Botswana’s Tourism Minister Philda Kereng revealed on Monday that the country has experienced a significant increase in rhino poaching, resulting in the loss of approximately one-third of its population of this endangered species.
Over the past five years, 138 rhinos were reportedly killed, although the numbers decreased sharply in 2022.
This is in contrast to the official statistics that recorded only two poached animals in the five years leading up to 2017.
Kereng attributed the surge in poaching to the persistent global demand for rhino horn, particularly in East Asia, as well as the migration of poaching groups from other countries in southern Africa.
In 2019, conservationists estimated that Botswana had fewer than 400 rhinos.