More than 500 rhinos -- and more than 150 in just the last two months -- have been killed in South Africa so far this year, putting the country on pace to break last year's record of more than 1,000 poached rhinos.

Rhino poaching has been rising dramatically since 2007, fueled largely by demand in Vietnam for the animal's horn. Rhino horn was once used in traditional Chinese medicine, but today its mostly sought by the affluent in Asia, especially Vietnam. It's used as a hangover cure and a recreational drug.

"We are going to reach the tipping point for rhinos," said Naomi Doak, a wildlife expert an conservationist with the wildlife monitoring network, Traffic. "By the end of 2014, we're starting to be in the negative in terms of deaths and poaching outstripping birth and the population will start to decline very quickly."

Arrests for poaching are also up, but advocates say more should be done to discourage poaching activities.

"We have a massive crisis on our hands and the department needs to be doing more to stop it," said Allison Thomson, director of the South African Citizens against Rhino Poaching. "We claim that we know how much these animals are worth to us, in terms of tourism, but we are not protecting them."

"Very few of these cases are pursued to the very end, so we need all sectors to play a part," she added.

But experts suggest that -- like so many other black markets -- the illegal rhino trade won't slow until the demand for the horn -- essentially made of the same material as human fingernails -- is curbed. Currently, 100 grams of rhino horn sell for roughly $6,000 on the streets of Vietnam. It's more expensive, and more lucrative, than gold.

Japan zoo makes wild fashion statement with lion-ripped jeans
Tokyo (AFP) July 14, 2014 - A Japanese zoo has taken the catwalk to a wild new level, using some of its fiercest inhabitants to rip and claw jeans to a fashionably distressed look.

The facility northeast of Tokyo has unveiled "Zoo Jeans", styled by the fangs and claws of lions, tigers and bears.

Zoo officials said the material held up well, all things considered.

"We wrapped several pieces of denim around tyres and other toys. Once they were thrown into the enclosures, the animals jumped on them," said zoo director Nobutaka Namae, adding that the pieces were later patched together to create the finished product.

"The denim was actually much tougher than we had thought, and it turned out nicely destroyed."

The idea came from a Tokyo advertising executive who wanted to give something back to the zoo where he spent time as a child, Namae added.

Two pairs of jeans ripped by lions and a tiger-destroyed version are being auctioned on the Internet with proceeds to be donated to the zoo and the conservation group WWF.

As of Monday, bidding on the tiger-torn denim had soared to 121,000 yen ($1,200).

They will be on exhibit at the Kamine Zoo -- along with a bear-savaged version -- until next week.