. WIN!

About time that the good guys got a break!

:toast:

[The2ndWheel]

19. Once it becomes dependent on human intervention, it's no longer wildlife