Angola Hunters’ Association Warns of Worsening Poaching Crisis

The president of the Hunters’ Association of Angola (ACA), Mário Ribeiro, described the country’s poaching situation as serious on Wednesday, 8 July, warning that two recent incidents involving the killing of rhinoceroses in Cunene province illustrate the scale of the threat.

Ribeiro was speaking to Lusa about an attempted attack on three female white rhinoceroses inside a farm located in the municipality of Cahama, in Cunene province. The attack, carried out in June by a group of armed individuals using an AK-47 rifle, prompted the ACA leader to raise the alarm over the gravity of the phenomenon.

According to Ribeiro, the calibre of the weapon used was not suitable for hunting rhinoceroses, which is why the animals were wounded but did not die immediately.

“The female that took around five shots was the only one we had to put down — a veterinarian who came from Namibia administered euthanasia,” he said, adding that the other two females underwent surgery and survived.

The farm in question held 11 rhinoceroses, all of which had been imported as part of a restocking programme for the region.

The ACA leader said police are investigating the incident and have already detained one suspect, while the remaining individuals fled upon noticing a vehicle approaching. “One suspect has been detained — he was seen that afternoon speaking with farm workers and asking for information. Beyond that suspect, we still know nothing more,” Ribeiro said.

Earlier this year, a separate incident at another farm in the same region resulted in the killing of three rhinoceroses, also imported with the objective of repopulating the area.

Ribeiro noted that the association he leads has been operating for approximately 20 years and has carried out continuous work to combat poaching, including efforts to clarify to local communities that “poaching is not the same as subsistence hunting.” “We do not have subsistence hunting here, because the people who kill animals come to the roads to sell them. Anyone who kills and comes to the road to sell is a poacher,” he said.

Beyond awareness campaigns, the association has also conducted operations to collect snares and confiscate weapons, with support from the National Police. “Very interesting work is being done, particularly along National Road 100, where many slaughtered animals used to be seen — and today they are no longer,” Ribeiro highlighted.

The primary driver behind rhinoceros killings is the sale of horns, which places the species at serious risk of local extinction.

With enforcement measures being strengthened by authorities, Ribeiro added, poachers are shifting their operations to other areas, such as Cuanza Sul province, in an attempt to evade detection. “Just on Tuesday, I passed through there and saw endemic animals hanging. The more endemic animals we lose to poachers, the more our wildlife suffers — this is a serious situation,” he observed.

Environmental organisation EcoAngola also expressed concern on Wednesday over the protection of wildlife, stating it is “crucial that Angola strengthens its biodiversity protection measures, particularly the monitoring and accountability for environmental crimes.”

The organisation said the case of the three rhinoceroses shot in Cunene also reinforces “the need for a transparent investigation, as well as action against poaching and the illegal trafficking of species and their parts.”

The killing of rhinoceroses is driven primarily by demand for their horns, placing the survival of the species at risk.