ZIMBABWE has been dehorning rhinos for almost a year in a desperate attempt to save them from poachers. The country's rhinoceros population has declined from 2,000 a year ago to less than 500 today. The animal is sought for its horn, which is coveted as an aphrodisiac in the Far East.

Mark Atkinson, a vet working on the dehorning project, believes about 60 per cent of the country's rhinoceros population has been dehorned. However, he calls dehorning "crisis management" and stresses it cannot be a long-term solution.