Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/NAMIBIA: The number of endangered rhinos poached in Namibia last year was the highest and nearly twice as many as the year before, officials said.
According to official data, 87 rhinos were killed in 2022 compared to 45 in 2021. Officials said that most of the animals were poached in Etosha, Namibia’s biggest national park.
In recent decades, the number of rhinos in Africa has dropped significantly as poachers try to meet the demand for rhino horns in Vietnam and China.
Poachers killed 26 white and 61 black rhinos, with 46 found dead in Etosha alone, said Romeo Muyunda, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism. He added, “We note with serious concern that our flagship park, Etosha National Park, is a poaching hotspot.”
Int’l criminals using sophisticated equipment to trace, tranquilize rhinos
International criminal groups have been using sophisticated equipment to trace and tranquilize rhinos before hacking off their horn and leaving them with heavy bleeding to die. Poaching in Botswana and South Africa has led wildlife teams to remove rhino horns to keep the endangered animals alive. Despite no proven medical benefit, rhino horns have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for many generations.
Poaching is also fuelled by demand in Vietnam, where horns are displayed as a sign of wealth. The black rhino is the most endangered, with just over 5,000 alive.
On the contrary, elephant poaching in Namibia has declined from 101 in 2015 to only four last year.
