Stolen Rhino Horns Valued At $2.75 Million, Theft Fueled By Asian Blackmarket

Authorities in South Africa are investigating what is being called one of the biggest thefts of animal horns the country has ever seen after thieves made off with a game reserve's cache of 66 rhinoceros horns valued at $2.75 million dollars, according to a report from Reuters.

The horns were reportedly removed from the rhinos by game wardens at Leshoka Thabang Game Preserve in the country's north in an effort to protect the animals from poachers, who are less likely to kill a hornless rhino. Thieves nabbed the stash of horns after breaking into the secured area where the horns were stored. No arrests have been made. 

Rhino horns are valueless to some, while other's consider them a treasure worth more than gold. One kilogram of rhino horn can cost as much as $65,000 on the Asian blackmarket, according to The Independent. 

Trade of rhino horn has a centuries-old history in China, where it's used as medicine and for jewelry. A newly affluent class in Vietnam views acquisition of rhino horn as a status symbol, which has driven up the price and fueled the business of poaching and international organized crime.

Some buy rhino horn for purported medicinal qualities; it is believed to cure a range of ailments from hangovers and gout to cancer and devil possession, though Western medicine rejects those claims as baseless.

"In my hands it is worth nothing, but in the hands of the guys who have it now, the horns are worth a lot of money," said Johan van Zyl, the owner of the game reserve where the robbery occurred, according to Reuters.

There are about 25,000 rhinos in Africa and South Africa is home to about 85 percent of them. Across the continent, rhino numbers have fallen due to the poaching fueled by an international market for their horns. The Independent reports that 633 rhinos were killed by poachers in 2012 in South Africa alone, up 30 percent from the year before. If poaching continues at its current pace, more than 800 rhinos will be killed in the country this year, according to Reuters.

Speaking in February, British Wildlife Minister Richard Benyon said that the only way to truly get the population-decimating trade of rhino horns and elephant tusks is to tackle the way the items are viewed in the cultures that value them.

As reported by the Independent, Benyon said, "Where there is a culture of giving gifts, such as the ivory stamps which are part of old Chinese culture, they need to understand the impact this is having thousands of miles away. And in Vietnam, it requires changing a culture where people are giving each other small amounts of rhino horn as a present. It is seen as being a miracle cure for certain serious illnesses but we know it has no more healing properties than our fingernails - it is the same material, keratin."