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Wildlife conservation continues to face the acute challenges of poaching, habitat fragmentation and human-wildlife conflict. Environment ministry executive director Teofilus Nghitila said due to Namibia's successful conservation methods, which have led to increased wildlife populations outside national parks, human-wildlife conflict has increased. "The situation is worsened by the current disparities in rainfall as well as the growing human population," he said in his end-of-year message.

Environment ministry executive director Teofilus Nghitila says 48 rhinos have been poached so far this year. The figure shows a decrease from the 92 animals poached last year. Meanwhile, eight elephants were poached this year - compared to four last year - but this still much better than the previous years' figures, which reached 27 in 2018. The ministry – in collaboration with various law enforcement agencies - set up a response team when poaching skyrocketed in 2013.

There has been an increase in the number of arrests made in crimes related to pangolin trafficking between 1 September and 30 November. According to environment ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda, 18 pangolin skins, 12 live pangolins and 146 scales were confiscated, resulting in 23 registered cases and 38 suspects being arrested. "These numbers surpass that of elephant and rhino arrests combined for this period."

Namibia's average criminal market score was 4.1, an increase of 0.2 since 2021. The country scored 3.5 on human trafficking and 4.5 in arms trafficking. For flora crimes, Namibia scored 6.5, and for fauna crimes - which would include rhino poaching and the linked trade in horns - it scored 4.5.

Sixty rhinos have been poached this year, far exceeding the total of 44 rhinos that were killed for their horns last year and the 42 in 2020. In the latest poaching incidents, two white rhinos were poached on a private farm near Seeis in the Windhoek district between Friday and Monday at an unknown time. According to the police, the rhinos were shot and all their horns were removed. The value of the two rhinos is estimated at N$660 000.

The environment ministry is investigating prominent wildlife dealer Johan Lombaard after he allegedly transported two white rhinos without the necessary paperwork. Namibian Sun understands the investigation was necessitated after Lombaard was involved in a car accident on Tuesday afternoon between Rehoboth and Kalkrand while transporting a rhino cow and its calf from Mariental to farm Uitkyk in the Karibib district.

Chinese rhino-horn smuggler Wang Hui (48) escaped from custody at around 11:00 yesterday and was still on the run at time of going to press last night. Wang escaped when he went to Brakwater with a warden from the Windhoek Central Prison to pick up material from a supplier.

The number of rhinos that have already been poached this year stands at 57, compared to the 44 rhinos that were killed by poachers last year. Spokesperson for the environment ministry, Romeo Muyunda, confirmed to Namibian Sun that two white rhinos were poached on private farms last week.