China's presence in Africa blamed for new threat to rhino A
devastating upswing in rhino poaching by criminal syndicates
armed with helicopters, night vision goggles and silenced rifles
is threatening to roll back more than three decades of
conservation work that brought the species back from the brink
of extinction. Figures released by the charity WWF show that the
number of rhinos shot dead in South Africa increased by 173 per
cent last year, a trend that has seen poaching reach a 15-year
high across the continent. Although South Africa allows for
limited legal hunting of white rhinos, national park officials
say 333 rhinos were illegally killed last year including 10
critically endangered black rhinos. The yearly total is the
highest ever in the country and nearly triple that of 2009 when
122 rhinos were killed. Park wardens and conservationists are
also battling a similar rise in poaching in Kenya, Tanzania and
Zimbabwe where gangs are using increasingly sophisticated
weaponry to hunt their quarry. Namibi