- JOHANNESBURG: Vietnamese officials say more needs to be done to dispel the impression in their country that rhino horn is medicinal, as part of an effort to curb rhino poaching in Africa.
The officials spoke to reporters Wednesday after meeting with their South African counterparts. This year, already 309 rhinos have been killed in South Africa, approaching the 2010 record of 333. The 2010 figure was nearly triple the deaths in 2009.
Kien Nguyen, a Vietnamese diplomat who took part in the talks, says, “We need to raise public awareness of the importance of biodiversity and we need to get rid of the wrong understanding that rhino horn can cure cancer.”
Demand for rhino horn among a growing Vietnamese middle class is believed to be driving the poaching spike in Africa.
