1020 rhinos poached this year

This already exceeds the 1004 that were poached for the whole of 2013, a statement released by the department on Thursday said.

The Kruger National Park, where 672 of the animals have been killed, has again borne the brunt of the poaching.

Another 110 have been killed by poachers in Limpopo, 84 in KwaZulu-Natal, 70 in Mpumulanga, 58 in the North West province and 15 in the Eastern Cape province.

There were 344 people arrested in connection with rhino poaching.