S.Africa Court Sentences Rhino Poarchers To 25 Years In Jail

After a long wait, justice was given to conservationists and animal lovers. A gang of poachers in South Africa recently received a series of hefty and completed a court case that lasted nearly three years.

The three poachers received the maximum sentence for each offence, to run consecutively - a longer jail term than those many courts hand down to convicted murderers. A record 448 rhinos were poached last year in South Africa, home to the greatest number of the animals, as rising demand in Asia for their horns led to an increase in illegal hunting. The street value of rhinoceros horn has soared to about $65,000 a kilogram, making it more expensive than gold and platinum, as a belief - with no basis in science - has taken hold in recent years in parts of Asia that eating it can cure or prevent cancer. A decade ago South Africa, home to more than 20,000 rhinos, was losing about 15 animals a year to poachers. But poaching has increased dramatically since about 2007 as the spread of wealth in places like Vietnam and Thailand has enabled more people to buy rhino horn for use in traditional medicine.