The most characteristic feature of the rhino is its horn. But why remove the handset?

The horrific figures of poaching in 2011 and 2012, in which 1116 rhinos were poached in two years, made it necessary for both proactive and preventive measures to reduce rhino poaching. At first you think that when you simply remove the horn from the rhino, the problem is solved. You would think that the rhino is safe for poachers.

In the 90s, dehorning in combination with other anti-poaching measures were an important contribution to reducing poaching losses. Namibia was the first country to use dehorning as a prevention measure. This worked because in Namibia no polled rhino was poached. Rhinoceros without horns appear to be 29% more likely to survive than horned animals, and dehorning also proved successful in other African countries.

However, there are also many cases in which dehorning did not contribute to the prevention of poaching. In Zimbabwe, for example, a rhino was killed 24 hours after the dehorning, another case was killed five days after the dehorning. After these two changing experiences with horns you can ask yourself whether dehorning is that effective.

Why are hornless rhinos poached? With the horns, a small stump remains after removal, this is necessary because if the cut is too close to the germ layer, the hearing base is damaged and distorted hearing growth occurs. About 90 - 93% of the horn mass is removed from the horns of a white rhino. Although poaching is made less profitable in this way, the sad reality is that rhinos are also killed for a horn stump. It is not clear whether dehornen really works to reduce poaching. Poachers may not see if the rhino has an intact horn before shooting. However, experts recommend that you rhino horns every 12 - 24 months to be an effective deterrent. It is a drastic procedure and immobilisation entails risks for the rhino. Although every effort is made to reduce these risks, there are sometimes veterinary complications due to anesthesia that can result in death.

In addition to the risks for rhino in the horns, the process is also very expensive. This is mainly due to the effort it takes to find the animals, the costs of anesthesia and the repetition of this entire process. The horns for a rhino cost between 500 - 900 euros, and depend on many factors. It is estimated that the one-off horns of all rhinos in the Kruger National Park cost around 4.5 - 7 million euros. You should not anesthetize a rhino in expectation because of the risks.

How is the dehorning performed?
Rhinos are usually shot from a helicopter, and sometimes from the ground in smaller reserves. A marking is made with a pin, usually 7 cm from the base of the front horn and 5 cm from the base of the rear horn. Under anesthesia, a chainsaw or hand saw is used to cut the horn horizontally. The eyes and ears of the rhino are covered to muffle noise and keep the rhino quieter. The stump is trimmed to remove excess horn at the base and then flatten the horn. To prevent cracks and dehydration of the horn stump, the stump is covered with Stockholm tar.

The debate about horns also asks whether the rhinos really need their horns. It is known that rhinos use the horns for various behavioral functions, including defending territories, defending calves, defending against predators and digging for water and breaking branches. The males use the horn to protect territories, the removal of the horn may undermine the ability to maintain a territory. It has been shown that fight-related mortality among black rhinos in Zimbabwe has been reduced by the horns.

The next question that comes to mind when you think about the horns is, what happens to the horns? The horns can be destroyed. However, rhino owners store the horns pending possible legalization of the trade. Having a licensing system for owning, transporting and storing horn is considered to be difficult. It poses a security risk by providing information about the whereabouts of horns. Dehornen is not a standing solution in itself. In view of the risks associated with the horns, it should be considered as a last resort under the serious stopper threat.