Namibia reports decline in rhino poaching amid death of conservationist Jaco Muller

Namibia has recorded its lowest rhino poaching figures in over a decade, with 43 rhinos poached in 2025 compared to 91 in 2024. Environment minister Indileni Daniel attributed this decline to coordinated efforts between law enforcement, the judiciary, and communal conservancies. However, Daniel warned that criminal syndicates are rapidly adapting, shifting toward new environmental crimes such as illegal plant trafficking.

In related conservation news, Jaco Muller, a prominent antelope breeder and founder of the Rhino Momma Project in Namibia’s Kunene region, has died. Muller’s project, which began as a school project for his son, successfully facilitated 197 rhino births. The operation aimed to replenish white rhino populations across Africa through secure breeding programs and rhino-custodianship farms. Muller was also a vocal advocate for the controversial legalization of regulated rhino horn trade to undercut the black market, arguing that prohibition currently only benefits poachers.