The official government data have indicated an all-time high number of endangered Rhinos murdered in Namibia. As per reports, in 2022 87 Rhinos were killed by poachers, compared to 45 in 2021.
The poaching increased as the demand for Rhino horn increased in East Asia as a supposed medicine and for jewellery. The horn is also made of the same material as rhino hair and fingernails but is highly valued.
Romeo Muyunda, a spokesperson for Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, said on Monday that poachers killed 61 black rhinos and 26 white rhinos, most of them in Namibia’s largest park, Etosha, where 46 dead rhinos were found.
“We are very worried that our most famous park, Etosha National Park, is a hotspot for poaching,” Muyunda said. He added that the ministry and law enforcement have made more efforts to stop poaching in the park.
The country in Southern Africa is home to the only black rhinos that are still free to roam, and it also has a third of the world’s remaining black rhinos.
Rhino poaching has been a problem in Southern Africa for decades, especially in South Africa and Botswana, which are close by. This has led to anti-poaching programmes, such as strict police work and dehorning rhinos to discourage poaching.
Namibia is also home to more white rhinos than any other country except South Africa.
The Save the Rhino Trust says that about 200 black rhinos are free to roam in Namibia, most of them in the northeast.
The number of elephants killed by poachers in Namibia has gone down over time, from a high of 101 in 2015 to a low of four last year.