WEBVTT - How Can Technology Help Stop Rhino Poachers?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain stuff from how stuff works. Hey there,

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<v Speaker 1>brain stuff Lauren vogelbamb Here. In seventeen, a South African

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<v Speaker 1>court sentenced a traditional medicine healer to twenty eight years

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<v Speaker 1>in prison for rhinoceros poaching. The man was convicted on

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<v Speaker 1>forensic evidence from the Rhino DNA Indexing System or RHODUS,

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<v Speaker 1>the DNA matching database that is successfully being used to

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<v Speaker 1>connect horns, blood, and animal carcasses from specific crime scenes

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<v Speaker 1>to the poachers responsible for rhinoceros killings and mutilations. According

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<v Speaker 1>to a twenty eighteen article in the journal Current Biology,

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<v Speaker 1>evidence from five thousand, eight hundred crime scenes has been

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<v Speaker 1>submitted to RHOTUS since its inception. To date, the system

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<v Speaker 1>has matched rhino DNA to more than a hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>twenty criminal cases, nine of which have been successfully prosecuted.

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<v Speaker 1>The hope is that the same genetic fingerprinting methods used

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<v Speaker 1>to convict perpetrators of violent human on human crime will

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<v Speaker 1>result in more poaching convictions, acting at once as a

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<v Speaker 1>deterrent and a form of wildlife of preservation. In spite

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<v Speaker 1>of rigid trade bands and strict enforcement, poaching of endangered

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<v Speaker 1>white and black rhinoceroses in South Africa has increased exponentially,

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<v Speaker 1>from just thirteen incidents in two thousand and seven to

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<v Speaker 1>more than one thousand, two hundred. Wildlife trafficking is one

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<v Speaker 1>of the biggest illegal black markets in the world, with

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<v Speaker 1>the keratin rich rhino horn fetching upward of sixty thousand

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<v Speaker 1>dollars per pound, making it more expensive than gold, diamonds

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<v Speaker 1>or cocaine. In Vietnam and China, the traffic horn is

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes thought to be a cure for cancer and impotence,

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<v Speaker 1>and in some parts of Asia it's considered an aphrodisiac

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<v Speaker 1>and a magical cure. All talisman's and curios made from

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<v Speaker 1>the horn can be seen as status symbols and signs

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<v Speaker 1>of wealth, and poaching is not limited to the national

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<v Speaker 1>parks and wilds of African India. The astronomical black market

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<v Speaker 1>price of rhino horn recently lord criminals to a zoo

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<v Speaker 1>near Paris, France, where they broke in late at night,

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<v Speaker 1>shot a rhino named Vince in the head and removed

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<v Speaker 1>his horn with a chainsaw. This horrific act prompted a

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<v Speaker 1>odd discussion about the future security of endangered animals in

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<v Speaker 1>captivity trafficking is the backbone of the illegal rhino horn

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<v Speaker 1>trade that makes poaching profitable. Through cooperation with police, arrangers

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<v Speaker 1>and wildlife investigators, researchers on the Rhodas Team hope to

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<v Speaker 1>use crime scene DNA to thwart crime syndicates that chip

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<v Speaker 1>rhino contraband to foreign countries. Thus far, the Rhodus database

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<v Speaker 1>has helped to convict poachers and traffickers in South Africa, Namibia, Kenya,

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<v Speaker 1>and Swaziland. Today's episode is written by Carrie Tato and

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<v Speaker 1>produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this and lots

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<v Speaker 1>of other depressing yet slightly hopeful topics, visit our home planet,

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<v Speaker 1>pastaff works dot com.