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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 - 11 of 11
Saturday, 18 February 2023
Lam L 2023. Trading firm director gets jail over import of nearly 1,800 elephant tusks into Singapore from Africa.

Singapore: The director of a trading firm was sentenced to 10 months' jail on Wednesday (Feb 15) for importing 1,787 pieces of elephant tusks from Africa into Singapore, en route to Vietnam. The tusks of the endangered species weighed 3,480kg and were found in a 40-foot container at Pasir Panjang Scanning Station in March 2018. Vietnam national and Singapore permanent resident Dao Thi Boi, 40, had claimed trial to the charge under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act. She was the director of VNSG Trading and Song Hong Trading and Logistics at the…

Tuesday, 14 February 2023
Venter Z 2023. Vehicle used to transport pangolin skins forfeited to state.

The court has once again proved that those who illegally trade in exotic animals will feel the full brunt of the law. It ordered a vehicle which transported two pangolin skins forfeited to the State.

Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Venter Z 2022. Rhino horn trade case delayed again 12 years after arrest of suspects.

Limpopo game farmer Dawie Groenewald and his co-accused were arrested about 12 years ago on a multitude of rhino poaching-related charges, yet their criminal trial has yet to start.

Friday, 8 October 2021
Venter Z 2021. Suspected game poachers face losing cars, guns used in crime.

Pretoria - Suspected game poachers now face losing the vehicles and firearms used in the act of shooting their prey.

Thursday, 15 April 2021
David R 2021. Wildlife crime decreases in 2020Wildlife crime decreases in 2020.

According to the Combatting Wildlife Crime in Namibia Annual Report for 2020, rhino crimes accounted for most arrests during the past year, with 145 suspects having been detained. "A significant number of these were pre-emptive arrests, where suspects were caught before they could kill a rhino. This is not only a highly commendable law enforcement success, but also a very positive conservation outcome. Pre-emptive arrests have directly saved numerous rhinos and will allow the population to continue to multiply," the report stated.

Wednesday, 10 February 2021
Venter Z 2021. Judge demands answers over rhino poaching case delays.

Pretoria - More than a decade ago, Limpopo game farmer Dawie Groenewald and his co-accused were arrested on a multitude of rhino poaching-related charges, yet their criminal trial is yet to start - and a judge wants answers. Groenewald and his eight co-accused once again briefly appeared in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria this week, and their case was postponed to March 1.

Sunday, 25 October 2020
Simpson M 2020. South Africa - SANParks laments arrest of employees for alleged rhino poaching.

The employees, two of whom are security guards while the other is attached to technical services at one of the Kruger National Park rest camps, appeared in court on Thursday following the discovery of fresh rhino horns in their vehicle. In a statement released by SANParks on Friday, the Managing Executive for the Kruger park, Gareth Coleman, said it was "always disheartening when colleagues from SANParks are involved in criminal activities.

Sunday, 13 September 2020
Simpson M 2020. Pangolin rescued and three people arrested in North West.

Illegal trade in the endangered animals on the rise again as lockdown decreases. Several pangolins have already been rescued this year.

Sunday, 23 August 2020
Simpson M 2020. Police sting operation leads to abalone seizure and arrest.

Large abalone consignment was kept under surveillance as it travelled from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Police have seized abalone worth an estimated R3-million at a home in the Johannesburg suburb of Mayfair and arrested a 46-year-old man.

Saturday, 1 August 2020
Simpson M 2020. Lockdown restrictions help cut rhino poaching by half this year.

Minister says efforts are paying off, with lockdown and increased law enforcement efforts cutting rhino deaths to 166 to date.

Friday, 22 May 2020
David R 2020. Drop in recorded wildlife crime.

Between 11 and 17 May, only one new case of wildlife crime was registered with four suspects arrested and charged, according to the latest wildlife crime statistics compiled by the Intelligence and Investigation Unit within the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism and Protected Resources. Two of the suspects were arrested on rhino poaching/trafficking, including conspiracy of rhino poaching. One springbok horn was seized.

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