Tackling the legacy of poaching head on

Every year since 2010 approximately three rhinos per day have been killed for their horns in South Africa. There are likely far fewer than the officially reported figures of 20,000 white rhino and 5,000 black rhino left. Where the death rate is exceeding the birth rate, saving the reproductive potential of a single animal is one step closer to saving the species. Working with Dr Johan Marais of Saving the Survivors, researchers from the Schools of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Pharmacy and Engineering have been developing additive manufacture technologies to repair the devastating injuries sustained by individuals that have survived poaching. The work is supported by private donations and initially will focus on a white rhino bull called Seha who was attacked in 2017. The team will surgically implant a bespoke titanium plate designed specifically from 3D scans obtained of the rhino’s face in order to allow a scaffold for tissue to repair the defect.