The number of rhinoceroses killed by poachers in South Africa last year fell 10 percent as arrests for illegal hunting of the animals more than doubled to a record.

A total of 1,054 rhinos were slaughtered for their horns in 2016, down from 1,175 a year earlier, South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs said in a statement on its website. In the Kruger National Park, a game reserve about the size of Wales, the carcasses of 662 rhinos were found last year, down from 826 in the previous 12 months.

Rhino horn demand has climbed in nations including China and Vietnam, because of a belief that it can cure diseases and even ease a hangover.

The South African Police Service reported the arrests of a record 680 poachers and traffickers last year, up from 317 in 2015, the department said.

Bloomberg News