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Namibia Has 200 Free-Roaming Black Rhinos – Group

08 February 2019, South Africa, ---: A white rhinoceros and a few months old rhinoceros calf go on the territory of private rhinoceros rearing of J. Hume in South Africa's Northwest Province. There are currently more than 1700 white rhinos living on the farm. International trade in rhinoceros horns is prohibited. But in Asia, especially in Vietnam and China, horn is popular as an ingredient of traditional medicine and costs about as much as gold. This has led to a boom in poaching, although the horns consist mainly of keratin - like human fingernails. But the superstition in the healing effect is persistent. Photo: Jürgen Bätz/dpa

Namibia is the only country with the last free-roaming black rhinos in the world.

The number of the only free-roaming black rhinos left in the world is growing after nearly becoming extinct some years ago from poaching and drought

The Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) on Wednesday made the assertion, citing intensified monitoring and biological management as contributing factors.

According to SRT Chief Executive Officer Simson Urikob, the numbers are now over 200, up from 60 in 2013.

“The numbers are growing. We are incorporating different methods that have helped in increasing numbers.

“We realised that same breeding was not increasing the numbers so we brought new bulls from other national parks and that has helped to increase numbers.’’

Urikob, said intense monitoring has also helped with keeping poachers away, but the COVID-19 outbreak is threatening those efforts.

“We had not had any poaching cases since 2017 but this year we recorded four incidences.

“This is because most lodges are closed thus there are no community rangers in those areas to monitor the rhinos.’’

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