As record numbers of rhinos are slaughtered for their horns, there is good news that poachers will be punished for their crimes. In the U.S., two businessmen will now serve time in prison and pay hefty fines for rhino horn trafficking.

An Indian rhino calf that lost its mother to poachers earlier this week is clinging to life with the help of conservationists, according to WWF staff assisting with its care. A team of frontline staff located the dehydrated and traumatized calf and brought the newborn to a safe location for urgent veterinary care.

Two translocated rhinos gave birth in the Manas National Park in India, indicating that the translocated species is breeding successfully and adapting to the new environment. The arrival of the calves comes as a welcomed affair amid a recent spurt in the poaching of rhinos in the northeast Indian state of Assam.

This month in Bangkok, where 178 nations have convened to discuss global wildlife trade, many of the country delegates are publicly expressing urgency and seriousness of the crisis. As poaching rates for African elephants and rhinos soar to catastrophic heights, member nations of the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) took action.

Now available for free in the iTunes App Store, ‘WWF Together’ is a unique interactive experience that brings you closer to the stories of elephants, whales, rhinos and other fascinating species. Discover the animal’s lives and the work of WWF in a way you’ve never seen before. Try out “tiger vision,” stay as still as the polar bear during a hunt, and chop the panda’s bamboo.

Poaching statistics released by the South African government reveal 668 rhinos were slaughtered—a 50% increase over 2011 and a staggering 5000% increase since 2007. Already, an additional five rhinos have been killed since the beginning of this year.

WWF’s campaign to stop wildlife crime gained a powerful champion—U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. On November 8, the U.S. State Department held an unprecedented event on illegal wildlife trafficking and conservation. In her remarks, Secretary Clinton called for an end to illicit wildlife trafficking, which she emphasized as a major foreign policy and security issue.

Crawford Allan, Regional Director, TRAFFIC North America, has translated his passion for the natural world into a long and fulfilling career. While he has seen the impact of illegal killing of rare species first hand and uncovered illicit wildlife trade in blackmarkets in dozens of countries, he remains hopeful.

On October 16, 2012 South African authorities confirmed that a record 455 rhinos have been lost to poaching this year. The number exceeds the 448 rhinos killed for their horns during all of 2011.

Indonesia is home to the only population of Javan rhinos left on the planet. Only about 40 of these rhinos exist there—making the Javan rhino one of the rarest mammals in the world. Because the Javan rhino population is so small and isolated, WWF and its partners are seeking wide agreement and political endorsement for a new, safe and healthy Javan rhino habitat.

On September 21, 2012, WWF and The Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) announced a first-ever partnership with faith leaders from across Africa to unite against the killing of endangered species caused by illegal wildlife trade.

Rhino poaching crisis in South Africa is at an unprecedented level. A new report details how the fate of South Africa’s rhinos is inextricably linked with market demand in Vietnam—a country that recently saw its own rhino population slip into extinction.

As the threat to rhinos grows, help comes to a rhino population via an airlift and relocation.