By Natalia Lima / Source: Ecorazzi

As the rhino population continues to dwindle around the world, scientists are thinking outside the box about how to save the endangered animals. The newest approach: to produce fake rhino horns and rhino horn powder.

“We want to produce horns in volume and create a system whereby it doesn’t make sense, economically, to poach … the product is better than the original — that is the long-term goal,” explained Matthew Markus, a biologist and CEO of Pembient, the Seattle-based biotechnology startup behind the project.

So far the company has made a series of batches of rhino horn powder that are completely rhino-free and even brought the product to Vietnam, one of the biggest centers for users of rhino horn powder, to do a little market research.

“I wanted to see whether or not (the powder) matched with what they were using for smell and texture … people were generally receptive,” said Markus, who hopes that the fake rhino horn will be the equivalent to faux fur in keeping animals from being killed for a luxury.

Vietnam’s population has been increasingly looking for rhino horn powder after a rumor that one of the country’s politicians cured himself of cancer with it. For the nouveau riche (and tasteless) having a rhino horn is also a status symbol.

Scientists have repeatedly shown how there are no medicinal properties whatsoever in the rhino’s horn but still the animals are being poached to extinction because of it.

Read more @ Ecorazzi