JOHANNESBURG Feb 29 (Reuters) – Four staff members at
South Africa’s flagship Kruger National Park have been arrested
on suspicion of killing rhinos and selling their horns to
criminal syndicates, the park service said on Wednesday.
Home to more than 90 percent of the continent’s rhinos,
South Africa is on the front line of a worsening war with
poachers who send the horns to China and Southeast Asia for use
in traditional medicine.
“…the unscrupulous and revolting hands of the poaching
syndicates have stretched as far as to taint the hands of those
trusted with the great responsibility of being guardians of our
natural heritage,” parks chief David Mabunda said.
Poachers killed a record 448 rhinoceroses in South Africa
last year and have alredy killed 80 this year. The government
has sent troops to the 19,500 square km (7,500 square mile)
Kruger Park – about the size of Israel – which is home to
thousands of the animals, in a bid to reduce the slaughter.
A decade ago South Africa had more than 20,000 rhinos and
was losing about 15 a year to poachers.
But poaching has increased dramatically in the last few
years as the spread of wealth in places like Vietnam and
Thailand has enabled more people to buy powdered rhino horn, a
prized ingredient in traditional medicine, though it has no
proved benefits.
The street value of rhino horn is higher than that of gold
in many parts of Southeast Asia.
(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Tim Pearce)
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