Hunters kill last reserve rhinos in Mozambique

The last 15 known rhinos living in the Mozambican part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which also occupies part of South Africa and Zimbabwe, were killed by hunters last month. Criminals chase the animals to remove their horns, which reach high values ​​on the Asian black market because of their popular reputation as aphrodisiacs and cancer drugs.

Recent deaths and the continuing failure of the Mozambican government to combat poaching have led South African leaders to consider rebuilding fences between their preservation areas. Authorities believe hunters have been able to track rhinos with the help of rangers in the Mozambican reserve.

Thirty guards will be tried in the coming weeks on charges of involvement in the death of the animals. Experts say officials receive poor wages, leaving them vulnerable to corruption by organized hunter groups.

Crime Numbers

The illegal business has caused a large increase in rhino elimination in recent years. In addition to the deaths of what was left of the species in Mozambique, 180 more animals were slaughtered on the South African side of the park in 2013 alone. Last year, the total reached 668 in South Africa alone.

The punishment for rhino hunting in the South African reserve is even more intense than for the murder of a person. In Mozambique, however, hunters can get rid of the problem by paying a fine on the rare occasion they are charged and sending their horns out of the country through their ports and airports.