Record 1,020 rhinos killed in S Africa in 2014
22 Nov 2014 4:32 AM IST
The vast Kruger National Park, has been hit the hardest by poachers, with 672 killed inside the park, which is roughly the size of Wales.
‘To date, a total of 1,020 rhino have been killed for their horn since 1 January 2014,’ the department of environmental affairs said in a statement.
The poaching crisis has forced the authorities to move a number of rhinos to ‘safety zones’, some in neighbouring countries.
Last year, 1,004 beasts were poached in parks across the country. Demand for rhinoceros horn - which is made of keratin, which is also found in hair and nails - has skyrocketed in recent years, largely driven by the market in Asia, where the powdered horn is valued for its supposed medicinal properties. South Africa has launched a number of initiatives to fight the scourge, including the deployment of the army along the border with Mozambique, a poaching hotspot. Helicopters are also used to intercept poachers as well as armed ground patrols with sniffer dogs.
‘Unfortunately the threat of poaching has continued to escalate while various multi-faceted interventions are being implemented by South Africa,’ the Minister of Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa said. ‘We are concerned that poaching is part of a multi-billion dollar worldwide illicit wildlife trade. Addressing the scourge is not simple,’ she said.
‘To date, a total of 1,020 rhino have been killed for their horn since 1 January 2014,’ the department of environmental affairs said in a statement.
The poaching crisis has forced the authorities to move a number of rhinos to ‘safety zones’, some in neighbouring countries.
Last year, 1,004 beasts were poached in parks across the country. Demand for rhinoceros horn - which is made of keratin, which is also found in hair and nails - has skyrocketed in recent years, largely driven by the market in Asia, where the powdered horn is valued for its supposed medicinal properties. South Africa has launched a number of initiatives to fight the scourge, including the deployment of the army along the border with Mozambique, a poaching hotspot. Helicopters are also used to intercept poachers as well as armed ground patrols with sniffer dogs.
‘Unfortunately the threat of poaching has continued to escalate while various multi-faceted interventions are being implemented by South Africa,’ the Minister of Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa said. ‘We are concerned that poaching is part of a multi-billion dollar worldwide illicit wildlife trade. Addressing the scourge is not simple,’ she said.
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