Svært bevæbnede krybskytter, finansieret af asiatiske bagmænd, retter hårdt slag mod verdens sidste store bestand af næsehorn – priserne på tykhudernes horn nu på højde med prisen på guld.
Poachers have already killed a record number of rhinos in South Africa this year, with 455 slaughtered so far, BBC online reports Tuesday.
Only 13 rhinos were killed in 2007 but this rose sharply to 448 in 2011 – more than in any previous year.
Poaching is being driven by the soaring price of rhino horn, which is used in traditional medicine in Asian countries such as China and Vietnam.
South Africa has about 20,000 rhinos, or 90 per cent of all the rhinos in Africa.
Most of the rhinos – 272 of the 455 – were killed in the world-famous Kruger National Park, said the government’s environmental affairs department.
Efforts to curb poaching were continuing, with 207 people arrested so far this year, it added.
The South African government deployed troops along the country’s borders earlier this year in an attempt to stamp out the illegal trade.
The black market price of rhino horn is now in the region of 65.000 US dollar (ca. 370.000 DKR) per kg – more than gold.
South Africa has become the focal point of the rhino trade because it has between 70 per cent and 80 per cent of the global population of rhino, mostly white rhinos (bredsnudet næsehorn – den største af alle næsehornsarter med en vægt på op til tre tons).
