About 10 rhinos have been poached in India and at least seven in Nepal since January alone -- out of a combined population of 2,400 endangered rhinos. Besides, 12 rhinos now are being poached each month in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Poachers in Africa and Asia are killing an ever increasing number of rhinos -- an estimated two to three a week, to meet a growing demand for horns believed in some countries to have medicinal value, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

An estimated three rhinos were illegally killed each month in all of Africa in 2000-05, out of a population of around 18,000.

"Illegal rhino horn trade to destinations in Asia is driving the killing, with growing evidence of involvement of Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai nationals in the illegal procurement and transport of rhino horn out of Africa," according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Standing Committee in Geneva.

"Rhinos are in a desperate situation," said Susan Lieberman, director of the Species Programme, WWF-International. "This is the worst rhino poaching we have seen in many years and it is critical for governments to stand up and take action to stop this deadly threat to rhinos worldwide."

"It is time to crack down on organized criminal elements responsible for this trade, and to vastly increase assistance to range countries in their enforcement efforts," she said.

Almost all rhino species are listed in CITES in Appendix I, which means that any international trade of any rhino parts for commercial purposes is illegal.