Will 3D Printing Save Endangered Animals?

In 2014 poachers in South Africa killed 1215 rhinos (one every 8 hours), and as of August 2015, 749 more had been poached for their horn, feeding an industry where the value of rhino horn is said to be around $60,000 a kilo. As this barbaric trade progresses, the inevitable happens, the Western Black Rhino was declared extinct in 2011 by the IUCN (International Union for Conversation of Nature), and the remaining five species are listed as threatened on the IUCN Redlist, with 3 listed as critically endangered. Poaching of rhino is not only restricted to South Africa, but across the entire African continent and Asia, so the figures quoted previously are those which are readily reported upon in the media, a bleak outlook indeed for the remaining rhino.

                In South Africa specially trained Rangers attempt to protect this threatened species, tackling more and more sophisticated poachers in armed confrontations, with fatalities a norm. And as the demand for the horn for use in eastern medicine and ornamental objects has increased rapidly, so have arrest rates, convictions are scant, however. Currently, the value of rhino horn far exceeds that of gold, thus, you can begin to understand the rise in poaching particularly for those of limited financial means. It’s not clear that rhino horn has any proven medicinal purpose whatsoever, comprising mostly of keratin, but due to tradition, millions believe it does. It’s sad indeed that a species is being destroyed in the name of medications that scientific opinion states simply do not work, so, can science and technology provide a cure to this predicament?

                In an effort to counter the threat there may be an answer in the form of a company called Pembient, founded by Matthew Markus, whose intention is to recreate wildlife products in the lab using 3D printing technology. The hope is to produce rhino horn so biologically similar to the wild horn at about a tenth of the cost to encourage buyers and illegal traders to switch, thus reducing the horrendous poaching levels. Matthew states that his company is reverse-engineering rhino horn to the minutest detail, claiming it can be better than the real thing as the only difference will be the absence of pollutants in the manufactured version, which I imagine could be included if required! Pembient also aims to produce elephant tusks, shark fins and other animal products that it hopes will help other species too, the ethics being that no animal should have to die when clearly it doesn’t have to, a fine sentiment indeed.

                Rhino horn is primarily keratin, the same component found in hair, horse hooves, and fingernails. Pembient will be using engineered yeast cells to produce the exact same keratins that form the basis of the horn, this will be combined with trace elements such as sulphur, calcium and potassium, finally, a dash of rhino DNA will be added. The aim is to produce a product that will be genetically identical to the genuine organic horn, even under genetic testing conditions whereby the synthesised rhino horn would produce a genetic fingerprint identical to a living rhino. This material will be in essence the ‘ink’ used to print a horn in 3D. Matthew points out that a powdered product may be more useful as the horn is ground down anyway for medicinal use, the overall plan being industrial scale production of the quantities required to cater to that market. Ornamental use for dagger sheaths and so forth will be supplied with full-scale printed horns.

                Is this the answer? Some clearly argue that more needs to be done to educate the market and improve the methods of conservation and that 3D printing of rhino horn will do little to reduce the current poaching levels, and may lead to increased demand of the real thing as popularity becomes mainstream. Which may be the case, however, it does appear obvious that if science and technology can produce a product that is so physically and chemically identical to the real thing and yet costs a tenth of the price, even criminal gangs will make the switch, claiming it to be the real item to be sold at premium price, which of course in time will reduce as the market becomes saturated. That, in turn, may result in the end of the poaching and illegal trade surrounding rhino horn procurement as the demand base moves to easier methods of obtaining the ‘same’ product themselves, it may even move to that standard and by-pass illegal methods straight away, who can tell at this stage?

Time will be the true measure of success it seems, with the Pembient rhino horn and powder set to go on sale early 2016. This project, in tandem with existing organisations such as Save the Rhino, activities like infusing living rhino horn with a toxin, and the Rangers fighting to save the surviving family members of this noble species from extinction can only be a good thing. Has science maybe found the answer to this and other issues that follow this same horrendous path? Will those reading this article perhaps have an answer within some of the technical projects they are undertaking right now? I’d like to think that the work of Pembient is at the very least a step in the right direction and for the sake of the rhino and all endangered species…hopefully, it is.

Pembient Website

Save the Rhino