# Why don't ivory and horn poachers use tranquilliser darts? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 1, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-ivory-and-horn-poachers-use-tranquilliser-darts/662393 "2013-07-01T21:46:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-ivory-and-horn-poachers-use-tranquilliser-darts/662393/21 "2013-07-02T20:41:26Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Actually, a chainsaw is what’s used by game keepers who dehorn rhinos to protect them from poachers, too. I’ve seen video of the process. Rhino horn is simply keratin. Removing it (under tranquilizers) is no more painful or dangerous to the rhino than clipping your nails. > > Elephant tusks, on the other hand, are teeth, complete with living tissue, nerves, and blood supply. It’s a very different thing. The video I linked to upthread shows officials removing a tranq’d elephant’s tusks with a chainsaw, a couple of inches outside of the skin. Didn’t seem to be any problems after the fact. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-ivory-and-horn-poachers-use-tranquilliser-darts/662393/22 "2013-07-02T20:51:04Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Why is there even still a market for stuff like rhino horn, when drugs like Viagra actually work? Rhinoceros horn _is_ used in traditional medicine, notably in Asia, but not as an aphrodisiac. That’s just a myth, though it seems to be quite widespread. I agree though that there are drugs for treating all the ailments rhino horn is actually prescribed for, and those drugs are both cheaper and more effective. Everywhere there are stupid people who believe what they believe and are skeptical of science. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-ivory-and-horn-poachers-use-tranquilliser-darts/662393/23 "2013-07-02T21:04:16Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > The video I linked to upthread shows officials removing a tranq’d elephant’s tusks with a chainsaw, a couple of inches outside of the skin. Didn’t seem to be any problems after the fact. You know, now that you say that, I think I’ve seen that too. Maybe the “living” part of the tooth is up in the gums. Huh. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-ivory-and-horn-poachers-use-tranquilliser-darts/662393/24 "2013-07-02T21:08:02Z")
Actually, right now, the big use seems to be to treat over-drinking. Since horn can make you vomit, and vomiting may be of some small value, it could actually work to a degree. Mind you, it’s marginal, and they are better things to make you vomit. Justin Beiber music videos for example. 😛 But right now, it’s mostly Vietnam. > **[Vietnam's Appetite For Rhino Horn Drives Poaching In Africa](https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2013/05/14/181587969/Vietnams-Appetite-For-Rhino-Horn-Drives-Poaching-In-Africa)** > > Demand for rhino horn, used in traditional Chinese medicine, is fueling a slaughter of the animals in Africa. In Vietnam, the sought-after commodity is fetching prices as high as $1,400 an ounce, or about the price of gold. There, some believe ground... But it has no real medical use. It does not actually cure anything. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-ivory-and-horn-poachers-use-tranquilliser-darts/662393/25 "2013-07-02T21:25:27Z")
> [@Learjeff](#): > > I’ve also seen footage of rhinos that were cut with chainsaws by poachers, and the commentary said that the injuries were fatal even in cases when the gunshots were not. I wish I could find a cite, so this is just my recollection and we can’t take it as gospel. (snicker) > [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > The video I linked to upthread shows officials removing a tranq’d elephant’s tusks with a chainsaw, a couple of inches outside of the skin. Didn’t seem to be any problems after the fact. Probably because the officials and gamekeepers are careful and the poachers aren’t, which again goes back to the issue of giving a shit about the survival of the animal. I don’t know that the poachers will stop at the skin when taking tusks either. Every inch is worth money, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-ivory-and-horn-poachers-use-tranquilliser-darts/662393/26 "2013-07-02T21:26:39Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > Rhinoceros horn _is_ used in traditional medicine, notably in Asia, but not as an aphrodisiac. That’s just a myth, though it seems to be quite widespread. I agree though that there are drugs for treating all the ailments rhino horn is actually prescribed for, and those drugs are both cheaper and more effective. Everywhere there are stupid people who believe what they believe and are skeptical of science. I think the UL reasoning goes: aphrodisiac = penis = things that look like penis = rhino horn. Yeah, rhino horns are used in Chinese medicine, but it’s for non-sexual medical use (of questionable value, I don’t think I need to say). If a boner is what you want, there are other things they use, such as deer penis. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-ivory-and-horn-poachers-use-tranquilliser-darts/662393/27 "2013-07-02T23:31:59Z")
Rhino horn is also a traditional material used for personal daggers in some cultures in the Middle East, so it’s not just a medicinal thing. ---
**Author:** ![toofs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@toofs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toofs)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-ivory-and-horn-poachers-use-tranquilliser-darts/662393/28 "2013-07-03T02:58:24Z")
An AK-47 is cheap and easy to get in Africa. That, and the lack of concern for the animals, is your answer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-ivory-and-horn-poachers-use-tranquilliser-darts/662393.md?page=1)