Rhino poaching in South Africa increases in 2023
SOUTH Africa recorded 499 rhinos poached in 2023, 51 more than the previous year, despite efforts to protect the animals, the government said. South Africa is home to nearly half of the critically endangered black rhino population in Africa and to the world's largest population of near-threatened white rhinos. Rhinos are poached for their horns, which are used in East Asian countries for making traditional medicines and jewellery. In 2023, 406 rhinos were killed on state properties and 93 on privately owned parks, reserves and farms, South Africa's Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said in a statement. "The…