By Matt McGrath Environment
correspondent, Johannesburg
5 October 2016
The man behind attempts to
develop synthetic rhino horn has told the BBC that he hopes to have a
"bio-identical" product ready to market in two years.
Matthew Markus, CEO of Pembient,
believes that introducing a highly similar but manufactured horn could help
stem the rhino-poaching crisis.
Here at the Cites meeting the
plans have been condemned by conservationists as "too risky".
Campaigners want the species body
to ban synthetics from endangered animals.
Rhino start-up
Over the years, the development
of human-made alternatives to some natural species has seen some success.
Orchids produced in the
laboratory have served as an alternative for collectors while a synthesised
version of the chemical that's found in bear bile has been accepted in
traditional Chinese medicine.
Now, a number of start-ups are
seeking to develop alternatives for rhino horn and elephant ivory.
The most advanced is said to be a
company called Pembient who
believe they are very close to producing solid, horn-like material.
"Earlier this year, we produced
low fidelity prototypes, they are solids but they don't have all the properties
of rhino horn and we are working now to produce these high quality
bio-identical solids," CEO Matthew Markus told BBC News at the Cites
meeting.
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