Poaching shame: More than 1,200 rhinos killed for their horns last year

Nearly 1,200 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa last year in another catalogue of carnage fuelled by Asian-led demand for their horn, officials said on Thursday. The figure is slightly down on the record numbers reported in 2014 but more than 12 times the figure in 2008, when fewer than 100 rhinos were poached. Environmental affairs minister Edna Molewa said she regarded figure as a success, adding:  "We are very pleased to announce that for the first time for a decade the poaching situation has stabilised. This is very good news and very good cause for optimism.“ But she warned that the fight against poachers had to be stepped up.

The onslaught against our rhino has continued unabated, which has necessitated we step up our efforts.

South Africa minister Edna Molewa

The slaughter has been driven by demand for their horn in countries such as China and Vietnam, where they are prized for their purported medicinal properties. The horn is composed mainly of keratin, the same component as in human nails, but it is sold in powdered form as a supposed cure for cancer and other diseases. The soaring price of rhino horn and the poaching crisis has sparked a debate on whether to legalise sales in an attempt to stifle the lucrative black market trade. A South African judge in November lifted a domestic ban on trade in rhino horn, alarming conservationists. The government lost an appeal against the decision on Wednesday but said it would go to the Supreme Court of Appeal.

The figures are still unacceptably high and continent-wide there has certainly been no let-up in this ongoing conservation crisis.

Sabri Zain, director of policy at wildlife trade monitoring group, Traffic

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