SA’s rhino poaching problem is finally getting the global recognition it deserves. With over 200 rhinos killed already this year (668 last year), SKY News’ Alex Crawford investigates..

According to SKY News:

Officials at South Africa’s National Parks say they are “under siege” from rhino poachers and if the killings go on at the current rate the animal will be extinct within decades.

Despite a range of tactics like deploying the army, mounting helicopter patrols and even using drones in the past few months to try to pinpoint the poachers, the killing of rhinos for their horns is continuing at an alarming rate.

More than 200 rhinos were killed in South Africa in the first three months of this year.

The total for 2013 therefore looks set to top last year’s figure, which was a record with more than 600 rhinos being slaughtered. And the 2012 figure was a dramatic increase on the previous year’s record of 448.

The worst hit by far is the country’s flagship Kruger National Park which shares a long 221-mile (356km) border with Mozambique, from where the vast majority of the poachers come.

Kruger saw more than 70 incursions last month by heavily-armed teams of poachers crossing from Mozambique.

Typically the teams are made up of between two and five hunters who find it very easy to slip across the border illegally.

[Read the rest of Alex Crawford’s report here]

Click play on the video above.