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Saudi Arabia’s Soudah Development Announces Birth of 3 Ibexes in Soudah Peaks Project Area

These new arrivals follow the release of 23 ibexes into the natural areas last year. (SPA)
These new arrivals follow the release of 23 ibexes into the natural areas last year. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Soudah Development Announces Birth of 3 Ibexes in Soudah Peaks Project Area

These new arrivals follow the release of 23 ibexes into the natural areas last year. (SPA)
These new arrivals follow the release of 23 ibexes into the natural areas last year. (SPA)

The Soudah Development Company, a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, announced the birth of three ibexes in the "Red Rock" area within King Abdullah National Park in Soudah.

These new arrivals follow the release of 23 ibexes into the natural areas last year in collaboration with the National Center for Wildlife (NCW) as part of the company's initiative to release endangered animals and the center's program to breed and re-localize wildlife species, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

Previously, the NCW released two mothers who recently gave birth to the ibexes in the "Red Rock" area. The third mother, approximately two years old, was born in an enclosed area before being released into the project area in February 2023 and recently gave birth in the park, contributing to the increase in ibex numbers within the protected area.

Currently, Soudah Development Company is monitoring nine ibexes and providing a suitable environment for them to live in the park's "Red Rock" area.

CEO of Soudah Development Company, Eng. Saleh Al-Oraini, stressed that these births represent a significant step towards re-localizing endangered species and enhancing ecosystems in the region.

He also highlighted the company's steadfast commitment to the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative and its contribution to the sustainability of the local environment and biodiversity in the Soudah Peaks.

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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)
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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.