an open van transporting meat, Vilakazi said. The soldiers fired into the air to frighten away the lions. Now they use closed vehicles and live on canned rations.

South Africa's troops are concentrated in 16 temporary bases in the Sabi River valley where two-thirds of rhino killings have occurred.

Park rangers said the deployment has hugely boosted their coverage.

"Before, we were four rangers trying to cover 87 square kilometers (35 square miles), which is nearly impossible," said Cpl. Reckson Mashaba, speaking at a tent camp covered with camouflage netting where he and other soldiers fall asleep to the roar of lions.

Soldiers have been issued high-caliber rifles — in case they need to shoot an elephant or rhino in self-defense, Brig. Gen. Koos Liebenberg said.

The South African military also has setup spy cameras, but Maj. Gen. Barney Hlatshwayo said they need equipment to feed photos in real time so soldiers can respond immediately.

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Rhinos have been near extinction before. There were about 100,000 black rhinos in the 1960s, but they were hunted and poached until just 2,400 remained in the 1990s. Conservation efforts have nearly doubled their numbers, but they remain a critically endangered species.

A century ago, there were only about 50 white rhinos left. Now, there are about 20,000, thanks to conservation, relocation to safer regions and many more wildlife refuges and ranches.

But poachers killed 333 rhinos in South Africa last year. And the toll for the first six months of this year is 218 and likely will top 400 at the current tempo, according to Maggs, the