Three rhino poachers have been sentenced to 25 years in jail each by a South African court, probably the toughest punishments ever given in a country hard hit by killings of the threatened species, Reuters cited officials as saying on Wednesday. The three poachers from Mozambique were arrested in South Africa's Kruger National Park in July 2010 with two freshly chopped horns, rifles and an axe, South Africa National Parks said in a statement. Until now, poachers were typically given up to a few years in jail or fined. The maximum sentence for illegal rhino hunting is 10 years in jail, and for possession of a prohibited firearm 15 years jail, the park service said. The three poachers received the maximum sentence for each offence, to run consecutively - a longer jail term than those many courts hand down to convicted murderers. A record 448 rhinos were poached last year in South Africa, home to the greatest number of the animals, as rising demand in Asia for their horns led to an increase in illegal hunting. -- SPA
