964 rhinos poached in South Africa in 2013, 330 people arrested

PRETORIA, South Africa, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The South African Department of Environmental Affairs said Thursday that 964 rhinos have been poached in the country since the beginning of the year.

Authorities have detained 330 people for rhino poaching offenses in 2013, the department said, and 127 of them were arrested in the Kruger National Park.

The rhinos in the park bear the brunt of the poaching practice.

Of the 964 rhinos that have been killed in South Africa this year, 573 of them were in the national park, the country's official news agency, SAnews.gov.za, reported.

The department is encouraging South Africans and the international community to report poaching to authorities.