South
Africa has signed a deal with Vietnam to help curb the rising number of
illegally slaughtered rhinos, officials announced on Monday.
The
price of rhino horn - used in traditional medicine in Asian countries - has
soared.
Rhino
poaching is already banned under international conventions but figures show the
number of rhinos killed in 2012 was nearly double the 2010 figure.
South
Africa is home to about 85% of Africa's estimated 25,000 rhinos.
Conservation
groups have welcomed the move as the first official co-operation between the
two nations on the issue.
The
trade in rhino horn has been banned by the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (Cites) since 1980.
At
least 618 rhinos have been poached in South Africa in 2012, nearly double the
number of those killed in 2010, latest official figures show.
Most
of the killings took place in the world-famous Kruger National Park.
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