Fact check: Rhino horns and elephant tusks are not being dyed bright pink to deter poaching

Social media has been buzzing with posts showing elephants and rhinos with pink tusks and horns, claimed to be an anti-poaching technique. However, these images are digitally altered. Real anti-poaching methods, like those used by Rhino Rescue Project and Sabi Sand Game Reserve, do involve dyeing rhino horns, but it’s nothing like the pictures shared online.

A viral post claims: “A brilliant anti-poaching method uses the same pink dye as in stolen banknotes, rendering the ivory unsellable. This doesn’t harm the animals and saves their lives.” It features doctored photos of pink-tusked elephants and rhinos.

While these organizations do infuse rhino horns with poison and dye to deter poaching, the result is not visually similar to these shared images. As the Rhino Rescue Project points out in a FAQ, imagining rhinos with pink horns might be amusing, but it’s essential not to trivialize scientific efforts as mere social media rumors.

The Project’s website details the process: Horns are infused with a mix of ectoparasiticides and permanent dye, devaluing them for decorative or medicinal purposes. However, the dye used doesn’t create the bright pink effect shown online. The Rhino Rescue Project stresses that devaluing horns is more complex than just dying the surface. They also explain why such brightly colored dye isn’t practical: it wouldn’t be visible long enough to deter poachers, and it could make undyed animals more vulnerable to poaching.

For elephants, dyeing tusks is even less feasible. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) notes that tusks grow about an inch annually, making yearly re-dying impractical. Additionally, IFAW lists several risks: the logistical nightmare of treating 400,000 elephants, potential harm and distress to the animals, probable fatalities during the process, and the need for frequent repetition of the treatment.

Final comments the pictures are altered. While some wildlife organizations inject dye into the horns of rhinos to prevent poaching, it does not make the horn appear bright pink. These photographs are altered.