Namibia Heightens Poaching Alert After 28 Rhinos Killed

Namibia's Etosha Park has been particularly hard hit by the new wave of killings. AFP
Namibia's Etosha Park has been particularly hard hit by the new wave of killings. AFP
TT
20

Namibia Heightens Poaching Alert After 28 Rhinos Killed

Namibia's Etosha Park has been particularly hard hit by the new wave of killings. AFP
Namibia's Etosha Park has been particularly hard hit by the new wave of killings. AFP

Namibian authorities have stepped up an anti-poaching alert after announcing that 28 rhinoceros had been killed by poachers since the start of the year, including 19 at the country's largest animal reserve.

The southern African country's environment ministry said earlier this week that an "urgent high-level meeting" with security officials had been called to plan measures to combat the "barbaric" poaching wave.

The ministry also appealed for public help "in this difficult fight" against a phenomenon surging again across southern Africa. No arrests have been made so far, the ministry added.

Namibia's Etosha Park has been particularly hard hit by the new wave of killings.

Of the 19 rhinos slaughtered in the park, 10 were found during a campaign in March to dehorn rhinos to reduce the risk of them becoming poaching targets, the ministry said.

The horns are used in traditional medicine in Asian markets after the animal is killed.

"This is our flagship park and has a high concentration of rhino conservation and other high value species making it a major attraction of tourists," the ministry said in a statement.

Authorities said 87 rhinoceros were killed across Namibia in 2022, up from 45 the previous year. Figures for 2023 have not yet been revealed.



Power Generation Loss in Spain’s Blackout Started in Granada, Badajoz, Seville 

Power lines connecting pylons of high-tension electricity are seen during sunset at an electricity substation on the outskirts of Ronda, during a blackout in the city, Spain April 28, 2025. (Reuters)
Power lines connecting pylons of high-tension electricity are seen during sunset at an electricity substation on the outskirts of Ronda, during a blackout in the city, Spain April 28, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20

Power Generation Loss in Spain’s Blackout Started in Granada, Badajoz, Seville 

Power lines connecting pylons of high-tension electricity are seen during sunset at an electricity substation on the outskirts of Ronda, during a blackout in the city, Spain April 28, 2025. (Reuters)
Power lines connecting pylons of high-tension electricity are seen during sunset at an electricity substation on the outskirts of Ronda, during a blackout in the city, Spain April 28, 2025. (Reuters)

An abrupt power generation loss that led to a massive grid disruption and blackout in Spain and Portugal on April 28 started in the southern areas of Spain around Granada, Badajoz and Seville, Energy Minister Sara Aagesen said on Wednesday.

Several investigations involving government, security agencies and technical experts are looking into the unprecedented power outage, but it is the first time Spanish authorities point to specific areas as the origin of the events.

"We are analyzing millions of data ... But there are already elements that we know," Aagesen told lawmakers, adding that investigators had ruled out supply and demand imbalance and insufficient grid capacity as causes.

"We also continue to make progress in identifying where these generation losses occurred and we already know that they started in Granada, Badajoz and Seville," she said.