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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South African National Parks has confirmed that lions have been targeted in a poisoning campaign in the northern Kruger Park by poachers seeking the animals’ body parts, presumably for the muti trade. The numbers are not huge, but in the wake of the rhino poaching onslaught, the targeting of another charismatic species in the iconic park will set off alarm bells among conservationists.
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SA_2023_07_Kruger lions being poisoned by poachers for body parts_says SANParks_Daily Maverick.pdf | 436.49 KB |
The Wildlife Justice Commission has published details of a rhino horn trafficking case that includes the use of frozen seafood and 'mishandled baggage', as well as the failure of authorities not to publicly report their seizure of the horn.
Private and communal lands now conserve at least 50% of Africa's rhinos, according to a newly published paper in journal 'Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment', highlighting the need for 'adaptive policies' to build on this success. These trends have policy implications as debates rage about rhino-horn trade and trophy hunting.
The Kunene region saw a marked decline in cases of illegal poaching of rhinos in the last five years, with no incident reported last year. Head of operations in the region Deputy Commissioner Jaron Iita said 28 rhinos were poached between 2015 and 2017. Iita said, between 2018 and 2019, there were minimal cases of rhino poaching; however, there were no cases of rhino poaching recorded last year. The Deputy Commissioner said, last year alone, 51 suspects were arrested for attempting to poach rhinos and elephants.
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NAM_2021_03_Rhino poaching declines in Kunene_New Era.pdf | 315.99 KB |
Rhino poaching declined sharply in South Africa last year, according to the latest official data, and the data also shows that rhinos on state land were far more vulnerable than those in private hands. In South Africa, if you are a rhino on a state reserve, your chances of getting whacked by a poacher are about nine times greater than if you roam a private one.
SADC countries have individually decided not to get involved in the non-commercial international trade in rhino horn. This questionable decision has happened despite approval for such trade by the UN international wild trade-regulating agency, CITES, and despite the help, it would give to wildlife conservation, the jobs it would create, and the socio-economic benefits it would bring to Southern Africa. Why? The reluctance to trade rhino horn in any way possible seems strange in the face of the economic devastation, particularly to rural areas, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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NAM_2020-10_Opinion_Why SADC_countries still oppose rhino horn trade_New Era.pdf | 328.27 KB |
SADC countries have individually decided not to get involved in the non-commercial international trade in rhino horn. This questionable decision has happened despite approval for such trade by the UN international wild trade-regulating agency, CITES, and despite the help it would give to wildlife conservation, the jobs it would create, and the socio-economic benefits it would bring to Southern Africa.
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Bulawayo24News_2020-10_Why SADC countries still oppose rhino horn trade_Bulawayo24 News.pdf | 316.76 KB |
The illegal hunting of bush meat, or game meat, has long distressed wildlife conservationists. It has persisted in sub-Saharan Africa, attracting international attention and debate. Enforcement by authorities and community-based initiatives have been tried as anti-poaching approaches, but with mixed results. Overall, wildlife populations have continued to plummet. Why has poaching refused to go away? The answer, as suggested by poachers themselves, is simple: Because poaching pays.
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NAM_2018-05_Why Poachers Persist In Hunting Bush Meat_The Namibian.pdf | 559.3 KB |