Poachers have killed over 100 rhinos so far this year in South Africa

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Women protecting rhinos from poachers

All-female squad protecting rhinos and elephants from poachers 01:16

Poachers successful South Africa killed much than 100 rhinos successful the archetypal 3 months of this year, astir of them wrong nationalist parks — highlighting an ongoing conflict to support 1 of the best-known endangered species.

South African Environment Minister Dion George announced the figures connected Monday and said that 65 of the 103 rhinos killed betwixt Jan. 1 and March 31 were poached successful nationalist parks.

The mean of much than 1 rhino killed a time is successful enactment with past year's number and "a stark reminder of the relentless menace to our wildlife," George said.

South Africa has the largest rhino colonisation successful the world, with an estimated 16,000 to 18,000 animals, according to conservation groups. That includes achromatic and achromatic rhinos.

Black rhinos are lone recovered successful the chaotic successful Africa and are listed arsenic critically endangered, with astir 6,400 left, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Around 2,000 are successful South Africa.

"In the past decade, poachers person killed astir 10,000 rhinos crossed Africa to provender the request for horn connected the achromatic market," the IUCN says.

The enactment says rhino horn is "a lucrative, illicit commodity sought aft by well-established, organized and almighty transnational transgression syndicates." There is request for horn successful Asia, peculiarly successful Vietnam and China, which continues to endanger each 5 taxon of rhino, it says.

South African authorities person focused successful caller years connected transgression syndicates they judge are down overmuch of the country's rhino poaching. The situation ministry hailed a condemnation past twelvemonth of what it called a poaching "kingpin" from Mozambique. Simon Ernesto Valoi was sentenced to 27 years successful situation by a Mozambique tribunal for moving an cognition poaching rhinos successful South Africa's immense Kruger National Park, which borders Mozambique.