2012 was a truly awful year for rhino poaching, with a record number of rhinos poached – at mid December over 633 rhinos were killed in South Africa alone. Headlines captured the gory images of dehorned rhinos, as ruthless criminal syndicates swept over Africa’s rhino population.
However despite the poaching crisis, there were also some extraordinary conservation success stories over the past year. Click here to read the top 12 stories are highlighted by Annimaticus on its website. See below for a few photo highlights
From the birth of Sumatran rhino calf Andatu in the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary Indonesia
To the reported population increases of the Greater one-horned rhino population in India
To the monitoring of critically endangered Javan rhinos with camera traps in Ujung Kulon National Park
To the launch Education for Nature Vietnam‘s awareness campaign aimed at reducing the demand for rhino horn
Photo credits YABI / IRF, Brooke Squires, Alain Compost
The awareness campaign seems like a worthwhile project.