- 87 rhinos killed in Namibia last year – almost twice as many as the year before.
- Most were poached in Etosha, Namibia’s biggest national park.
- Rhino numbers in Africa have dropped significantly to feed demand for rhino horn in China and Vietnam.
According to officials, poaching of endangered rhinos in Namibia last year reached a record high and was almost two times higher than the year before.
87 rhinos were killed overall, compared to 45 in 2021, according to official government figures.
According to officials, the majority were taken from Etosha, Namibia’s largest national park.
Rhino populations in Africa have drastically decreased in recent decades as a result of China and Vietnam’s increased demand for rhino horn.
According to Romeo Muyunda, a spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, poachers killed 61 black rhinos and 26 white rhinos, mostly in Etosha, where 46 rhinos were discovered dead.
Etosha National Park, our flagship park, is a hub for poaching, Mr. Muyunda noted with grave concern.
International criminal gangs now locate and sedate the animals using high-tech technology before chopping off the horn and leaving them to bleed to death.
Wildlife teams have been slicing off the rhinos’ horns to keep them alive as a result of rhino poaching in South Africa and Botswana.
Despite having no known medical benefits, rhino horn has been utilized for many centuries in traditional Chinese medicine.
Demand for horns in Vietnam, where they are displayed as a symbol of wealth, is another factor driving poaching.
With just over 5,000 remaining in existence, the black rhino is the most vulnerable.
However, there were just four elephants poached in Namibia last year, down from a record of 101 in 2015.
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