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Saudi Ginseng Returns after 20 Years in the Northern Borders

The "abab" plant, also known as "Saudi ginseng" or "ashwagandha", has returned after a 20-year absence in the deserts of the Northern Borders Region. (SPA)
The "abab" plant, also known as "Saudi ginseng" or "ashwagandha", has returned after a 20-year absence in the deserts of the Northern Borders Region. (SPA)
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Saudi Ginseng Returns after 20 Years in the Northern Borders

The "abab" plant, also known as "Saudi ginseng" or "ashwagandha", has returned after a 20-year absence in the deserts of the Northern Borders Region. (SPA)
The "abab" plant, also known as "Saudi ginseng" or "ashwagandha", has returned after a 20-year absence in the deserts of the Northern Borders Region. (SPA)

The "abab" plant, also known as "Saudi ginseng" or "ashwagandha", has returned after a 20-year absence in the deserts of the Northern Borders Region, the Saudi Press Agency said on Sunday.
This evergreen shrub with yellow flowers has reemerged, alongside other wild plants.
In an interview with SPA, Director of the Amana Environmental Association in the region Nasser Rashid Al-Majlad, said that the area's rich green wealth presents economic opportunities. By utilizing natural plant resources, the region can enhance biodiversity, combat desertification, expand green spaces, promote tourism, and foster human development.
Al-Majlad said that these efforts align with the principles of the green economy, which aims to strike a balance between economic and environmental needs for the benefit of both humanity and the planet.
Khonaysser Al-Anazi, a plant enthusiast, said the abab plants on the outskirts of Arar city reappeared due to increased rainfall and the expansion of green areas. He highlighted the potential for cultivation and utilization of these plants for various purposes.

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Varieties

First Radioactive Rhino Horns to Curb Poaching in South Africa

A sedated rhinoceros lies unconscious as professor James Larkin (R) from the University of the Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit (RHPU) uses a can of identification spray (DataDot) after carefully implanting dosed and calculated radioisotopes into its horns along with other Rhisotope Project members at an undisclosed location in the Waterbury UNESCO biosphere in Mokopane on June 25, 2024. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP)
A sedated rhinoceros lies unconscious as professor James Larkin (R) from the University of the Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit (RHPU) uses a can of identification spray (DataDot) after carefully implanting dosed and calculated radioisotopes into its horns along with other Rhisotope Project members at an undisclosed location in the Waterbury UNESCO biosphere in Mokopane on June 25, 2024. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP)
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First Radioactive Rhino Horns to Curb Poaching in South Africa

A sedated rhinoceros lies unconscious as professor James Larkin (R) from the University of the Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit (RHPU) uses a can of identification spray (DataDot) after carefully implanting dosed and calculated radioisotopes into its horns along with other Rhisotope Project members at an undisclosed location in the Waterbury UNESCO biosphere in Mokopane on June 25, 2024. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP)
A sedated rhinoceros lies unconscious as professor James Larkin (R) from the University of the Witwatersrand's Radiation and Health Physics Unit (RHPU) uses a can of identification spray (DataDot) after carefully implanting dosed and calculated radioisotopes into its horns along with other Rhisotope Project members at an undisclosed location in the Waterbury UNESCO biosphere in Mokopane on June 25, 2024. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP)

South African scientists on Tuesday injected radioactive material into live rhino horns to make them easier to detect at border posts in a pioneering project aimed at curbing poaching.

The country is home to a large majority of the world's rhinos and as such is a hotspot for poaching driven by demand from Asia, where horns are used in traditional medicine for their supposed therapeutic effect.

At the Limpopo rhino orphanage in the Waterberg area, in the country's northeast, a few of the thick-skinned herbivores grazed in the low savannah.

James Larkin, director of the University of the Witwatersrand's radiation and health physics unit who spearheaded the initiative, told AFP he had put "two tiny little radioactive chips in the horn" as he administered the radioisotopes on one of the large animals' horns.

The radioactive material would "render the horn useless... essentially poisonous for human consumption" added Nithaya Chetty, professor and dean of science at the same university.

The dusty rhino, put to sleep and crouched on the ground, did not feel any pain, Larkin said.

The radioactive material's dose was so low it would not impact the animal's health or the environment in any way, he said.

In February the environment ministry said that, despite government efforts to tackle the illicit trade, 499 of the giant mammals were killed in 2023, mostly in state-run parks. This represents an 11 percent increase over the 2022 figures.

Twenty live rhinos in total would be part of the pilot Rhisotope project whereby they would be administered a dose "strong enough to set off detectors that are installed globally" at international border posts originally installed "to prevent nuclear terrorism", a pleased Larkin said, sporting a green hat and a khaki shirt.

Border agents often have handheld radiation detectors which can detect contraband in addition to thousands of radiation detectors installed at ports and airports, the scientists said.