Rhino poaching has reached a “crisis point,” and it is driving the species ever closer to extinction, according to conservationists.
From a population of 500,000 in the early 20th century, just 29,000 rhinos remain in the wild today. The vast majority are located in South Africa, which lost a record 1,215 animals to poachers in 2014, a sharp increase from 668 in 2012.
With well-resourced criminal syndicates determined to harvest the rhinos for their horns, that fetch more than gold, diamonds or cocaine on the black market, conservationists are under pressure to find solutions before the charismatic creatures disappear forever.
