The hippo population along the Kavango River near Shamvura Camp has reportedly collapsed from 187 animals to just 22 in two years, raising alarm over what lodge owner and conservationist Mark Paxton describes as a relentless surge in poaching. Paxton, who has conducted formal wildlife counts along the river for decades, submits his results to Wetlands International, a global non-profit organisation dedicated to the conservation and restoration of wetlands. His records show a sharp decline of the local hippo population. "In one year we dropped from 187 to 47. This January we counted 22," Paxton said. "That is not a natural decline. That is poaching." According to Paxton, the crisis began to intensify around October last year, when gunshots became a near-daily occurrence along the river. While small-scale poaching has occurred over the years, he says the recent wave is far more organised and aggressive. "Every day or every second day, we would hear shots on the river," he said. "By the time we investigated, the carcasses were gone. Poachers can strip a hippo in under an hour." Population decimation Repeated reports to the environment ministry and local police, he claims, initially went unheeded. "Nothing happened for months," he said. "That creates a culture where people think they can do what they want." Paxton also highlighted cross-border complications, with some hippo meat reportedly being transported from Angola into Namibia. The situation escalated when neighbouring lodges reported individuals openly shooting hippos along the river. This prompted a coordinated response involving Namibian police, border officials and Angolan authorities. Paxton said he was informed of three arrests in Namibia and 12 in Angola, involving both Namibian and Angolan nationals. However, some suspects were released on bail and, according to Paxton, promptly returned to poaching. "The numbers are shocking, but what is even more alarming is how quickly this population has been decimated," he said. "If enforcement does not remain consistent, there will be nothing left." The decline has profound ecological implications. Hippos are a keystone species, maintaining river channels and nutrient cycles that support fish, birds and other wildlife. A collapse in their numbers can destabilise the river ecosystem.