This shocking video of a mutilated rhino showcases the brutal damage poachers inflict.
Despite ongoing efforts to curb poaching and save the endangered species, this horrific video shows a rhino stumbling a road in South Africa's Kruger National Park having had it's horn savagely hacked off.
The poor animal was spotted by visitors to Kruger National Park on February 28, but wildlife officials were unable to locate it until March 4, according to a press release from South African National Parks.
The animal was found alive, but rangers discovered that a bullet was lodged in the rhino's brain and it had to be put down later that day.
Unbelievable cruelty...
“We will continue to work hard in the fight against the overwhelming scourge that is currently targeting the KNP," a release announcing the rhino's fate said. “To us one rhino killed is one too many.”
The market for rhino horns and elephant tusks is thriving and prices are only rising – more than 1,000 rhinos were slaughtered for their horns last year in South Africa alone.
False claims that rhino horn can cure everything from cancer to diabetes have led to a surge in demand in some Asian markets where a single kilogram is worth more than twice its weight in gold.
Ground horn has also become a popular party drug for the rich, but consuming it is actually identical to chewing on your fingernails.
Rhino Overload
(01 of30)
Tanda the rhinoceros and her four-hour-old baby are seen at the Ramat Gan Safari, an open-air zoo near Tel Aviv, on June 15, 2012. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (credit:Getty)
(02 of30)
A female white rhinoceros watches over her male four-day-old calf on October 19, 2011 at the Beauval zoo of Saint-Aignan, central France. AFP PHOTO / ALAIN JOCARD (credit:Getty)
(03 of30)
An Indian rhinoceros cub takes a bath in a mud hole at the Tierpark Zoo in August 5, 2011 in Berlin. AFP PHOTO / JOHANNES EISELE (credit:Getty)
(04 of30)
An Indian rhinoceros cub takes a bath in a mud hole with its mother Betty at the Tierpark Zoo in August 5, 2011 in Berlin. AFP PHOTO / JOHANNES EISELE (credit:Getty)
(05 of30)
Tanda the rhinoceros and her four-hour-old baby are seen at the Ramat Gan Safari, an open-air zoo near Tel Aviv, on June 15, 2012. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (credit:Getty)
(06 of30)
An Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) takes its calf to water in the Maghauli Chitwan forest, some 200 km southwest of Kathmandu on November 30, 2011. The latest count of the population has shown that rhinoceros numbers have climbed to 534 across Nepal from 435 animals in 2008, as attempts to counter poaching for the rhino's highly-priced horn begin to pay off. AFP PHOTO / PRAKASH MATHEMA (credit:Getty)
(07 of30)
A male white rhino calf born four days ago, lies on straw on October 19, 2011 at the Beauval zoo of Saint-Aignan, central France. AFP PHOTO / ALAIN JOCARD (credit:Getty)
(08 of30)
Tanda the rhinoceros and her four-hour-old baby are seen at the Ramat Gan Safari, an open-air zoo near Tel Aviv, on June 15, 2012. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (credit:Getty)
(09 of30)
Tanda the rhinoceros and her four-hour-old baby are seen at the Ramat Gan Safari, an open-air zoo near Tel Aviv, on June 15, 2012. AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ (credit:Getty)
(10 of30)
A file photo taken on March 12, 2012 shows two white rhinos standing in Limpopo near the new site of a rhinoceros orphanage yet to be built. From trendy shopping bags and fashion bracelets to banking products, raising funds to fight rhino poaching has become a national passion in South Africa, where the slaughter has reached record levels. With more than 200 rhinos killed so far this year, after a record 450 last year, the campaign against poaching has spawned scores of fund-raising efforts whose tactics run from glamorous to gorey. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE (credit:Getty)
TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY CHRISTOPHE BEAUD(11 of30)
A file photo taken on March 12, 2012 shows two white rhinos in Limpopo near the new site of a rhinoceros orphanage yet to be built. Decades of conservation efforts to save rhinos are coming undone, as surging demand for their horns in Asian traditional medicine has spawned a vast criminal trade powered by poaching. South Africa is the epicentre of the poaching battle. A conservation success story, the country is home to 70 to 80 percent of the world's rhinos. In 2007, 13 rhinos were poached. Last year the number hit 448, and more than 200 have already been killed this year. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE (credit:Getty)
