The number of endangered rhinos poached in Namibia reached an unprecedented level last year after 87 were killed compared to 45 in 2021, according to official government data.
Ministry of environment, forestry and tourism spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said poachers killed 61 black and 26 white rhinos mainly at Etosha National Park where 46 rhinos were found dead.
“We note with serious concern that our flagship park, Etosha National Park, is a poaching hotspot,” he was quoted as saying by Aljazeera.
Muyunda said that the ministry and law enforcement officials have intensified efforts against wildlife crime in the park to curb poaching.
Namibia is home to the only free-roaming black rhinos left in the world and also represents a third of the remaining in the world.
The country is also home to the second-largest white rhino population in the world after South Africa.
Meanwhile, elephant poaching in Namibia dropped over the years, from a high of 101 in 2015 to a low of four elephants poached last year.
