Researchers from the University of Oxford created the synthetic horn by using horse hair and regenerated silk. Rhinos are often poached for their horns, which buyers believe can cure health problems from hangovers to cancer.
Persistent poaching and habitat loss have led to a steep decline in the world’s rhino population. According to the conservation organization “Save the Rhino”, 892 of the animals were killed in Africa in 2018. There are believed to be fewer than 80 Sumatran rhinos, and fewer than 68 Javan rhinos left in existence.
