This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:
Public access to information is a vital component of ensuring community engagement in prevalent issues. Wildlife crime is one of the pressing environmental issues of our time.
Wildlife crime investigations are generally covert operations requiring utmost confidentiality to succeed. Investigations and prosecutions in complex cases may take months or even years to complete. For this reason, the information that can be released to the public without compromising cases is often limited. Nonetheless, the Namibian government strives to share as much information as possible with the public.
The Namibian media has welcomed this approach and regularly publishes statistics and feature articles on wildlife crime. These are entered into the database at regular intervals, creating a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia.
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Durban - Two men were arrested and charged for illegal possession of abalone worth R3 million after a high speed chase between police and a Nissan Navara, Eastern Cape police said.
The South African National Parks has welcomed the lengthy jail terms handed down to three Mozambican nationals convicted of rhino poaching.
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SA_2023_01_Mozambique nationals living illegally in SA jailed for rhino poaching_IOL.pdf | 198 KB |
Zitha was convicted on a host of poaching-related offences which included trespassing, possession of a firearm with a silencer, possession of ammunition, killing of a rhino, possession of an axe and conspiracy to commit an offence.
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SA_2022_11_Rhino poacher jailed for 17 years while his accomplice is still on the run_IOL_0.pdf | 223.68 KB |
Simba Masinga, one of the seven prisoners who escaped from Waainek Correctional Centre in Makhanda in the early hours of Tuesday morning, has been rearrested. Police said Masinga, convicted for rhino poaching, was the second person to be arrested.
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SA_2022_10_Makhanda prison escape_second suspect nabbed while hiding in bushes_IOL.pdf | 205.79 KB |
A six-year jail sentence for a man who smuggled 1 100 Emperor scorpions, 42 Bell's hingeback tortoises and a water lizard. Seventeen years imprisonment for elephant poachers in the Kruger National Park. A 10-year jail sentence for a pangolin poacher.
Owing to effective conservation methods, wildlife poaching has significantly decreased in Zimbabwe. This was a result of robust anti-poaching systems, coupled with increased patrols and the use of modern technology. Senior area manager for Mana Pools National Park Edmore Ngosi reiterated that poaching levels had gone down significantly over the past five years. "With interventions from the government and conservation partners, we are happy to say that we are on top of the situation as we have seen poaching levels decrease in the entire landscape".
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ZIM_2022_06_Zim poaching levels go down_Dailynews.pdf | 443.48 KB |
Four succulent poachers have been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for trying to steal 14 endangered Halfmens (Pachypodium namaquanum) succulent plants within the |Ai|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park in the Northern Cape.
South Africa's diverse wildlife means it plays a "devastating role" as both source and transit country for wildlife trafficking. The most popular animal parts include rhino horn, abalone, pangolin and ivory, which is moved through South Africa to the East.
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SA_2021_12_Following the wildlife traffickers money_MailandGuardian.pdf | 445.05 KB |
Durban: Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife said the search was on for a suspected poacher, who may jumped into St Lucia Lake to avoid arrest.
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SA_2021_11_Missing suspected poacher may have jumped into St Lucia Lake to avoid arrest_IOL.pdf | 310.71 KB |
Last week, six lions were found dead and dissected in a suspected poisoning incident in the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Kanungu District, southwestern Uganda. The lions were discovered with their heads and appendages chopped off, and their carcasses were surrounded by dead vultures, which raised suspicion that they had been poisoned. Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said it could not rule out illegal wildlife trafficking.
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UGA_2021_03_Killers of lions wanted body parts for sale_officials_Daily Monitor.pdf | 525.21 KB |
An intelligence-driven operation by the Hawks has resulted in the arrest of six suspects caught with elephant tusks in Durban. Police said the suspects, aged between 27 and 40, face charges for contravening the National Environmental Management of the Biodiversity Act.
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SA_202_02_Six nabbed with elephant tusks in Durban_IOL.pdf | 72.86 KB |
In just over a week, Ray Jansen and his team have recovered four trafficked pangolins - three of them pregnant - in sting operations from the illicit trade in various parts of South Africa. In total, 11 people were arrested by a team of dedicated and specialised law enforcement officers.The operations are a sign, says Jansen, of the African Pangolin Working Group, that pangolin poaching has resumed under Level 3 lockdown restrictions.
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SA_2020-08_Four pangolins rescued in a week from illegal trade_IOL.pdf | 456.93 KB |
The coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic has created a profound crisis for conservation efforts in eastern and southern Africa as a result of the sudden cessation of all international travel in a region where nature-based tourism and conservation are closely interdependent. The region’s unique wildlife populations and other natural assets — centered on spectacular landscapes such as the Serengeti and Okavango — underpin a multi-billion dollar 'wildlife…
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Mongaby_2020-05_From crisis to solutions for communities and African conservation_Mongaby.pdf | 1.42 MB |
Poaching incidents could increase during the lockdown period as criminal networks try to take advantage of the closing of parks, perceiving a reduced presence of law enforcement now dealing with the Covid-19 emergency. “We are in receipt of intelligence that known poaching organisers operating across southern Africa intend taking advantage of the current situation,” said Sarah Stoner, director of intelligence at the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC).
Guyanese finches are almost always smuggled in hair curlers from Guyana to New York, while pig-nosed turtles are trafficked in high amounts, declared as a marine species, and flown from a regional Indonesian airport to Jakarta before flying to China. The greatest variation in wildlife trafficking in air transport doesn’t necessarily occur between regions but between the species or wildlife products trafficked, the specific methods used with the routes taken by wildlife traffickers heavily dependent on wildlife type, says the Runway to Extinction report:…