Two rhinos poached in Etosha
ELLANIE SMIT
Two more rhinos have been killed by poachers in Etosha National Park, bringing the total so far this year to 21.
According to the police, the carcasses of a rhino cow and a calf were discovered on Monday morning in the Duineveld area of Etosha.
A member of the police and an official of the ministry of environment who were patrolling the area spotted circling vultures and drove closer to investigate.
According to the police, the patrol then found two fresh rhino carcasses with gunshot wounds.
No arrests have been made yet and police investigations are continuing.
Poaching incidents have escalated from three rhinos in 2012 to nine in 2013, 56 in 2014, 95 in 2015 and 60 in 2016.
Most incidents of rhino poaching have been in the Etosha National Park and in communal conservancies and tourism concession areas in north-western Namibia. However, there is now a growing trend of rhinos being poached on commercial farmland.
Eleven of the rhinos poached this year were shot in Etosha, while five were killed the Otjozondjupa Region, three in Kunene, one in Erongo and one in Omaheke.
The environment minister, Pohamba Shifeta, recently said that the ministry intended to reduce rhino-poaching cases by 50% by the end of 2018, and to increase the number of arrests by 50%.
Two more rhinos have been killed by poachers in Etosha National Park, bringing the total so far this year to 21.
According to the police, the carcasses of a rhino cow and a calf were discovered on Monday morning in the Duineveld area of Etosha.
A member of the police and an official of the ministry of environment who were patrolling the area spotted circling vultures and drove closer to investigate.
According to the police, the patrol then found two fresh rhino carcasses with gunshot wounds.
No arrests have been made yet and police investigations are continuing.
Poaching incidents have escalated from three rhinos in 2012 to nine in 2013, 56 in 2014, 95 in 2015 and 60 in 2016.
Most incidents of rhino poaching have been in the Etosha National Park and in communal conservancies and tourism concession areas in north-western Namibia. However, there is now a growing trend of rhinos being poached on commercial farmland.
Eleven of the rhinos poached this year were shot in Etosha, while five were killed the Otjozondjupa Region, three in Kunene, one in Erongo and one in Omaheke.
The environment minister, Pohamba Shifeta, recently said that the ministry intended to reduce rhino-poaching cases by 50% by the end of 2018, and to increase the number of arrests by 50%.
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