3D Printer Technology Offers New Hope To Save The Rhino

A biotech start-up called Pembient, is planning to harness 3D printer technology to help eliminate the need for poaching, destroy the black market and ultimately save the rhino.

Estimated to be worth over $20 billion dollars, the poaching black market is subsequently threatening all future hopes of survival for the Rhinoceros. All previous efforts to save this extraordinary species have unfortunately fallen short, due to the continuous high demand for the animals’ horn.

Pembient is aiming to create artificial, genetically identical reproductions, of rhino horn and ivory, which can be sold as suitable alternatives to the animal product. The 3D printer technology will create a product which is entirely “indistinguishable from the real thing,” everything from the appearance, feel, weight and even the genetic makeup will be identical. It is hoped that by flooding the market with their genetically identical product, the black market price will rapidly drop, which will make the rhino a less appealing target for poachers. The photo above shows the first man made rhino horn.

In a press release Matthew Markus, CEO of Pembient said “We surveyed users of rhino horn and found that 45% of them would accept using rhino horn made from a lab.” This offers much promise as “in comparison, only 15% said they would use water buffalo horn, the official substitute for rhino horn.”

This auspicious result offers the hope that Pembient’s 3D-printed rhino horn could saturate the rhino horn supply and significantly impact its black market price. This will ultimately discourage poachers from taking high risks to kill these endangered animals.

Due to the unproven beliefs in many Asian cultures, that rhino horn processes many medicinal properties, an increasing number of rhinos are being poached every year. Because of poaching, over the past 40 years, 95% of the world’s rhino population has been lost. In South Africa alone, more than 1,200 rhino where killed last year, a record high. Even though the rhino’s population is now dwindling in numbers the demand for it horn is still increasing, since 2007 poaching has increased 90 times over.

Although penalties for poaching are being more harshly enforced globally, a rhino’s horn can easily sell upwards of $75,000 per kilo (2.2 US pounds), which makes the opportunity’s financial gain greatly outweigh the possible risks. It is even illegal to possess rhino horn powder in a number of countries, however because of the century old belief that the horn can cure cancer, reduce a fever and febrile convulsions and even prolong a youthful appearance, the demand is still strong.

Currently, almost every sub-species of rhino is critically endangered, not long ago we reported on the last surviving male Northern White Rhino, and this is simply unacceptable. All past efforts to save the rhino have been generally unsuccessful due to the ever growing demand for the horn, however with this company’s plan to attack the pricing of the black market itself new hope has arisen. The company hopes to unveil its technology in June 2015.

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