South Africa is home to 83 percent of Africa’s rhinos and 73 percent of all wild rhinos in the world, according to U.K.-based Save the Rhino International. In recent years, a growing demand for rhino horns in Asian countries, mainly China and Vietnam, for their purported medicinal properties, has led to a drastic surge in rhino killings, according to figures released by conservation groups.

“For any proposal to be confidently put on the table for other parties to even support, I think one needs to be clear with the facts,” Rose Masela, a senior official at the Department of Environmental Affairs, or DEA, reportedly said. “There’s very little we can do about the belief in the use of rhino horn that exists in other countries. Legalization would be a more medium-term solution.”

Available: http://www.ibtimes.com/south-africa-considers-legalizing-rhino-horn-trade-curb-poaching-1723009