From Vietnam comes the news that the last wild Javan rhinoceros , (Rhinoceros sondaicus) was killed by poachers. The Javan rhinoceros is now extinct in Vietnam, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). For thousands of years rhinoceros horns have been sought as cures for a variety of ailments (including cancer, typhoid and impotence) and as a status symbol for the horn’s owner. The horn is made of keratin, the same protein that is the primary component of hair and  finger nails. Poachers kill the rhinoceros and hack off  its horn, leaving the rest of the animal to rot.