Harare — The number of endangered rhinos poached in Namibia reached an all-time high in 2022 after 87 rhinos were killed compared to 45 in 2021, reports Al Jazeera.

Poachers killed 61 black and 26 white rhinos, mostly in Namibia's largest park, Etosha, where 46 rhinos were discovered dead, according to Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism spokesperson Romeo Muyunda.

"We note with serious concern that our flagship park, Etosha National Park, is a poaching hotspot," Muyunda is reported to have said, adding that the ministry and law enforcement officials have stepped up efforts against wildlife crime in the park to curb poaching.

Africa's rhino population has been drastically reduced over the years to meet the demand for rhino horn.

A stronghold for the South-western black rhino subspecies, Namibia is home to more than one-third of Africa's black rhino population. The survival of black rhinos in Namibia will largely depend on Namibia's capacity to safeguard this significant rhino population given the ongoing threat of rhino poaching, according to Save the Rhino International, a UK-based conservation charity that works to conserve viable populations of critically endangered rhinos in Africa and Asia.

Meanwhile, Save the Rhino Trust  believes there are approximately 200 free-roaming black rhinos in Namibia, primarily in the northeast. Namibia has been dehorning rhinos since 2014 in an effort to discourage poaching in the country.

In a ray of hope, elephant poaching in the southern African country has decreased in recent years, from 101 in 2015 to just four in 2022.