This report presents the results of the third fixed-wing aerial wildlife census of the Caprivi River systems in Namibia conducted during September 2009. The purpose of this survey is to provide recent information on the distribution, abundance and trend of wildlife species including comparisons between protected areas and conservancies. The report compares the results of this survey with earlier fixed-wing aerial surveys conducted in September 2007 and August 2004. Maps, tables and bar graphs illustrating the distribution, abundance and trend of wildlife species in various land use categories are presented. Wildlife numbers were highest in and around formal protected areas. A total of 19,212 head of wildlife were observed during the aerial survey. For wetland species hippo occurred in the greatest numbers (1,291). We recorded two important wetland bird nesting sites each with ~2,000 nesting birds. For woodland species, buffalo occurred in the highest numbers (9,633) followed by elephants (3,450). Wildlife numbers have increased compared to earlier surveys except for crocodile, reedbuck, and warthog. The rise in wildlife numbers may be attributed to the movement of wildlife within the Caprivi and movements between Botswana and the Caprivi. In addition, community conservation projects (conservancies) may encourage increased wildlife numbers through reduced poaching and game introductions.