BANGKOK: Vietnamese are continuing to pay for poached and murder rhinoceros horns in the country, believing that the medicinal aspects of the horns will help cure cancer and lengthen one's age. Cancer patients are the most common buyers of the murdered animal's horns, and despite illegal in Vietnam, it continues to be a major mover in the poaching of animals in southern Africa. Seen as an almost “elixir of life” the substance, which shares the same protein found in human fingernails, sells for thousands of dollars an ounce in Vietnam. Soaring demand has led to a bloodbath in South Africa as poachers kill record numbers of the creatures. One elderly Vietnamese man in Bangkok receiving medical treatment told Bikyamasr.com that “we all really do believe it will cure us, but I tried it and nothing happened, so I am here.” He continued to say that “I think the rich people, as they get older, will keep buying the horns.” This year, dozens of rhinos have been slaughtered for their horns in South Africa, which has led to bolstering of wildlife protection services and better management of national parks, but poachers continue to find ways into the protected areas. “It is worrying that we are still losing such a high number of rhinos throughout the country,” said David Mabunda, the head of SANParks, the country's National Parks Authority, in a statement. “The difficulty is pinning a suspected criminal to the actual crime because we are dealing with very wily and sophisticated individuals,” Mabunda said, but added that the increasing number of arrests was “encouraging.” Last year, at least 448 rhinos were killed in South Africa, which is home to the largest population of the animals in the world. This was an increase from 2010, when 333 were killed.
