JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Booming demand from increasingly rich Asian markets has led to a spike in rhino poaching in South Africa this year, officials say.
The latest rhino victim was found on Wednesday in South Africa's Krugersdorp Nature Reserve, where the animal was downed with a tranquiliser dart, had its horn removed with a chain saw and bled to death on the dusty terrain.
Poaching has been a long-term problem in impoverished African states. But the recent rise appears to be due to increased demand and higher prices for rhino horn in Asia where it is used as a medicine, and successful conservation in South Africa that has led to an increase in the rhino population.
