14 DAY TRIAL // The World Wildlife Fund has decided to tackle the ongoing poaching crisis that's threatening the survival of tigers, rhinos and elephants by releasing a five-part series dubbed Stop Wildlife Crime.
The video above is the fourth in the series. It details how, between 2007 and 2012, there's been a 5,000 increase in rhino poaching in South Africa.
These animals are killed because some people believe that their horns can cure diseases. Still, as the World Wildlife Fund points out, rhinos are not medicine, and consuming their horns is no different from eating toenails.
“Rhino horn continues to command high prices among consumers, especially in Asia where it has been falsely touted as a hangover cure and treatment for terminal illnesses,” the organization explains.
“Except there is no scientific proof that a rhino's horn – made of keratin, just like human hair and fingernails – has any medicinal properties,” it adds.
Episode two of the series deals with elephant poaching, and the third video tells the story of tiger poaching.
The first and the fifth episodes explain just how big of a problem wildlife crime is, and tell the story of rangers who risk their own lives to protect endangered species.
Viewer discretion is recommended when watching the video above as it contains graphic images that might upset.