On a more serious note...

3 rhino killed every week in SA

It is unbelievable that although the southern white rhino is listed as near threatened (17 000), and the black rhino critically endangered (4 000), three rhinos are killed every week in South Africa.

This is according to a report by the the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), TRAFFIC and WWF at a convention this year. In South Africa and Zimbabwe, 162 rhinos were killed illegally last year to make traditional medicines for the Asian market.

In 1970, South Africa had 65 000 black rhinos. This number has plummeted to only 7 000 white and 1 000 black rhinos. Yet this is 74 per cent of Africa's total number of rhinos. This year so far, 67 rhino have been shot for their horns in the Kruger Park and 37 in Kwa-Zulu Natal - exluding private reserves that advertise trophy hunting to overseas tourists.

Animal welfare organisations have called the Kruger National Park an animal "supermarket" after 10 of the 200 white rhinos sold at auction recently were also killed. They say the board should resign as they have "failed" to protect and conserve the country’s wild animals. Animal Rights Africa (ARA) called on the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs to put a moratorium on the sale of white rhino. They say national parks' rhinos belong to the people of South Africa.

The penalty for illegal rhino hunting in South Africa is R100 000 or 10 years imprisonment or both. It seems this is not enough to stop hunters who will wipe out an amazing species purely from greed.