More rhino killed in 2012 than 2011
The carcass of a rhino. File picture
Image by: STAFF / Reuters
Image by: STAFF / Reuters
More rhino have been killed in the last 10 months than in the whole of 2011, the environmental affairs department said on Tuesday.
A total of 488 rhino had been killed at the end of October 2012, the department said in a statement.
In 2011 448 rhino were poached.
The Kruger National Park remained the hardest-hit area, with 296 rhino killed there this year. This was 44 animals more than in 2011.
Poachers continued to target Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the North West, with 158 rhino lost in the three provinces this year.
The department said it was making progress in nabbing people linked to poaching, with around 214 arrested this year alone.
Most of those arrested were suspected poachers. Ten people were arrested for receiving poached goods, and 18 for transporting poached items.
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