This is good news for the species. The number of rhinos killed by poachers in South Africa has halved in the first half of 2020, the Minister of the Environment announced on Friday.
All the same, 166 animals were slaughtered in the country over the period. The number of cases has since picked up again, as restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic have been relaxed, according to the minister.
Asia fond of rhino horns
"During the first six months of 2019, 316 rhinos had been poached in South Africa," Barbara Creecy, South Africa's Minister of the Environment, recalled in a statement. We were able to stop the escalation. "
South Africa has been fighting rhinoceros poaching for several years. The strong demand for horns comes from Asia, especially China and Vietnam, where they are used in traditional medicine. However, rhino horn is mostly made up of keratin, like human fingernails.
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- Planet
- South Africa
- Threatened species
- Poaching
- Rhinoceros