The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism is concerned over the increasing use of wire snares to illegally hunt and kill wild animals in the Etosha National Park.

In a media statement, the ministry's spokesperson says a few animals were recently spotted by tourists in the park with snares around their necks, causing public concern.

Romeo Muyunda says that in a period of three days, a total of 62 active wire snares were retrieved in the area around Okaukuejo.

More than N$163 million was spent on upgrading the road network infrastructure that connects to the Etosha National Park.

The upgrade was meant to enhance mobility and accessibility for visitors to the park, as well as provide a service road for effective park management.

From 2018/2019 to 2023/2024, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism initiated a project to upgrade the restricted western roads and parks within the Etosha National Park.

To date, some of the roads have been successfully upgraded. 

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism carried out the dehorning of rhinos at Etosha National Park in order to combat poaching in the country.

The Ministry says the dehorning of all rhinos is also a means of safeguarding them from poaching activities and preventing them from causing harm to each other.

Since 2014, more than 2,000 rhinos have undergone the dehorning process.

During the recent operation, only two rhinos were dehorned.

With the frequent influx of tourists following the lifting of the COVID-19 travel ban, the state of the gravel roads within the flagship Etosha National Park is said to be rapidly deteriorating.
   
A U.S. citizen and tourist who has been visiting Namibia for the past 10 years, Christopher Bugbee, expressed concern with the roads, saying they may pose a risk to travelers if left unresolved.

The Namibia Wildlife Resorts has forked-out N$16 million to upgrade eight of its tourist attraction sites mainly within the lucrative Etosha National Park.

The refurbishments come amid historic widely publicized images on social media depicting dysfunctional ablution facilities, dry waterholes, and termites infestation, particularly at its Dolomite resort.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has announced that the fires outside the Etosha National Park have been suppressed.

The firefighting teams are now busy with the fire burning at the Hobatere lodge.