Rhinoceros horn mineral and metal concentrations vary by sample location, depth, and color.

Autor: Roth TL; Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW), Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45220, USA. terri.roth@cincinnatizoo.org., Rebolloso SL; Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, 4125 Beaumont Rd, Lansing, MI, 489100, USA., Donelan EM; Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW), Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45220, USA., Rispoli LA; Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW), Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45220, USA., Buchweitz JP; Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, 4125 Beaumont Rd, Lansing, MI, 489100, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2024 Jun 14; Vol. 14 (1), pp. 13808. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jun 14.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64472-z
Abstrakt: Poaching is again driving rhinos to the brink of extinction due to the demand for rhino horn products consumed for cultural, medicinal, and social purposes. Paradoxically, the same horn for which rhinos are killed may contain valuable clues about the species' health. Analyses of horn composition could reveal such useful bioindicators while elucidating what people actually ingest when they consume horn derivatives. Our goals were to quantify minerals (including metals) in rhino horn and investigate sampling factors potentially impacting results. Horns (n = 22) obtained during necropsies of white (n = 3) and black (n = 13) zoo rhinos were sampled in several locations yielding 182 specimens for analysis. Initial data exposed environmental (soil) contamination in the horn's exterior layer, but also confirmed that deep (≥ 1 cm), contaminant-free samples contained measurable concentrations of numerous minerals (n = 18). Of the factors examined in deep samples, color-associated mineral differences were the most profound with dark samples higher in zinc, copper, lead, and barium (p < 0.05). Our data demonstrate that rhino horns contain both essential and potentially toxic minerals that could be relevant to rhino health status, but low concentrations make their human health benefits or risks unlikely following consumption.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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