A study released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) points to a reduction in rhino poaching numbers in Africa and Asia to the lowest levels since 2013, but the species remains threatened.

According to the IUCN study 5.3% of all rhinos in Africa were poached in 2015, but this rate dropped to 2.3% by 2021, with 90% of the cases being recorded in South Africa, a country where the rhino population dropped by 1.6% between 2018 and 2021, with there now only being more than 22,000 rhinos.

Experts believe that the improvement in numbers may be linked to measures to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced people to stay indoors to contain the spread of the virus.