The Rhino Keepers is a personal story of the conservation of rhinos in Africa, told through the experiences and insights of the pre-eminent conservationists Clive and Anton Walker. It is a harrowing real-life account that underscores the enormous challenges faced in a world where rhino horn is more expensive than gold or cocaine in the Eastern end-user markets. In 1970, Africa had a population of 65,000 black rhinos. Rampant poaching whittled this down to about 3,400 in just 20 years, with numbers still plummeting. Conservationists fought back with trained and dedicated rangers, shoot-to-kill policies, dehorning of rhinos and translocations to safer reserves - small triumphs in the 'rhino war' that was heading inexorably south. Today, headlines report on the resurgence in poaching in South Africa where rhinos are being killed at an unprecedented rate. A second rhino war is now being waged against well-trained, well-armed and well-connected poachers. Despite the CITES ban on the international trade in rhino horn, 448 rhinos were killed in South Africa in 2011 - only approximately 5,000 black rhinos and 21,000 white remain.

Did we win the battle but lose the war? Is it time to change focus from protecting the supply to trying to restrict the demand? Is the final step in securing the rhino's safety a legalisation of the rhino horn trade? Book jacket.