Justicia Shipena
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) has launched an investigation into the killing of an endangered female black rhino in the Sorris Sorris Conservancy in the Kunene region.
MEFT spokesperson Ndeshipanda Hamunyela confirmed the incident and said officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding the poaching.
The rhino, known as Dorsland, was one of the conservancy’s key breeding females and had given birth to up to eight calves since 2015.
At the time of her death, according to reports, she was with a calf and expecting another.
“The ministry confirms a poaching incident involving one black rhino in the Sorris Sorris Conservancy area. Our team has already launched an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident,” Hamunyela told the media on Tuesday.
Hamunyela said further details will be shared once the investigation progresses.
Police in Kunene told The Namibian that the rhino was shot and her horn removed near the Palmwag Tourism Concession, about 120 kilometres from Kamanjab.
The incident has raised new fears over the safety of the county’s rhinos, especially in areas where mining activity has increased.
Last year, a conservation group from Khorixas called on the government to halt mining operations that could endanger black rhinos in the region.
Their concerns echo an ongoing legal dispute before the High Court, where Ultimate Safaris and several conservancies are seeking to stop mining operations at the Goantagab Mine.
The mine is owned by Timoteus Mashuna and Ottilie Ndimulunde.
Ultimate Safaris argues that the mining project threatens the habitat of the endangered black rhino and could jeopardise a planned N$100 million luxury lodge development in the same area.
Namibia is home to an estimated 2 100 black rhinos.
Despite ongoing conservation efforts, poaching remains a major threat. MEFT reported in June that poachers have so far targeted 15 rhinos and one elephant this year.
Last year, the ministry recorded 46 rhino deaths in the Etosha National Park. Of this number, 35 were black rhinos and 11 were white rhinos.
Since 2015, when the current poaching wave began, a total of 726 rhinos have been killed across the country.
According to the Namibia National Report on Wildlife Protection 2024, proactive law enforcement has resulted in the arrest of 855 suspects linked to rhino-related crimes.
Yet, only about 7% of those arrested over the past decade have been convicted.
Meanwhile, the European Union last week rejected Namibia’s application to allow a limited, regulated trade in rhino horns.
Namibia had submitted three proposals for consideration at the upcoming Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Conference of the Parties scheduled for next month.
Caption
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has launched an investigation after poachers killed a breeding female black rhino from the Sorris Sorris Conservancy in Kunene.
- Photo: Contributed
