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Namibian Wildlife Crimes article archive

This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:

  • provide easy public access to published information and statistics
  • enable easy stakeholder access to articles
  • provide a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia

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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Displaying results 1 - 10 of 10
Wednesday, 3 April 2024
Nashama S 2024. Security cluster to meet after 28 rhinos were poached this year.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has recorded 28 cases of rhino poaching in Namibia this year so far. Out of these 28 cases, 19 rhinos were poached in the Etosha National Park, and 10 carcasses of the animals were discovered during dehorning operations in March. The Ministry’s spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, has expressed concern about the poaching situation in the Etosha National Park, which is a flagship tourist attraction in Namibia. The park has a high number of rhinos and other wildlife species.

Thursday, 21 December 2023
Nashama S 2023. Pangolins under serious threat, Environment Ministry observes.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has raised alarm over the serious threat facing pangolins in Namibia. According to Romeo Muyunda, the Ministry's spokesperson, there has been a notable increase in pangolin trafficking cases from September to November this year, leading to a significant concern for the survival of this species. Muyunda disclosed that during this period, authorities have confiscated a total of 18 pangolin skins, 12 live pangolins, and 146 pangolin scales. This has resulted in 23 registered cases and the apprehension of 38 suspects.

Monday, 28 November 2022
Machamire F 2022. Zimbabwe rhino population up while rest of Africa sees decline.

Zimbabwe's rhino population remains among the bright sparks on the African continent after it increased by 14 percent from a total 887 in 2017 to now stand at 1,033. The statistics were compiled by Rhino Specialist Groups of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and trade monitoring organisation TRAFFIC, ahead of the 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP19) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Panama this month.

Tuesday, 25 October 2022
Jason L 2022. Suspected poacher shot dead.

The police in the Khomas region are investigating three cases of murder in which three male persons aged between 24 and 30 were shot dead on Sunday and yesterday. According to the brief reports shared by the police regional community affairs Silas Shipandeni, the police are investigating the matter in which two suspected poachers were shot at Farm Hoffnung No 66, in the Windhoek District on Sunday around 17h00. Shipandeni indicated that an unknown man was fatally wounded and died on the spot while the other one was injured on the left thigh.

Wednesday, 25 May 2022
Machamire F 2022. Villagers arrested for attempted sale of ivory tusks in northern Zimbabwe.

A spike in seizures of elephant ivory from people emboldened enough to be trying to sell it openly in markets, from their houses, and even at a fuel station, has raised concerns among conservationists about a return of poaching. Police reported the six villagers were arrested on May 3 and 4, 2022, while trying to sell elephant tusks in the mining town of Hwange, in Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland North province. On May 1, 57-year-old Collin Tapfumaneyi Chizengeni was more audacious: arrested while trying to sell 21 pieces of ivory from his house in Gutu.

Thursday, 3 March 2022
Jason L 2022. Police discover python carcass in SA truck.

A 41-year-old South African national has appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court on Monday after a dead python was found in the truck he was driving. According to the Khomas police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Silas Shipandeni, Ayanda Gxoyiyana was arrested at the Windhoek-Okahandja roadblock after the police pulled him over for a routine search and found a freshly killed python in his truck's toolbox.

Wednesday, 16 February 2022
Masika C 2022. Man in court for trying to sell Sh300,000 tusks to cops.

The charge sheet says the tusks weighed three kilograms, worth Sh300,000.

Tuesday, 30 November 2021
Jason L 2021. Katima man raped, suspected poacher shot.

At farm Otjirukaku on the B8 road, a 23-year-old male was shot and wounded allegedly by a farmer while attempting to poach wildlife on the property. The victim’s friend managed to flee the scene unharmed. The victim is currently hospitalised in a local hospital and his condition is stable, according to the authorities.

Saturday, 15 May 2021
Carlisle A 2021. Six Zimbabweans face multiple charges linked to rhino poaching.

The rhino poaching trial of six Zimbabweans, four of whom are allegedly in South Africa illegally, will proceed in the high court sitting in Makhanda on Thursday. Francis Chitiyo, 31, Trymore Chauke, 26, Micheck Chauke, 23, Simba Masinge, 23, Nhamo Muyambo, 28 and Abraham Moyane, 23, - all of whom live in East London - face some 38 charges related to the poaching of about eight rhino in the Eastern Cape between 2017 and 2018. They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Thursday, 29 October 2020
Jason L 2020. Two nabbed for hunting game.

The police in the Omusati region have arrested two men for allegedly illegally hunting protected game. According to the regional crime investigations coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Moses Simaho, the offences were committed on 17 October 2020 around 18h00 at Omutambowomawe and Okaonde areas in the Ruacana constituency. He said the suspects used their private vehicle to transport illegally hunted game meat, of which the police recovered one carcass of eland, three duikers, a dik-dik, a rabbit and a bow white bird.

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