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.
Explore your search results using the filter checkboxes, or amend your search or start a new search.
The Wilderness Foundation has offered a reward in an effort to put the brakes on the recent spate of rhino poaching in the Eastern Cape.
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SA_2023_03_Wilderness Foundation offers reward to stop Eastern Cape rhino poaching_Herald Live.pdf | 307.41 KB |
Two rhinos that survived a poaching attack at Schotia Safaris Private Game Reserve, near Nanaga, nearly 10 years ago were killed by poachers on Thursday. After disabling the pair of male and female white rhinos in the attack, the poachers hacked off their horns with pangas before making their escape.
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SA_2023_02_Schotia rhinos Bonnie and Clyde killed by poachers and dehorned_HeraldLive.pdf | 414.04 KB |
Rhino conservation has received a major boost with the recent Gqeberha sentencing of a gang convicted of conspiring to poach rhino. The September 22 sentencing of the Chitlongo Three in the Gqeberha Regional Court, the first achieved under National Environmental Management Act "conspiracy to poach" legislation, gives SA lawmakers a lethal new weapon to pursue suspects who have often escaped prosecution in the past because of a lack of evidence.
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SA_2022_10_Rhino poaching conspiracy ruling boosts conservation efforts_HeraldLive.pdf | 490.73 KB |
On April 1 the number of rhinos poached in Hluhluwe-uMfolozi Park, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), since the 1st of January was 60. It's just one month later, and that already horrific number has shockingly jumped to 94 (actually 95, as of yesterday). Imagine how many rhinos will now not be born because of those that have been killed in Hluhluwe-uMfolozi just this year! Every rhino counts.
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SA_2022_05_95 Rhinos Poached in Hluhluwe_uMfolozi Park So Far in 2022_SAPeople.pdf | 480.95 KB |
A black rhino carcass was recently discovered in Makotama Resettlements, Matobo with a bullet in its forehead, in a suspected case of poaching. The carcass, which was discovered on 7 February, was scanned with a GPX 5000 metal detector leading to the recovery of two wildlife sensors and a bullet head on the forehead.
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ZIM_2022_02_Poachers kill black rhino in Matobo_The Sunday News.pdf | 197.07 KB |
Among the items seized from the suspects are four elephant tusks, two rhino horns, one live pangolin, a giraffe skin and a pangolin skin.
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NAM_2021_06_Police_military officers arrested over wildlife crime_The Namibian.pdf | 431.01 KB |
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism recorded fewer incidents of wildlife poaching and maintained a high number of arrests for wildlife crime in 2020, minister Pohamba Shifeta says.
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NAM_2021-02_Less poaching_more arrests in 2020_The Namibian.pdf | 864.86 KB |
Notorious Congolese poacher Mobanza Mobembo Gérard, who is said to have poached some 500 elephants in the Republic of Congo, was last month sentenced to a 30-year jail term in an unprecedented wildlife crime conviction in that country.
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NAM_2020-09_Butcher poacher locked up for 30 years_The Namibian.pdf | 520.29 KB |
More than half of 363 suspects arrested for animal poaching or trafficking in 2020 were apprehended for crimes involving high-value animal species. This includes rhino, elephant and pangolin, according to the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.
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NAM_2020-08_Elephant pangolin crimes still highest_The Namibian.pdf | 658.83 KB |
The Namibian Police successfully arrested four suspected pangolin traffickers in a first-of-its-kind cooperation. This in partnership with US law enforcement through the US embassy in Windhoek.
A statement issued by the embassy yesterday said information received by their investigations office in Pretoria was passed on to local authorities to facilitate the successful arrest of the suspects.
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NAM_2020-08_US helps Namibia pounce on pangolin smugglers_The Namibian.pdf | 420.35 KB |
Five suspects were arrested last week for contravening the Controlled Wildlife Products and Trade Act after they were allegedly found in possession of lion and leopard skins.
