Search results

A man suspected of being a poacher, 27-year-old Claudius Hameva, was fatally shot at a game farm around Okakarara earlier this morning following a scuffle between him and the farm's security guard.

NINE men were arrested over the past for the poaching of protected wildlife species. This is according to environment ministry spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, who stated that the suspects form part of the three newly registered wildlife criminal cases. It is alleged that Gideon Gao-Naseb, Timotheus Kasera and Champion Haraseb killed a rhino at the Omateva farm in the Omitara constituency. They now face charges of hunting of specially protected species and the removal of protected products. The trio was arrested on 20 August and have been remanded in custody.

Namibia has enjoyed a good reputation for its nature conservation, but there is evidence the illegal trade in wildlife products is thriving. The smuggling hotspot is the Zambezi border region, where five Southern Africa countries intersect. Hongxiang Huang travelled to Zambezi to investigate.

Since 2014, Namibia has seen a surge in wildlife poaching as a result of increasing international demand and depleting wildlife populations in other areas of the world. This has led to the loss of high-value species (such as elephants, rhinos, and pangolins) and concern about ecosystem impacts and associated economic losses. For instance, Namibia has become a key country for illegally sourced rhino horn, with a total of 416 rhino poached between 2013 and 2019, compared to only 13 rhinos poached between 2005 and 2013 (MEFT; 2020b, Milliken, 2014).