南非犀牛偷猎者被判77年监禁

 

Mandla Chauke was arrested in the world famous Kruger National Park in 2011 for killing² three rhino calves³. 

 

He was also convicted for the murder of his accomplice⁴（共犯） who was killed in a shoot-out with rangers⁵.

 

Poachers killed a record 1,004 rhinos⁶ in South Africa in 2013, amid concern that the animal could become extinct. 

 

South Africa is home to 70% of the world's rhinos. 

 

Chauke's lengthy⁷ sentence, imposed by a magistrate's court（地方法院）, was welcomed by South Africa's national parks service as a "huge triumph for the rhino".

 

It gave a much-needed "boost to the anti-poaching teams who endure harsh conditions for the protection of our parks", the parks service said in a statement.

 

The court took the rare step of convicting Chauke for the murder of an accomplice who was shot dead by park rangers. 

 

It rejected his argument that he was coerced⁸ into poaching by his accomplices⁹, one of whom escaped. 

 

Chauke was convicted of murder, rhino horn theft, illegal hunting, trespassing¹⁰ and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition¹¹. 

 

In 2012, a South African court sentenced a Thai national to 40 years in prison for selling rhino horns. 

 

Rhino horn sold illegally can fetch as much as $95,000 per kilo - more than gold, according to the Bloomberg news agency.

 

Large syndicates are involved in a multi-billion dollar trade worldwide, exporting the horns to both Asia and the Middle East. 

 

Some people regard rhino horns as a status symbol and a healing agent, despite a lack of evidence that it can cure illnesses.

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