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Private rhino owners are taking extraordinary steps to protect their animals following an increase in poaching incidents, including the brutal killing of a rhino cow in the Hardap region earlier this month.  The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) has confirmed that 15 rhinos and one elephant have been poached across the country so far this year.  In response to growing concerns, a private rhino owner has offered a N$160 000 reward for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of those behind the Hardap incident.

The document takes reporting on wildlife crimes, protection and law enforcement to the next level. It covers data from the past 10 years, and reflects a level of transparency and analytical sophistication that most other countries can only dream of achieving in this sector. It looks at some of the data in new and more revealing ways. Indeed, it is a case study on how things should be done. It reflects advanced levels of collaboration and integration of organisations, not only within government, but also with NGOs, communities, the private sector and development partners.

In an important step in the fight against wildlife crime, the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) and Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF) recently partnered on a project to better understand the current state of knowledge about the illegal wildlife trade (IWT), and the economics of IWT in southern Africa. This critical work was supported by USAID/Southern Africa through its VukaNow Activity. IWT is the world's fourth largest illegal transnational activity, generating between USD $7 and $23 billion every year, and poses a major threat to the iconic wildlife species of southern Africa.