Rhino poaching at alarming rate in South Africa

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A total of 633 rhinos have been lost to poaching since the beginning of this year. [File photo]

A total of 633 rhinos have been lost to poaching since the beginning of this year, indicating that 2012 might see the highest number of rhinos that are poached, according to statistics released on Wednesday.

The Kruger National Park has lost 395 rhinos to poaching, while the North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo provinces continue to be the hardest hit by poachers, collectively accounting for the loss of 197 rhinos, the Department of Environmental Affairs said in its latest update on rhino poaching statistics.

Statistics showed that 2012 would be the worst year in terms of rhino poaching, overtaking 2011 when a record 448 rhinos were killed in South Africa, 34 percent more than that in 2010, when 333 rhinos were killed, and nearly four times the number at 122 that were lost in 2009.

Encouragingly, the number of arrests continues to rise, with the arrests for 2012 now totaling 266. Of them, 237 are poachers, 18 are couriers and 11 are receivers.

Early this month, South Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Vietnam to fight rhino poaching. The MOU will be addressing, in particular, the illegal trade in rhino horn that has seen a scourge in rhino poaching.

Growing demand for rhino horns in world market has been blamed for the recent upsurge in rhino poaching in South Africa.

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