China ranked as the top market for rhino horns over the past decade, but the country has taken steps to crack down on smugglers, according to a report from the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), a non-profit foundation based in The Hague. From 2012 to 2021, nearly 9,600 rhinos were poached from across Africa and 7.5 tonnes (8.3 tons) of illegal horns were seized globally, the WJC said, citing its analysis of more than 670 seizures. According to the report released on Thursday, "the demand for rhino horns as a criminal commodity shows no signs of abating". Around 27,000 rhinos remain in the wild, according to the WWF. Most poached rhino horns are sourced from South Africa and destined for Vietnam and China, where they are prized as carvings and collectibles and for their perceived medicinal properties. In 2018, China reversed a 25-year ban on the trade and use of rhino horns to allow for scientific and medical use. While doctors certified by authorities can prescribe rhino horns for medical purposes, illegally obtained carvings and other collectibles are subject to confiscation.