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NAM_2020-08_Five nabbed over wild cat skins_The Namibian.pdf | 470.69 KB |
Namibia has recorded a drastic drop in rhino and elephant poaching cases in the past three years because of improved response mechanisms, the government said yesterday. Minister of environment Pohamba Shifeta said the country has seen a reduction in rhino poaching numbers from 78 cases in 2018, 49 in 2019 and 17 so far this year.
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NAM_2020-07_Rhino_elephant poaching cases down_The Namibian.pdf | 267.91 KB |
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism today received a donation of a vehicle and vetenary drugs for the ministry's Canine Unit, aimed at supporting anti-poaching efforts. The two donations were made by Standard Bank and Swavet, MDS Animal Health and the Rhino Park Private Hospital, at a handover ceremony hosted in Windhoek today.
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NAM_2020-07_Environment ministry receives donation for Canine Unit_The Namibian.pdf | 957.43 KB |
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has allocated 36% of its budget to wildlife and protected area management. This was announced by minister of environment, forestry and tourism Pohamba Shifeta during his budget motivation in the National Assembly on Thursday.
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NAM_2020-06_Wildlife gets bulk of environment budget_The Namibian.pdf | 755.58 KB |
The report, which is jointly compiled by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism's intelligence and investigations unit and the protected resources division of the Namibian Police, detailed that the seven cases saw the arrest of 16 suspects. All those apprehended are Namibian nationals. Of those arrested, 11 were in connection with rhino poaching or trafficking, two in connection with elephant poaching or trafficking, two for the hunting of giraffe, and one for contravening the Arms and Ammunition Act. Among the wildlife products seized were six rhino…
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NAM_2020-06_16 Namibians nabbed for Wildlife crime_The Namibian.pdf | 636.08 KB |
Arrests for wildlife crime involving high-value species like elephants, rhinos and pangolins, increased by 36% in 2019 compared to the year before.
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NAM_2020-04_Wildlife crime arrests up in 2019_The Namibian.pdf | 987.27 KB |
The ministry of environment says its anti-poaching activities will not be hindered by the rapidly spreading coronavirus, which has forced many countries, Namibia included, into a lockdown.
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NAM_2020-03_Anti poaching activities not affected by lockdown_The Namibian.pdf | 599.34 KB |
Police reservists at Karibib intercepted a group of poachers, who had killed two oryx at Farm Albrechtshohe, but were only able to apprehend one of the four suspects.
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NAM_2020-03_K9 unit thwarts suspected oryx poachers_The Namibian.pdf | 406.08 KB |
LAW enforcement agents last week cracked down on six individuals who were found in possession of pangolin skin.
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NAM_2020-02 Six arrested for pangolin skin possession_The Namibian.pdf | 265.56 KB |
The Namibian Police last week seized an array of wildlife products comprising elephant tusks, kudu horns and hides, civet skin and warthog carcasses, amongst others.
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NAM_2019-10_Police seize tusks animal hide_The Namibian.pdf | 340.7 KB |
Two men were arrested for being found in possession of 100 pieces of ivory, a summary of wildlife crime statistics from 30 September to 6 October details.
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NAM_2019-10_Two arraigned over 100 ivory pieces_The Namibian.pdf | 433.74 KB |
A 40-year-old suspected rhino poacher exchanged gunfire with a team of 15 Namibian Police officers and members of the Namibian Defence Force for nearly two hours on a farm outside Otavi on Sunday.
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NAM_2019-09_Police_suspected poacher exchange gunfire_The Namibian.pdf | 384.13 KB |
Government is tightening the noose on wildlife crime syndicates as the country's flora and fauna increasingly become endangered.
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NAM_2019-05_Justice ministry to prioritise wildlife crime_The Namibian.pdf | 314.62 KB |
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism says intensified efforts against poaching and other wildlife crimes are bearing results as law-enforcement agencies continue to wrangle poaching suspects.
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NAM_2021_07_Intensified anti_poaching efforts bear results_The Namibian.pdf | 1.58 MB |