Abstract
Summary: Black rhinos in Luangwa Valley, Zambia have been subjected to heavy illegal hunting since the late 1970s. A study population monitored by individual recognition decreased at an instantaneous rate of ‐ 0.29 yr‐1between 1981 and 1985. Two‐thirds of skulls found throughout Luangwa Valley between 1979 and 1985 were axed, indicating death from poaching. All age‐ and sex‐classes of rhino were equally susceptible to being shot, presumably due to the high market‐price of rhino horn.