Summary: Dehorning reduces rhino poaching
# Dehorning reduces rhino poaching
## TL;DR
Despite significant investment in anti-poaching measures, dehorning rhinos proved to be the most effective strategy, reducing poaching by approximately 78% at a fraction of the cost.
## Summary
# A New Approach to Protecting Rhinos: Dehorning Reduces Poaching
In a study conducted across 11 southern African reserves, which house the world’s largest rhino population, researchers found that despite spending around $74 million on anti-poaching efforts such as rangers, tracking dogs, access controls, and detection cameras, the poaching of rhinos has not significantly reduced. Over six years (2017–2023), nearly 2,000 rhinos were poached, amounting to about 6.5% of the population each year. These measures, while they did lead to more than 700 arrests, were not enough to counter the powerful drivers of poaching: high demand for rhino horns, wealth inequality, criminal syndicates, and corruption.
However, the study also revealed a surprisingly effective and cost-efficient method of reducing poaching: dehorning rhinos. By removing the rhinos’ horns, making them less desirable to poachers, there was a sudden and significant (~78%) decrease in poaching. This method was implemented across eight reserves, on 2,284 rhinos, using only 1.2% of the budget. Despite some continued poaching of dehorned rhinos for their horn stumps and regrowth, the results suggest that regular dehorning, along with sensible use of law enforcement, could be a more effective strategy for protecting these endangered animals.
This research highlights the importance of rethinking traditional anti-poaching strategies. Instead of focusing solely on reactive measures like law enforcement, it may be more effective to reduce the rewards for poachers, in this case by dehorning the rhinos. This approach could potentially save both money and more importantly, the lives of these majestic creatures.
## Original Paper
[Dehorning reduces rhino poaching](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado7490)
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*This summary was automatically generated on 2025-06-11 22:36:56.*
