page_title: Rhinoceros poaching in Southern Africa
section_title: Reasons for poaching
hierarchical_section_title: Rhinoceros poaching in Southern Africa / Reasons for poaching
caption_attribution_description: English: Project Rhino memorial to rhinos killed by poachers near St Lucia Estuary, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
context_page_description: Rhinoceros poaching in southern Africa is the illegal act of slaughtering rhinoceros in the southern African countries of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, where most of Africa's rhinos occur. The most common reason for rhino poaching is to meet the high demand for their horns in Asian countries, where the horn is predominantly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine but is increasingly being used as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. In previous generations, the most common rhino poaching activity was hunting for recreational purposes. Because of excessive poaching, rhino populations have decline rapidly since the 1970s, leaving some species critically endangered and facing extinction.
  Rhino poaching is illegal and there are several organisations in place to save the rhinos and prevent poachers and traffickers. International rhino horn trade is illegal; however, a lucrative black market exists stemming from the rising demand from South East Asian countries, particularly Vietnam and China. Rhino horn is estimated to be valued at $60,000 per pound on the black market, valuing rhino horn at approximately three times that of gold.
caption: Memorial to rhinos killed by poachers near St Lucia Estuary, South Africa
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