Summary:
South African soldiers have been killed in a helicopter crash in a bid to stop rhino poaching for their horn.

Full article:
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:58 EST, 31 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:58 EST, 31 March 2013 . Five South African soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash as they patrolled for rhino poachers in a national park. The troops were taking part in Operation Rhino, the army’s mission to halt the illegal slaughter of the animals for their horns. Rhino horn can reach prices of £50,000 a kilo - making it more valuable than gold or cocaine. On mission: The soldiers were taking part in Operation Rhino, a South African project to stop illegal rhino slaughter . It comes after three suspected poachers were killed last week in a shoot-out with rangers in the vast Kruger park, where the killing of rhinos is now rampant. So far this year, 188 rhinos have been poached in South Africa, 135 in Kruger alone. Last year, 668 were killed illegally in the country, a 50 per cent rise on the previous year. Illegal trade: The horn of an adult rhino, seen at a Johannesburg safari park, can reach prices of up to £50,000 a kilo . Surging demand from the Far East, where the horn is falsely believed to have medicinal value, is responsible. A defence department spokesman said the cause of yesterday’s crash is being investigated. As rhinos in the wild have been hunted to the brink of extinction, with just 29,000 remaining, poaching gangs have even been turning to museums and zoos Europe in their attempts to get the horns.