(12 of30)
A file photo taken on March 12, 2012 shows two white rhinos in Limpopo near the new site of a rhinoceros orphanage yet to be built. Decades of conservation efforts to save rhinos are coming undone, as surging demand for their horns in Asian traditional medicine has spawned a vast criminal trade powered by poaching. South Africa is the epicentre of the poaching battle. A conservation success story, the country is home to 70 to 80 percent of the world's rhinos. In 2007, 13 rhinos were poached. Last year the number hit 448, and more than 200 have already been killed this year. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE (credit:Getty)
(13 of30)
A one-horned rhinoceros cub stands in Kashara Chitwan National Park, some 200ksm southwest of Kathmandu on December 2, 2010. The latest count of the population has shown that rhinoceros numbers have dropped to fewer than 400 from nearly 600 animals in three natural parks in Nepal, as poachers hunt the rhino for its highly-priced horn. AFP PHOTO/PRAKASH MATHEMA (credit:Getty)
(14 of30)
An Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) and her calf are pictured in the Sauraha Chitwan forest, some 150 km southwest of Kathmandu on December 29, 2011. The latest count of the population has shown that rhinoceros numbers have climbed to 534 across Nepal from 435 animals in 2008, as attempts to counter poaching for the rhino's highly-priced horn begin to pay off. AFP PHOTO / PRAKASH MATHEMA (credit:Getty)
(15 of30)
An Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) takes its calf to water in the Maghauli Chitwan forest, some 200 km southwest of Kathmandu on November 30, 2011. The latest count of the population has shown that rhinoceros numbers have climbed to 534 across Nepal from 435 animals in 2008, as attempts to counter poaching for the rhino's highly-priced horn begin to pay off. AFP PHOTO / PRAKASH MATHEMA (credit:Getty)
(16 of30)
A female white rhinoceros which gave birth four days ago is pictured, on October 19, 2011 at the Beauval zoo of Saint-Aignan, central France. AFP PHOTO / ALAIN JOCARD (credit:Getty)
(17 of30)
A female white rhinoceros watches over her male calf born four days ago, on October 19, 2011 at the Beauval zoo of Saint-Aignan, central France. AFP PHOTO / ALAIN JOCARD (credit:Getty)
(18 of30)
An Indian rhinoceros cub plays in a mud hole with its mother Betty at the Tierpark Zoo in August 5, 2011 in Berlin. AFP PHOTO / JOHANNES EISELE (credit:Getty)
(19 of30)
An Indian rhinoceros cub plays in a mud hole with its mother at the Tierpark Zoo in August 5, 2011 in Berlin. AFP PHOTO / JOHANNES EISELE (credit:Getty)
(20 of30)
An Indian rhinoceros cub plays in a mud hole with its mother Betty at the Tierpark Zoo in August 5, 2011 in Berlin. AFP PHOTO / JOHANNES EISELE (credit:Getty)
(21 of30)
HYTHE, ENGLAND - JUNE 21: A 6 month old Black Rhino calf stands with its mother in its enclosure at Lympne Wild Animal Park on June 21, 2011 in Hythe, England. Port Lympne has welcomed a host of new arrivals this year with wildebeest, colobus monkeys, gorillas and rhinos all adding to the current stock. Port Lympne and Howletts Wild Animal parks were set up by the late John Aspinall to protect and breed rare and endangered species and, where possible, return them to safe areas in the wild. The Aspinall Foundation which runs the parks also manages two gorilla rescue and rehabilitation projects in the central African countries of Gabon and Congo where they have successfully reintroduced over 50 gorillas to the wild. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(22 of30)
HYTHE, ENGLAND - JUNE 21: A Black Rhino sleeps in the sunshine at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park on June 21, 2011 in Hythe, England. Port Lympne has welcomed a host of new arrivals this year with wildebeest, colobus monkeys, gorillas and rhinos all adding to the current stock. Port Lympne and Howletts Wild Animal parks were set up by the late John Aspinall to protect and breed rare and endangered species and, where possible, return them to safe areas in the wild. The Aspinall Foundation which runs the parks also manages two gorilla rescue and rehabilitation projects in the central African countries of Gabon and Congo where they have successfully reintroduced over 50 gorillas to the wild. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(23 of30)
