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.
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The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has expressed concern over crimes related to pangolin poaching. This was announced in a media statement by ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda, released yesterday. "The ministry is happy to observe that more suspects have been arrested for crimes related to pangolin tracking between 1 September and 30 November. “We are concerned that this may indicate an increase in crimes related to pangolins," he said.
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NAM_2023_12_Environment ministry concerned over pangolin poaching_The Namibian.pdf | 118.53 KB |
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has announced the arrest of a member of staff, alongside three other people, who allegedly hunted a blue wildebeest at Daan Viljoen.
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NAM_2023_02_Environment ministry staff member arrested for alleged poaching_The Namibian.pdf | 241.76 KB |
Etosha National Park has become a poaching hotspot, as rhino poaching remains a serious concern in the country, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has said in an update on poaching. According to a statement released by the ministry's spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda yesterday, 87 rhinos were poached last year, 61 of them black rhinos and 26 white rhinos.
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NAM_2023_01_87 rhinos poached last year_The Namibian.pdf | 311.47 KB |
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.
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ZIM_2022_11_Zimbabwe rhino population up while rest of Africa sees decline_Independent.pdf | 289.8 KB |
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.
Around the world countries are adjusting to what their "new normal" looks like in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. For rhinoceros conservationists in Africa, it means coping with fewer resources while fighting an increase in the risk of poaching. Illegal hunting is nothing new for the dwindling rhino species, but the pandemic has amplified the threat and left their future more uncertain than ever.
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Loneley planet_2020-09_How the pandemic threatens rhino conservation_Loneley planet.pdf | 860.93 KB |
As we now know, Botswana is home to a third of Africa's declining elephant population. But, over the last two months, 350 elephant carcasses have been spotted in the Okavango Delta since the start of May. It is a serious worry that over 350 elephants have died with no clear reason and indeed a conservation disaster.
The world looks at this mysterious deaths and needs to know the real cause of the mass loss of elephants, and what should be done to stop this unnatural disaster, one thing the deaths are unrelated to drought.
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BOT_2020-07_The stronghold for Africass elephants is under certain threat_The Star.pdf | 246.64 KB |