To address the increasing incidence of its rhinosbeing poached for their prized horns, Kenya's Wildlife Service (KWS) has unveiled plans to microchip all of the country's rhinos, estimated at just over 1,000 individuals.     

The project is sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)Kenya, which donated 1,000 microchips and five scanners together valued at $15,000, according to a KWS press release. The process, with a chip being implanted into each rhino's horn, is expected to take one year, and will begin in December, according to Robert Magori,Kenya's spokesman for the WWF.

"With poachers getting more sophisticated in their approach it is vital that conservation efforts embrace the use of more sophisticated technology to counter the killing of wildlife," the KWS wrote in a press statement. It went on to note that using tracking chips will allow authorities to track the animals more closely, and will serve as a powerful deterrent for would-be poachers, who face up to a 15-year jail term if caught.

According to KWS, so far in 2013, around 200 elephants and at least 30 rhinos have been killed inKenya, driven by record demand for ivory and rhino horns in predominantly Asian markets. The South African Government, which holds a vast stockpile of salvaged rhino horns valued in excess of $1 billion, places the current market value of 1 kg of horn at around $65,000. In comparison, gold fetches just more than $45,000 per kg and ivory somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500.

According to conservation-minded NGO, Save the Rhino, one of the most dominant markets for rhino horn is inViet Nam, where a tonic made with rhino horn powder is rumored to cure cancer. Despite this feverish demand for rhino horn, which is composed of the same protein as human fingernails and hair, there has never been scientific evidence to suggest it has any beneficial medicinal properties.

In a statement toChinAfrica, Katherine Ellis, communications director at Save the Rhino, wrote, "There is no silver bullet to solve the current rhino poaching crisis; a combination of approaches are needed. This includes high-level international government cooperation, rigorous anti-poaching and monitoring work, engaging with local communities in rhino range states, and efforts to reduce the demand for rhino horn in Asian countries, particularlyViet Nam."

Ellis explained that of utmost importance to rhino protection inKenyais the passage of a proposed wildlife bill that would stiffen penalties for wildlife crimes.

For its part, the Chinese Government has stepped up its efforts in the anti-poaching field.Kenya'sDaily Nationreported on August 9 that during a meeting withJudi Wakhungo,Kenya's cabinet Secretary for Environment, Water and Natural Resources,China's Ambassador toKenya, Liu Guangyuan, promisedChinawould offerKenyaa grant of unspecified amount to "protect the rhino, elephant and other endangered species." TheDaily Nationnotes thatChinahas some of the most stringent anti-poaching laws in the world, with offenders often receiving life-sentences in prison.

The Chinese public is also becoming increasingly cognizant of the problem. In November 2012, a survey conducted inBeijing,Shanghai, andGuangzhouby research company HorizonKey found that 95 percent of respondents agreed that the "Chinese Government should take stricter action to prevent the use of rhino horns."

"The Chinese Government should put in place strict controls to stop the trade in illegal wildlife related activities such as the trade of poached horns," Magori said. "The civil society and the general public can be at the forefront to push for better protection of rhinos and to educate the masses on the effects of the trade of rhino horn on the populations of rhinos around the world."