Rhino horns

Rising global demand for rhino horn – both for alleged medicinal value and ornamental use – has led to an epidemic of poaching in Africa, as well as theft and illegal trade in rhino horns from museums and private collections. Illegal trafficking in rhino horn threatens to reverse decades of rhino conservation work in Africa and Asia, driving rhinos to the brink of extinction in the wild. Scientists have found no evidence to support its alleged medicinal power – it is made of the same stuff as fingernails – and many practitioners have stopped using it. But urban legends about its powers as an aphrodisiac or cure for cancer keep it in demand. Rhino horn’s beauty also is prized by many cultures.