Poachers Kill 200 Elephants During Six-Week Spree in Cameroon

Poachers have killed more than 200 elephants in Cameroon in just six weeks, in a "massacre" fuelled by Asian demand for ivory.

February 17, 2012

FULL STORY: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=poachers-kill-200-...

Rhino poaching hits record as horns worth more than gold

Street value of rhinoceros horns soars to about $65,000 a kilogram

JOHANNESBURG — A record number of rhinos were poached this year in South Africa, home to the greatest number of the animals, as rising demand in Asia for their horns led to increased killings of the threatened species.

At least 443 rhinos have been killed in South Africa in 2011, up from 333 last year, according to National Geographic News Watch.

The street value of rhinoceros horns has soared to about $65,000 a kilogram (2.2 pounds), making it more expensive than gold, platinum and in many cases cocaine, as a belief — with no basis in science — has taken hold in recent years in parts of Asia that ingesting it can cure or prevent cancer.

FULL STORY: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45823839/ns/world_news-world_environmen...