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The Hard Truth about the Rhino Horn "Aphrodisiac" Market | Scientific American

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Media coverage hyping the supposed use of rhino horn to pump up sex drive does no favors for conservation efforts BY JEREMY HSU Not all rhino horn is sold on the black market. Much of it is sold as a luxury item. PaulFleet Getty Images Editor’s Note (3/20/18): This article is being resurfaced following the death of Sudan, the world’s last male northern white rhino. Only two females remain, pushing the subspecies closer to extinction. The brazen slaying and dehorning of an endangered white rhino in a wildlife preserve near Paris last month spurred widespread outrage. Mainstream media coverage blamed its usual suspects: Asian men who supposedly buy rhino horn as a crude form of Viagra. But this prurient tidbit overlooks the main factors driving the illegal rhino horn trade—and may even be reinforcing false beliefs about the substance’s powers. The reality behind the demand is far more complex. Historically rhino populations were decimated by uncontrolled trophy hunting during the Europe

April 5, 2017 7 min read Add Us On Google Add SciAm The Hard Truth about the Rhino Horn "Aphrodisiac" Market Media coverage hyping the supposed use of rhino horn to pump up sex drive does no favors for conservation efforts By Jeremy Hsu Not all rhino horn is sold on the black market. Much of it is sold as a luxury item. PaulFleet Getty Images Editor's Note (3/20/18): This article is being resurfaced following the death of Sudan, the world's last male northern white rhino. Only two females remain, pushing the subspecies closer to extinction. The brazen slaying and dehorning of an endangered whi

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