HYTHE, ENGLAND - JUNE 21: A 6 month old Black Rhino calf plays in its enclosure at Lympne Wild Animal Park on June 21, 2011 in Hythe, England. Port Lympne has welcomed a host of new arrivals this year with wildebeest, colobus monkeys, gorillas and rhinos all adding to the current stock. Port Lympne and Howletts Wild Animal parks were set up by the late John Aspinall to protect and breed rare and endangered species and, where possible, return them to safe areas in the wild. The Aspinall Foundation which runs the parks also manages two gorilla rescue and rehabilitation projects in the central African countries of Gabon and Congo where they have successfully reintroduced over 50 gorillas to the wild. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(24 of30)
HYTHE, ENGLAND - JUNE 21: A 6 month old Black Rhino calf stands with its mother in its enclosure at Lympne Wild Animal Park on June 21, 2011 in Hythe, England. Port Lympne has welcomed a host of new arrivals this year with wildebeest, colobus monkeys, gorillas and rhinos all adding to the current stock. Port Lympne and Howletts Wild Animal parks were set up by the late John Aspinall to protect and breed rare and endangered species and, where possible, return them to safe areas in the wild. The Aspinall Foundation which runs the parks also manages two gorilla rescue and rehabilitation projects in the central African countries of Gabon and Congo where they have successfully reintroduced over 50 gorillas to the wild. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(25 of30)
HYTHE, ENGLAND - JUNE 21: A Black Rhino sleeps in the sunshine at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park on June 21, 2011 in Hythe, England. Port Lympne has welcomed a host of new arrivals this year with wildebeest, colobus monkeys, gorillas and rhinos all adding to the current stock. Port Lympne and Howletts Wild Animal parks were set up by the late John Aspinall to protect and breed rare and endangered species and, where possible, return them to safe areas in the wild. The Aspinall Foundation which runs the parks also manages two gorilla rescue and rehabilitation projects in the central African countries of Gabon and Congo where they have successfully reintroduced over 50 gorillas to the wild. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(26 of30)
A black rhinoceros stands in its enclosure at Berlin's zoologischer garten zoo as temperatures rose to a summerly 20 degrees centigrade in the German capital May 6, 2011. AFP PHOTO / JOHN MACDOUGALL (Photo credit should read JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(27 of30)
TO GO WITH AFP STORY Environment-species-rhinos-trafficking-Kenya-China,FEATURE BY HERVE BAR(FILES) This file picture taken on December 10, 2010 shows two male rhinoceros lock horns playfully while pasturing in the savanah at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. The bloody carcass is still lying in a dip between two hillocks. Melita, a black rhino aged 22, was killed by poachers on December 2 in Lewa private wildlife reserve. AFP PHOTO / ROBERTO SCHMIDT (credit:Getty)
(28 of30)
Two male Rhinoceros pasture in the savanah at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy on December 10, 2010. Two rhinos were killed by poachers at the conservancy during 2010 and two in the last two months. Conservancy officials are alarmed by a sharp increase in the poaching activity which they say is fueled by a high demand for Rhino horns in Asia and especially China. Poachers can sell the horns to the first intermediary for about 8,000 USD per kilo as the two horns of an adult Rhino weight more or less 10 kilos. Spanning 62,000 acres, Lewa is home to more than 10 percent of Kenyas black rhino population and over 14 percent of Kenyas white rhino population. AFP PHOTO / ROBERTO SCHMIDT (credit:Getty)
(29 of30)
A rhinoceros refreshes itself on a hot summer day at the Madrid Zoo on July 25, 2011. AFP PHOTO/ DOMINIQUE FAGET (credit:Getty)
(30 of30)
Two male Rhinoceros pasture in the savanah at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy on December 10, 2010. Two rhinos were killed by poachers at the conservancy during 2010 and two in the last two months. Conservancy officials are alarmed by a sharp increase in the poaching activity which they say is fueled by a high demand for Rhino horns in Asia and especially China. Poachers can sell the horns to the first intermediary for about 8,000 USD per kilo as the two horns of an adult Rhino weight more or less 10 kilos. Spanning 62,000 acres, Lewa is home to more than 10 percent of Kenyas black rhino population and over 14 percent of Kenyas white rhino population. AFP PHOTO / ROBERTO SCHMIDT (credit:Getty)