Could lab-grown rhino horns stop poaching? Why we may never know

Could lab-grown rhino horns stop poaching? Why we may never know

Despite all the years of debate, there is still little research on the effects of engineered rhino horns. Economics professor Fred Chen has formulated economic models to predict how lab-grown horns would do in the market. His research suggests that engineered horns could be a powerful tool in conservation even if they led to some increase in the demand for the real thing. “You can’t just say, ‘Oh, it could lead to more demand, so we don’t want it.’ I think we need to dig a little deeper than that,” he said.