Namibia tightens security at Etosha National Park as poachers continue to prey on rhinos

Eleven rhinos were found poached in the country's flagship national park this month. Picture: AP

Eleven rhinos were found poached in the country's flagship national park this month. Picture: AP

Published Jun 21, 2022

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Windhoek – Namibia's Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, says the country is boosting security at Etosha National Park.

This comes after 11 rhinos were found poached in the country's flagship national park this month.

“We will leave no stone unturned to apprehend poachers and bring them to justice. We will not relent in ensuring maximum protection of our iconic species in the Etosha National Park, and indeed elsewhere in the country,” Shifeta said.

Shifeta said joint anti-poaching units were constantly working to deter poachers.

“With the biggest population of black rhinos in the world, the world looks up to Namibia to prevent this already critically endangered species from going extinct,” he said.

“Our resolve as the citizens of this country must be clear, namely that we do not tolerate poaching and the illegal plundering of our natural resources.”

In a boost to boost tourism, the Namibian government was looking into the possibility of allowing people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter the country for business and tourism – without a 72-hour negative PCR test.

Shifeta said that although foreign arrivals in 2020 declined by a massive 89.4%, the country had seen a significant increase of 37.4% in 2021.

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