Rhisotope Project | 11 Aug 2025

Why in News?

South African University, in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched an innovative rhino anti-poaching initiative using radioactive isotopes (radioisotopes), called the Rhisotope Project.

About: It involves a non-invasive procedure where measured low doses of radioisotopes are injected into the horns of live rhinoceroses.
- This makes the horn useless and toxic for human consumption, while the procedure is safe for rhinoceroses.
Advantages:
- Radioactively treated rhino horns are identifiable by Radiation Portal Monitors (RPMs) and scanners at borders, ports, and airports, even inside fully loaded containers.
- Radioactive markers make horns dangerous to smugglers and less marketable in illegal trade, discouraging poaching.

About: Radioisotopes are radioactive isotopes with unstable atomic nuclei that emit ionizing radiation (alpha, beta, or gamma) to achieve a more stable nuclear configuration.
- It is caused by an imbalance between neutrons and protons in the nuclei. Eg: Carbon-14 (C-14) & Tritium (H-3).
- To achieve stability, they emit energy and particles which can be detected with devices such as a Geiger counter or photographic film.
Isotopes: Isotopes are atoms of the same element having the same atomic number (protons) but different mass number (protons + neutrons).
- Eg: Protium, Deuterium & Tritium (isotopes of hydrogen).
Applications:
- Medicine (I-131 for thyroid diagnostics, Tc-99m for imaging), Industry, Power generation, Archaeology (C-14 dating).

Poaching: It remains the most severe threat, causing population declines and local extinctions.
Invasive species: Invasive species (like Parthenium) threaten habitats by outcompeting native rhino food plants, limiting available range.
Climate change & Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Climate change intensifies monsoons and droughts in Asia, pushing Rhinos out of their habitats. This forces them into human areas, increasing human-wildlife conflict.

Note:

Parthenium (Congress grass) is threatening Assam’s Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, which hosts the world’s highest density of one-horned rhinos, by causing skin allergies, fever, lowering agricultural productivity, and damaging biodiversity.
- It is a highly invasive flowering plant from the Asteraceae family, & native to the Americas.
- It possibly entered into India along with wheat imported from the US in the early 1950s and has since spread aggressively across about 1 million hectares of fallow land nationwide.

The IAEA is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1957, to promote the peaceful applications of nuclear energy and works to prevent its use for military purposes, such as nuclear weapons.
It was founded as the UN’s “Atoms for Peace” organisation and operates under its own founding treaty, the Statute of the IAEA.
It reports to both the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council & is headquartered at the UN Office in Vienna, Austria.
It comprises 178 member states, with India as a founding member & was awarded the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize for contributions to nuclear safety and peace.

Q. Consider the following statements in respect of Trade Related Analysis of Fauna and Flora in Commerce (TRAFFIC): (2017)

TRAFFIC is a bureau under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The mission of TRAFFIC is to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: (b)

Q, Consider the following statements: (2019)

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (a)