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Rhino Horns Made Radioactive to Foil Traffickers in South Africa

The Guardian | Treatment of Animals

Rhino Horns Made Radioactive to Foil Traffickers in South Africa

“A South African university has launched an anti-poaching campaign to inject the horns of rhinoceroses with radioactive isotopes that it says are harmless for the animals but can be detected by customs agents.

Under the collaborative project involving the University of the Witwatersrand, nuclear energy officials and conservationists, five rhinos were injected in what the university hopes will be the start of a mass injection of the declining rhino population, which they are calling the Rhisotope Project.

Last year, about 20 rhinos at a sanctuary were injected with isotopes in trials that paved the way for Thursday’s launch. The radioactive isotopes even at low levels can be recognised by radiation detectors at airports and borders, leading to the arrest of poachers and traffickers.

Researchers at Witwatersrand’s Radiation and Health Physics Unit said tests conducted in the pilot study confirmed that the radioactive material was not harmful to the rhinos.”

From The Guardian.

Innovate Animal Ag | Treatment of Animals

In-Ovo Technology Is Making Egg Production More Humane

“Original research conducted by Innovate Animal Ag shows that as of June 1, 2026:

  • 40% of the EU’s commercial egg layer flock was sexed with in-ovo technology–a 6-point penetration increase from April 1, 2025.
  • Since 2021, over 281 million male embryos have been removed before hatching globally.
  • In Europe, in-ovo sexing technology has reached a production rate of 100 million female chicks per year, climbing from 500k chicks per month in 2021 to well over 8 million female chicks per month by the publication of this report, a CAGR of over 75%.
  • In-ovo sexing is beginning its market-based rollout in the US with over 4% of the country’s commercial layer flock having publicly announced a transition to use the technology as existing flocks are retired.
  • In Switzerland, where in-ovo sexing technology kicked off in 2025, in-ovo sexing penetration climbed rapidly and now sits at around 85 to 100% of the country’s layer flock. In Norway, in-ovo sexing has hit a 52% market penetration.
  • The global penetration of in-ovo sexing is forecasted to continue its sharp growth in the next few years, led by expansion in the US, continued strength in Europe as a consequence of Italy’s ban on male chick culling, growth in markets where the technology has recently entered such as Australia and Brazil, and potential penetration into greenfield markets like Canada and China.”

From Innovate Animal Ag.

BBC | Treatment of Animals

We Can Now Track Animal Panic from Space. Here’s Why It Matters

“Throughout June, Okambara is a bone-dry expanse of thorny trees and shrubs. Although the Sun is shining, cool winds keep the park’s animals vigilant, as the wildebeest, zebras and giraffes sniff out scents on the breeze, which could alert them to danger now moving through the bush. Yet the skilled intruders remain hidden downwind.

As the hunters close in on the game, the rifle lefts out a boom. Fear jolts through each species: springbok bounce, skittish zebra break into gallop, and the wildebeest turn and race, some not stopping for hundreds of metres, as they barrel away from danger into Okambara’s wide-open salt plains.

Scientists are now able to study these signals written in animal panic thanks to a new satellite system, named Icarus, which is tracking animal movement and behaviour on an unprecedented scale from space. By monitoring how animals react to the presence of human intruders, conservationists hope to pinpoint and crack down on poachers.”

From BBC.

The Scientist | Vaccination

AI Helps Design Personalized Vaccine for Dog with Cancer

“Losing a beloved pet is difficult for anyone to accept, but an Australian tech entrepreneur refused to give up when his five-year-old rescue pup Rosie was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Turning to ChatGPT and AlphaFold, Paul Conyngham worked with scientists to create a personalized mRNA vaccine. ‘We took her tumor, we sequenced the DNA, we converted it from tissue to data, and then we used that to search for the problem in her DNA, and then developed a cure based on that,’ Rosie’s owner Paul Conyngham said in an interview with the Today Show Australia. ‘ChatGPT assisted throughout the entire process.'”

From The Scientist.