JOHANNESBURG: A South African court has jailed a rhino poacher for 77 years, one of the heaviest sentences handed out for the crime as poaching continues to escalate, an official said on Wednesday.

South African national Mandla Chauke was arrested in the iconic Kruger National Park in 2011 after he killed three rhino calves. The vast park has seen the highest number of killings, with 370 slaughtered since January. The South African National Parks hailed the sentence, saying it showed that “the courts are keen on stamping out the scourge of poaching”.

“It’s one of the harshest sentences, and we hope it will send out a strong message to poachers out there,” said parks spokesman Reynold Thakhuli. This month two Mozambicans were each jailed 16 years for killing and dehorning rhino. They were also caught in Kruger Park.

Published in Dawn, July 24th , 2014