It’s a heart-melting moment as baby Bundu’s sturdy legs pound the ground, kicking up little clouds of dust on the plains of a rhino orphanage in Limpopo.
His ears flap wildly with every bounce, his tiny horn giving him a comically serious look while keeping close to his mother Kariba.
This is a story about how nuclear science is helping to save rhinos from extinction.
Kariba was orphaned by a poaching incident in 2016. A measured quantity of radioisotopes were inserted into Kariba’s horn in June 2024, making it radioactively detectable at ports of entry should she be poached. After the procedure, she gave birth to Bundu, confirming to scientists working on the project at the University of the Witwatersrand that the procedure was safe.
Prof James Larkin is director of the radiation and health physics unit (RHPU) at Wits. He and his team have worked on the project for six years.
“We started in 2019, and we did our first research work in 2021, when we did some stable isotope work. Then, about this time last year, we inserted the right isotopes into 20 animals. In January, we went back to check the health of those animals and do various blood tests and things like that,” he said.
“And here we are now, rolling it out to any owner in South Africa. And later on, we will go and work with people across the border in Botswana.”
The technology is deemed a silver bullet when it comes to combating rhino poaching, as detection of the radioactive material will immediately alert officials at airports or harbours.
In terms of safety measures, he said the animals were screened to ensure they were healthy and not pregnant.
“When we put the isotopes in, we follow up with health checks to make sure their cell health continues to be unaffected by the isotopes.”
Asked what ignited his passion for the technology, he said: “Seeing videos of the senseless slaughter of these animals is what drove me to wanting to do something.”
In essence, the team inserts a nuclear light in a horn that cannot be turned off.
“We combine it with other identification methods that make it so it's there for a long time in the rhino’s horns, and we can go back and top it up every five years.
“My vision is to see a lot more white and black rhinos living to breed, so we can grow their populations to the point where there are healthy populations in Southern Africa. Rhino poaching is problematic in the world; it’s extraordinarily vicious and entirely unnecessary, with a lot of money tied to it,” he said.
Kayleigh de Villiers, 29, is the project's radiation protection officer. She and one other person ensure the nuclear material travels safely and that the people using it are safe.
Precautionary regulations by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority allow only two people to be in a vehicle transporting nuclear material.
“I feel like the industry encourages a lot of women in science, especially in nuclear science. I am doing my Masters in nuclear physics through the University of the Witwatersrand with a bursary from the International Atomic Energy Agency. And they mainly focus on pushing women in science ... [they] want to evolve women in science because people think nuclear and think male. They think so, like masculine, yeah, bombs, and you think: you don’t see the potential.
“There’s so much potential in terms of the field. It’s not just bombs and nuclear energy. You can use it in agriculture. You can use it in rhinos. It’s endless,” said De Villiers.
This is her first job after her master’s.
“It was a blessing because I started volunteering for them in my master’s year as a data capturer, and they were like, please don't leave. So I stayed, and they've pushed me to pursue another master’s in nuclear ... so I'm qualified in the industry,” she said.
The project is not only close to her heart because it exposes her to the field.
“I can't see a future without these animals, so I would do anything in my power to try to save them. I come from a field of animal science. That’s where I started my studies. So my love for animals has always been there.”
De Villiers plans to endorse nuclear science in agricultural systems to “help better our soils with stable isotope work, help rural communities in that way.
“Because if we can understand the soils better, we can promote and produce better as well. Our project also includes a lot of philanthropy work, so hopefully we can apply the nuclear science in different techniques as well.”
The Rhisotope Project was applauded by Wits vice-chancellor and principal, Prof Zeblon Zenzele Vilakazi, who attended the launch on Thursday.
“This is a scientific breakthrough that holds global promise. It creates a deterrent for traffickers. Critically, the technology has been proven to be safe for the animals, and there is no cellular damage caused,” he said.
“This project has the potential to make nuclear science a tool for justice. It’s not only about rhinos, it’s about protecting the ecosystem and affirming it can lead to global scientific collaborations.”
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