Many of these animals were killed in national parks, conservationists say

Oct 30, 2013 21:46 GMT  ·  By
Poachers in South Africa slaughtered 790 rhinos since the beginning of this year until October 25
   Poachers in South Africa slaughtered 790 rhinos since the beginning of this year until October 25

Since the beginning of this year until October 25, a total of 790 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa. The animals were all stripped of their horns, which the hunters took with them in order to sell on the black market.

Information shared with the public says that, as surprising as this may sound, many of these animals were slaughtered in supposedly protected areas.

According to Mongabay, 60% of the murdered rhinos inhabited Krueger National Park.

The same source tells us that, when compared to the number of rhinos killed by poachers in this part of the world in 2012, this year's recorded death toll is about 20% higher.

As is the case with elephant tusks, rhino horns are either used to make various trinkets, some of which serve religious purposes, or crushed into dust and used as medicine.

Needless to say, using rhino horns as medicine is no different from eating toenails and expecting to be cured of cancer.