Pangolin poaching and trafficking are on the rise in the country. 

This is contained in the 2023 National Report on Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement in Namibia. 

The number of pangolin trafficking cases decreased in 2022 following the preventative sentences handed down by the Special Courts dedicated to wildlife cases.

The report further states that pangolin protection presents an ongoing challenge because the drivers of local trafficking are not well understood and the dynamics of the national pangolin population remain poorly known.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism is currently conducting an assessment to determine the extent of rhino poaching. In light of the recent poaching incidents in the park, the ministry has also requested an urgent high-level meeting with the security cluster.

To date, a total of 28 rhinos have been poached in Namibia. Out of these, 19 were poached in the Etosha National Park, while the remaining 10 were discovered during dehorning operations throughout the month of March.