Rhino horns have become increasingly valuable in recent years, leading to an increase in poaching of more than 9,000% (yes, 9,000%) since 2007 in South Africa alone.
The sheer scale of the landscapes rhino inhabit acts to protect the poachers - in the past they have just been too difficult to find.
The traditional delays in reacting to poaching raids mean arrest and conviction rates are low, and there is little deterrent to poachers.
Rangers asked for a tool that could alert them to a poaching event as it took place, giving them the opportunity to respond immediately.
British scientist Dr. Paul O'Donoghue responded by inventing RAPID, a camera device that is implanted into the rhino's horn. It combines GPS tracking, heart rate monitoring and video broadcast. It not only captures attacks on film, it also monitors for signs of stress in the animal, for the effects of a tranquiliser or bullet, and it can raise an instant alarm alerting rangers to where an attack is happening.
O'Donoghue, who has worked with endangered black rhino populations for more than 15 years says, "Currently a rhino is butchered every six hours in Africa, the issues are many, but there's far too much money at stake to believe that legislation alone can make the difference, we had to find a way to protect these animals effectively in the field; the killing has to be stopped.
"With this device, the heart rate monitor triggers the alarm the instant a poaching event occurs, pinpointing the location within a few metres so that rangers can be on the scene via helicopter or truck within minutes, leaving poachers no time to harvest the valuable parts of an animal or make good an escape. You can't outrun a helicopter, the Protect RAPID renders poaching a pointless exercise."
Protect, a conservation group supporting these efforts claims the device, which has become known as 'rhinocam', could make poaching impossible.
Inventor Dr. Paul O'Donoghue has worked with black rhinos for 15 years Photo: Tom Collier
In development since 2011, RAPID is now being trialled in the South African wild.
Steve Piper, a director of Protect, elaborates, "We expect to have the first rhino prototypes out within months and are just beginning development on versions for tigers and elephants. We hope to have a fully functional control centre established early next year. The figures make it painfully clear; there is no time to waste, the tide has to be turned and the Protect RAPID can do it; the only thing heading for extinction over the next decade is poaching itself."
Protect interviewed wildlife vet Will Fowlds about his experience of tending to rhinos hurt by poachers. He describes how finding injured animals is more upsetting than finding corpses. It can take rhinos injured by poachers 2-3 days to suffer and die in pain.
Wildlife vet Will Fowlds
Comedian and actor Ricky Gervais, an outspoken opponent of poaching, also expressed his excitement and support, "I am thrilled to support the work of Dr O'Donoghue and Protect. Poachers know full well they can kill rhinos and other animals with almost no chance of being caught, sometimes they even cut off the animals horn and half its face whilst it is still alive, it's barbaric. The killing won't stop unless we increase those chances and the Protect RAPID does just that."
Thanks for the support @rickygervais; RT for rhinos! #protectrhino #poaching #conservation pic.twitter.com/cl6pkz5y6d
— Protect (@weareprotect) July 20, 2015
RAPID is supported by the Humane Society International.
