A treasure more precious than gold

White rhinos are the second largest land mammal after the elephant. They live in small territorial groups

A kilo of rhino horn is worth around £23,000 – making it more valuable than gold (£19,000 a kilo)

The horn is not bone but compacted hair made of a protein, keratin, also found in human fingernails and hair

A rhino’s horn is not attached to the skull and continues to grow throughout the animal’s lifetime

White rhinos can grow to 6ft high, weigh 2.5 tons and run at up to 30 mph

They have poor eyesight – they can barely see 100ft – but well-developed hearing and a keen sense of smell

Rhino calves stay close to their mother until they are around three years old