Poaching spike endangers black rhino

A record number of black rhinos have been poached this year in South Africa, pushing the species to the brink of extinction.

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According to a CNN report, crime syndicates hunt down the animals by crossing over the Mozambique border into South Africa's Kruger Park.

The sharp increase in poaching has seen the rhino species disappear at a rapid rate, with one killed every 21 hours.

Earlier last week the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added the black rhino (Diceros bicornis longipes) to its Red List of Threatened Species.

Trained trackers, mounted police and a dog unit have been deployed to target the poachers in the hopes of saving the black rhino.

The rhinos' fearsome horns are prized for dagger handles in the Middle East and traditional medicine in East Asia, fetching prices on the black market in the hundreds of thousands of dollars range.



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Source: AFP, CNN

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