Authorities are offering a reward of N$160,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for a brutal poaching incident in the Hardap Region. Between 9 and 11 May 2025, a white rhinoceros cow was found shot and dehorned on a farm near Maltahöhe. Her orphaned calf, named Elsa, was discovered two days later and has since been rescued.
The Namibian Police’s Blue Rhino Task Team, alongside Mike Bolhuis from Specialised Security Services in South Africa, is leading the investigation. Bolhuis emphasised the seriousness of the incident, describing it as a “brutal murder” and urging the public to provide any information, assuring strict confidentiality.
This incident highlights the ongoing threat to Namibia’s rhino population, which has faced increasing poaching pressures in recent years. Conservation efforts continue, but the fight against poaching remains a significant challenge for the country.
Meanwhile, the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) in past shared Namibia’s serious concern about the increase in rhino poaching seen on their borders last year, leaving 61 black rhinos and 26 white rhinos dead.
Namibia has become a stronghold for rhinos in Africa, with the second-largest rhino population on the continent at an estimated 3,390. This includes the largest population of black rhinos and the second largest population of white rhinos in all of Africa.