Rhino dehorning is a controversial but widely used anti-poaching strategy whose welfare trade-offs continue to be actively debated by conservation scientists.
Dehorning requires general anesthesia, which carries inherent risk in large animals. Post-dehorning rhinos may face reduced ability to defend calves from lion predation. The repeated captures required for re-dehorning (every 18-24 months) are stressful. These welfare costs must be weighed against the alternative - death at the hands of poachers. Most conservationists consider dehorning a justified welfare compromise in high-poaching-pressure areas.