Poaching could wipe out rhino population

Namibia could lose its entire rhinoceros population in the next 10 years if the rate at which poachers have been killing these endangered animals in recent years continues unchecked. This was the testimony of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism's director of wildlife and national parks, Colgar Sikopo, in the Windhoek Regional Court on Friday last week

Poachers have killed 201 rhinos in Namibia since 2011, and their crimes have not only had an environmental impact, but also an economic one. If a direct price tag had to be put on the 201 rhinos lost to poaching since 2011, they would have a total value of about N$281 million – a substantial national asset that has been lost. That does not include their value as an attraction for photographic tourism, though.