James Larkin is the Director, Radiation and Health Physics Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. His childhood interests in biology, physics and chemistry and a few twists of fate have led him to a career in radiation protection and nuclear security education. He applied his science based knowledge and experience to create The Rhisotope Project, which aims at significantly reducing rhino poaching and demand reduction through the safe application of radioisotopes and radiation research.

I was born in Kenya, where my parents had met and married a few years before. My father is a retired veterinary surgeon, and is a published author. My mother worked for the UK War Office, and then when she moved to Kenya worked for Special Branch there. She is a forces child and had lived in a number of different parts. Both sides of the family would seem to have suffered from wanderlust, as I have family on almost every continent in the world.

I went to school in both Kenya and the UK. As a child, my career choices changed as I grew older. At one stage, I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather and join the Royal Air Force. However, eventually, I chose to study cell biology at Exeter University. Why biology? Well at the time, it was the subject in which I had done best at ‘A’ Levels. In the UK, at the age of 16 you were expected to decide on a possible career path and choose your three ‘A’ levels that you wanted to pursue for the next two years. I chose Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, oh and rugby and rowing. So, I was first introduced to the fundamentals of nuclear science at school through both physics and chemistry. I have always been fascinated by the subtle brilliance of natural systems and how they work and have something of an enquiring mind.

When I graduated, I was still unclear as to what I wanted to do with myself. I had always enjoyed working outdoors, so eventually I set up a small rural contracting business, doing a number of conservation projects mostly on the South downs of West Sussex, even learning the ancient rural craft of hedge-laying. In 1995, I came out to South Africa for a family holiday, where I met an old friend of my parents who owned a radiation protection business. Later in the year, he called me out of the blue, asking if I would be available to give him and his business a hand for a couple of weeks. It was cold in the UK, and work was slow, so I said “yes”.

I “forgot” to go home, that was 26 years ago.

I joined Berkeley Nuclear Services, a Radiation Protection Consultancy working on the gold mines mostly. Initially, I started out as a radiation protection officer, where I was had to visit different sites that were possibly radiologically contaminated, carry out surveys and measurements, and make recommendations. It was an interesting, enlightening and mentally stimulating work, which pretty much sealed my interest in radiation protection and meant that I was going to stay on in South Africa.

Later, after acquiring various qualifications, I started working as a Radiation Protection Specialist, where I was required to develop and implement radiation protection programmes for various sites. From there things just snowballed, as I continued following my career path. Overall, I can say I have had quite a rich experience working on a number projects in radiation protection and international nuclear security education through different organizations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency. I have been to numerous countries to share my nuclear security knowledge and experiences with national, regional, and international audiences.

Currently, I work at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, where I teach various courses in nuclear security, radiation protection, and nuclear facility leadership, and act as the university’s radiation safety officer. I also am the chairman of the university’s Institutional Biosafety Committee, that is responsible for the approval of research work carried out that involves genetically modified materials/organisms and other potentially dangerous materials.

My primary scientific focus is The Rhisotope Project, looking at the possibility of putting small quantities of radioactive isotopes into the horns of rhinoceros to curb poaching and significantly lower demand for horn. This project is so important because it gives authorities additional opportunities to protect these species.

South Africa is home to 90% of the world’s rhino population. Of the five species of rhino three are critically endangered and the other two are considered endangered. Traditional anti-poaching methods are still not enough and even though trade in rhino horn is illegal and banned internationally, there are many countries that drive the illicit sale of horn. If we don’t act very soon, then some of these species will only be seen in small populations at zoological gardens rather where they should be which is roaming free in the wild.

The initial idea of The Rhisotope Project came up during a lunchtime discussion with people about various methods that have been tried to reduce poaching. Someone suggested using radiation in a similar way as a poison. This clearly was a non-starter, but it did set my mind to thinking that it might be used in a nuclear security context. Use the radiation as a possible method of tracking horn that had been poached, and as a deterrent to end-users. From there a number of discussions were had with friends and colleagues in the nuclear security and radiation protection spaces, and it became apparent that this indeed might work. I was fortunate that this project struck a chord with organizations which share the same aspirations – Rosatom, Wits University, Colorado State University, Care for Wild rhino sanctuary, Ikhala veterinary services and others – all have contributed tremendously to the development of the project.

The Rhisotope Project could only happen because of the years I have spent teaching and studying radiation protection and nuclear security, both subjects play a very important role in this endeavour. I hope this won’t be the last time that the use of nuclear science is used to combat animal poaching. In the future, we want to look at how we might use similar techniques to help deter elephant poaching and the illicit trade in ivory. From there? I hope that there will also be other areas that researchers want to investigate, and we will be very open and willing to work with those people.

One of the next things that I would like to do is establish a stable isotope laboratory at the university which will have applications in a broad field of sciences but of particular interest would be the construction of a database that will allow the geolocation of animal samples based upon various isotopic ratios measured.

I believe that nuclear science and technology are vital for humanity. These areas have had and continue to have a profound influence on the health and wellbeing of much of the world’s population. Nuclear techniques have been used in so many different areas that the general population are completely unaware of. The list is almost endless. Agriculture and improved food production, biology and the better understanding of various subtle biological processes, physics and power generation – all use nuclear science. Education is key to the understanding of all these various techniques, and how they can continue to be used for the betterment of mankind and our diverse ecosystems.