Still more than three months remaining in 2013, and South Africa has already set an unfortunate record for Rhino poaching.  At least 688 rhinos killed by poachers, surpassing last year’s record of 668 by twenty.

With conventional anti-poaching efforts largely failing, some South African officials are pushing a seemingly counterintuitive idea:  Legalize the sale of existing confiscated rhino horn stockpiles. 

Proponents argue that flooding the market would collapse prices, thereby taking a bite out of profits and deterring future poaching.  But opponents say legalization risks creating new markets for rhino ivory, potentially hastening the demise of the world's five remaining rhino species, all of which are considered endangered.

South African Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa says Rhino poaching has surged in recent years due to rising demand from a growing middle class in East Asia.