Growing Number Of Rhinos Poached In South Africa Due To Its Horns Wrongly Known To Cure Disease

In this photo taken Friday, Nov. 22, 2012, Miles Lappeman, owner of Finfoot Lake Reserve near Tantanana, South Africa, walks past the carcasses of a rhino and it’s calf. South Africa says at least 588 rhinos have been killed by poachers this year alone, 8 rhinos at the Finfoot Lake Reserve, the worst recorded year in decades. The number has soared as buyers in Asia pay the U.S. street value of cocaine for rhino horn, a material they believe, wrongly, medical experts say, cures diseases.

In this photo taken Friday, Nov. 22, 2012, a carcass of a rhino lays on the ground at Finfoot Lake Reserve near Tantanana, South Africa. <AP Photo/Denis Farrell>