RHINO WOUNDED BY POACHERS IN SOUTH AFRICA TO UNDERGO SKIN GRAFTING WITH AN ELEPHANT SKIN

A rhino severely wounded by poachers in the face is to undergo grafting with an elephant skin. 

Poachers shot the 12-year-old rhino on Aug. 5 at a wildlife park in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province.They were reported to have killed the calf of the rhino and shot the mother which fell down unconscious. Then, they began hacking off the horns which were actually what they wanted.

The rhino is named Ithemba, which means "hope" in Zulu, said Marais, who works for Saving the Survivors, an organization committed to rescuing and medically treating injured endangered species.

Marais described the attack on the endangered animal as a horrific injury.

Reports have it that poachers killed 1,200 rhinos in South Africa in 2014. 

This increasing spate of killings of the endangered species, rhino is attributable to the high demand of rhino horns in Asian continent where it is believed to have medicinal value and also a symbol of high social status.