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 High Court in Malawi has rejected Chinese wildlife trafficking convict Lin Yun Hua's appeal against his 14- year sentence which was handed to him by Lilongwe Magistrate Court. Lin appealed against the conviction and the sentence but the High Court has rejected the appeal because it was filed outside the required period. Lin received 14 years in 2021 for dealing in rhino horn, alongside 14 years for possession of rhino horn and six years for money laundering.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
MAL_2023_11_Malawi High Court rejects Chinese convicts appeal_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 271.42 KB |
As the world returns to post-covid normality, so do its trade routes and the unfortunate consequence of increased wildlife trafficking, experts say.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
WORLD_2023_04_Wildlife trafficking could return to pre_pandemic numbers_Getaway.pdf | 449.22 KB |
A group of private game farmers, Help our Rhino Now Namibia (HoRN.nam), is offering a reward of N$100 000 for information leading to the arrest of poachers who shot a rhino at a farm near Windhoek. HoRN.nam said in a media statement on Wednesday that rhino poaching has escalated in Namibia over the past 18 months. The organisation says this poses a real and critical threat to the well-being and future survival of Namibian rhino populations.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2023_02_Reward offered for arrest of rhino poachers_The Namibian.pdf | 241.03 KB |
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism says 63 rhinos have been poached since January this year.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2022_11_63 rhinos poached so far this year_The Namibian.pdf | 279.7 KB |
Six people were arrested for rhino poaching, and one suspect for being in possession of a pangolin skin, states the report.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2022_11_Seven arrested for wildlife crime in one week_The Namibian.pdf | 278.67 KB |
The minister of environment, forestry and tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, says 36 people have been arrested for rhino-related cases this year alone. Shifeta was speaking at the handover of 10 vehicles, park management and law enforcement equipment funded by the Integrated National Park Management II (NamParks V and Covid-19 Fund) and Integrated Wildlife Protection projects in Windhoek on Wednesday. According to Shifeta, it is of great concern that 55 rhinos have been poached to date this year. "This is compared to 44 rhinos poached in 2021.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2022_10_Rhino poaching cases on the rise_The Namibian.pdf | 537.99 KB |
The preacher and admitted rhinoceros poacher Jackson Babi is facing a prison term of at least 10 years, which would increase to 27 years if he does not pay fines also imposed on him, after pleading guilty on 11 criminal charges in the Gobabis Regional Court.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2022_09_Heavy sentence as preacher admits rhino poaching_The Namibian.pdf | 878.5 KB |
Police in Mangochi have arrested a 50-year old man for possession of nine pieces of ivory.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
MAL_2022_07_Man nabbed for possessing Ivory_Malawi24.pdf | 408.87 KB |
Two male suspects were arrested on Thursday in connection with the poaching of 11 rhinos in Etosha National Park. This was confirmed by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda. "They were arrested yesterday and, at this stage, no further information can be given as investigations are still premature," Muyunda said. Earlier this week, the ministry issued a statement saying the carcasses were discovered during ongoing operations in Etosha National Park. The carcasses are suspected to be three weeks and older, according to the report.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2022_06_Two arrested for suspected rhino poaching_The Namibian.pdf | 232.53 KB |
A 23-year-old man, Rich Ricardo Chauke, was sentenced to nine years imprisonment after rangers apprehended him with a rifle and an axe in Kruger National Park.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2022_04_Poacher with rifle and axe in Kruger Park sentenced to prison_Getaway.pdf | 458.84 KB |
As the cases of wildlife crime are on rise, Lilongwe Wildlife Trust has trained journalists in the country to follow and report court case procedures on Wildlife crimes accurately and in a professional manner.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
MAL_2022_03_Journalists trained to report wildlife stories accurately_Malawi24.pdf | 433.89 KB |
Namwera Police Post in Mangochi has arrested Alex Jumbe, 50, for being found with a Pangolin. Mangochi Police Publicist Amina Tepani Daudi said the suspect who hails from Nakapa Village, Traditional Authority Bwananyambi in Mangochi was apprehended on March 16, 2022 at Mwambwanjira Trading Centre. Daudi added that Namwera Police detectives were tipped by members of the community that the suspect was offering for sale the listed species at the trading centre.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
MAL_2022_03_Man arrested over Pangolin in Mangochi_Malawi24.pdf | 399.01 KB |
As Malawi registers a drop in ivory and rhino horn trafficking, it has noticed an increase in pangolin poaching with related arrests having tripled between 2019 and 2020.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
MAL_2022_03_Pangolin trafficking on the rise in Malawi_Getaway.pdf | 484.28 KB |
United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator Malawi Rudolf Schwenk says the increased trends in poaching of animals such as elephants and pangolins in Malawi is very worrying and if left unaddressed, wildlife trafficking will continue to be a threat to achievement of sustainable development in the country.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
MAL_2022_02_UN says wildlife crime in Malawi needs to be fully addressed_malawi24.pdf | 395.75 KB |
A 71-year-old man was arrested after allegedly being found in possession of four elephant tusks on Thursday. According to the police, the man was arrested at Nonidas River Plots at Swakopmund.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_12_Man arrested over elephant tusks_The Namibian.pdf | 1.03 MB |
An official from the North West Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism will appear in the Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court on Monday 11 October after he was arrested in connection with illegal rhino horn trade. The official and the owner of a security company were arrested on Thursday afternoon in relation to alleged contraventions of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, the Rhino Norms and Standards, and contravention of permit conditions.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2021_10_Government official to appear in court for rhino horn trade_The South African.pdf | 393.38 KB |
The kingpin of one of Southern Africa's most prolific wildlife trafficking syndicates, Lin Yun Hua, was today sentenced to 14 years in prison in Malawi. Lin received 14 years for dealing in rhino horn, alongside 14 years for possession of rhino horn and six years for money laundering.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
MAL_2021_09_Chinese national imprisoned for 14 years in Malawi_Africa Sustainable Conservation News.pdf | 129.09 KB |
Four people were arrested in the Kamanjab area after they were found with rhino horns.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_07_Four caught with rhino horns_The Namibian.pdf | 580.6 KB |
According to police crime coordinator deputy commissioner Moses Simaho, the suspects were arrested after they tried to sell the scales to undercover officers at Epalela on Tuesday at 09:30. The pangolin products as well as cannabis were allegedly smuggled into the country from Angola without a permit from competent authorities in that country. "The two suspects have been arrested for possession of and dealing with controlled wildlife and dealing in prohibited dependence-producing drugs. We seized a bag containing cannabis whose value has not yet been determined and 2,22 pangolin…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_06_Two nabbed for possessing pangolin scales_The Namibian.pdf | 361.88 KB |
Nine men were arrested within six days in connection with the possession of the carcasses of wild animals, live pangolins, and a python skin.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_10_Nine men arrested for wildlife crime in one week_The Namibian.pdf | 275.97 KB |