Rhinos are among the most famous icons of modern conservation. With their tough hides and immense horns, they have the look of prehistoric beasts – and in many ways they are, having survived on our planet for some 30 million years. Over that time, they’ve endured deserts and tundra, evolved horns of all shapes and sizes, and fended off sabertooths and giant bears. Yet today, these “hairless unicorns” are some of the most threatened mammals on the planet.
Rhinos in need of respite
Historically, hundreds of thousands of rhinos roamed across Europe, Asia, and Africa, their silhouettes a familiar part of the landscape.1 Today, that image has vanished – three of the five living rhino species are now critically endangered, two of them numbering fewer than 100 individuals.
Much of this decline has happened in just a few decades, driven by relentless poaching. In the past ten years alone, more than 9,000 rhinos have been killed across Africa and Asia — that’s one every 15 hours!2 The target is always the same: their horn. After killing the rhino, poachers saw off the horn and sell it to smugglers, who pay only a fraction of its final price before disguising it in shipments of wool or other goods to move across borders.
Believed to be able to heal anything from a light fever to cancer, the horns are in high demand on the traditional medicine market. You might think that for these reasons, the horns must be made out of some incredible material. The truth is that they are made out of keratin… the same material as hair and fingernails!
Sadly, the impact of these beliefs has devastating consequencies for the rhino population. Rhinos breed slowly, so the loss of each individual is a major setback, and when mothers are killed, calves are left defenceless, becoming easy prey for predators.
But with rhino horn fetching as much as $64,000 per kilogram, it is easy to see why the demand pushes people toward poaching. Even in protected areas, rhinos are at risk.3 In South Africa alone, the annual cost of deterring and apprehending poachers exceeds $70 million, with tactics including armed rangers, tracking dogs and camera traps to monitor both rhinos and criminals alike. Corrupt and entrenched crime syndicates make shutting this multi-million dollar industry an incredibly tall task, but thanks to conservation efforts, some rhino populations have started to recover. But the battle is far from over. South Africa is home to the largest population of endangered black rhinos, but with just 2,307 individuals left and poaching on the rise again, the threat is very real.2
So, what can be done?
A team at the forefront of South Africa’s poaching conflict – including reserve managers, rhino protectors, and researchers from the Eastern Cape’s Nelson Mandela University – set out to investigate which techniques could put an end to rhino losses. To achieve this, they compared poaching rates of black and white rhinos with techniques used across 11 South African reserves, between 2017 and 2023. If poaching rates were low, and a particular intervention rate was high, that particular intervention was deemed to be effective.
What Was Found?
The study revealed that most money is spent on reacting to poaching events which have already occurred, such as finding horn stashes or apprehending poachers. While this does bring some poachers to justice, it does little to deter others from trying in the future – thereby leaving rhinos vulnerable. Furthermore, it is often those at the lowest levels of criminal gangs who are affected, while those in charge remain free to continue operating.
Recognising these shortcomings, conservationists have been searching for approaches that stop poaching before it happens, and this study found the most effective measure to be rhino dehorning. Although it seems cruel to rob the rhino of its most prized feature, this intervention was shown to decrease poaching by an amazing 78%! Local, qualified vets and rangers ethically tranquillise the rhinos and shave off their horns, causing little pain to the animal. And what’s even better is that this conservation practice costs just 1.7% of South Africa’s current rhino conservation budget! This is roughly the same cost as using K9 tracking dogs, but with significantly higher levels of effectiveness.
Interestingly, this rhinocerous rhinoplasty doesn’t hamper the rhino in any significant way, as long as the rhino is fully grown.4 This is because rhinos face little predation pressure as mature adults, and their horns are more often used for intraspecific (rhino-on-rhino) combat.
New Nose Jobs For Rhinos?
So, what does this mean for the future of rhinoceros conservation? Well, as stated by the lead author of the study Tim Kuiper, “We shouldn’t have to dehorn rhinos to keep them safe”.
The researchers are clear that it is vital to dismantle the criminal syndicates responsible for influencing vulnerable people to become poachers. Communities surrounding the reserves are often impoverished, and poaching presents an attractive escape. If rangers were better supported, and profits from reserves were fairly shared with local people, communities would feel the benefits of a thriving rhino population – and gang corruption would not have such an easy way in.5
Studies like this, which are conducted by people who live in the area and fully understand the breath of the issue are vital to help increase the effectivness of conservation efforts. Solutions are most effective when they are rooted in local knowledge, expertise, and leadership, ensuring strategies are both practical and culturally relevant. For South Africa’s remaining rhinos, dehorning could be the single best means of protecting their future, and can be combined with other reconnaissance tactics to ensure poachers don’t get near enough to take their shot.
How to find another way?
Most of us may never see a rhino in the wild, but our choices still matter. Here are some simple ways to make a difference:
Say no to wildlife products. Never buy souvenirs or medicines made from rhino horn (or other animal parts). Do a quick check before purchasing abroad.
Support the people on the ground. Donate to or follow rhino charities working directly with rangers and communities. Even small contributions help.
Travel responsibly. If you visit a rhino country, choose ethical reserves that share benefits with local people.
Be a voice. Share what you’ve learned with friends and family — awareness is a powerful deterrent to demand.
Closer to home, many of our own charismatic species have faced struggles that mirror those of rhinos. Hen harriers have long been persecuted due to conflicts with game bird hunting. Beavers and Scottish wildcats were once wiped out in the UK, driven to extinction by hunting and habitat loss. Yet with the right protection, reintroduction programmes, and community support, these species are making remarkable comebacks. Their stories show that even when wildlife is pushed to the brink, recovery is possible — if people choose to give nature a chance.
Primary Paper:
Kuiper, T. et al. (2025) ‘Dehorning reduces Rhino poaching’, Science, 388(6751), pp. 1075–1081. doi:10.1126/science.ado7490.
2.Rhinos are in a crisis (2025) International Rhino Foundation. Available at: https://rhinos.org/our-work/the-crisis/ (Accessed 26/09/2025).
3.Eikelboom, J.A. and Prins, H.H. (2024) ‘Poaching pressure on African Rhinos is still at an all-time high’, Science Advances, 10(25). doi:10.1126/sciadv.adl1482. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38905331/ (Accessed 26/05/25)
4. Penny, S.G. et al. (2021) ‘No evidence that horn trimming affects white rhinoceros horn use during comfort behaviour and Resource Access’, Animal Biology, 71(3), pp. 243–259. doi:10.1163/15707563-bja10037. Available at: https://cris.brighton.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/23195223/Penny_et_al_Animal_Biology_accepted_author_manuscript.pdf (Accessed 26/09/25)
5.Eikelboom, J.A.J. et al. (2020) ‘Will legal international rhino horn trade save wild rhino populations?’, Global Ecology and Conservation, 23. doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01145. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989420306867 (Accessed 26/09/25)
