A film production designer who hails from South Africa has been protesting against the recent rise in rhino poaching by the Chinese in South Africa which happens to be the biggest market for the poached horns of the rhinoceroses.

Mark Wilby these days is seen with a nail cutter with which he clips a few toenails and sends them to the Chinese Embassy in a form of protest. However, technically the toenails and the rhino horns have the same material, a protein called Keratin.

"I felt that we have moved beyond the time of politeness. I am not doing it out of disrespect to the Chinese authorities, but how else do you get their attention," the film production designer told the media on Wednesday.

He has also asked several others on the video sharing site YouTube asking them to send toenails to the embassy by post and show their resentment. Chinese embassy officials were not available for comment though.

The number of animals poached reached an annual high this October and the reason is the demand for the rhinoceroses horns in the Chinese traditional medicine. This belief has spread in Southeast Asia that it would be able to cure cancer. This belief has not been proven scientifically however.

(AW- Anil)