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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 - 8 of 8
Tuesday, 1 October 2024
Nakashole P, Palata M 2024. Hunger not a justification for killing endangered carmine bee-eaters, warns Kavango East leader.

Chairperson of the Kavango East Regional Council Damian Maghambayi says hunger is no excuse for killing endangered birds. He was speaking to The Namibian following a report in yesterday’s edition on residents of the Kavango regions reportedly trapping carmine bee-eater birds to eat.

Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Nakashole P 2023. Environment ministry concerned over pangolin poaching.

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.

Thursday, 9 February 2023
Nakashole P 2023. Environment ministry staff member arrested for alleged poaching.

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.

Tuesday, 31 January 2023
Nakashole P 2023. 87 rhinos poached last year.

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.

Thursday, 1 December 2022
Dibakwane TW 2022. KNP expects decline in rhino poaching.

The Kruger National Park (KNP) expects a decline in rhino poaching incidents due to heavy sentences imposed on five poachers in November. The acting managing executive of the KNP, Dr Danny Govender, commended the Skukuza Regional Court for imposing lengthy jail terms in recent cases and said it shows they are making good progress in fighting rhino poaching.

Sunday, 3 April 2022
Dibakwane TW 2022. Poachers face full might of the law in Skukuza court.

The reopening of the Skukuza Regional Court is producing positive results, with a 100% conviction rate for rhino poachers over the past two years. The court had been closed by the Mpumalanga Regional Court president Naomi Engelbrecht in August 2019, who wanted it to be moved to Mhala Court about 100 kilometres from Skukuza. However, this decision was overruled and the court was reopened again in April 2021.

Monday, 18 October 2021
Looby C 2021. Drones are a knife in the gunfight against poaching. But they're leveling up.

At the peak of the rhino poaching war in South Africa in 2015 and 2016, poachers slaughtered nearly three rhinos a day. Although that rate has declined, the numbers are still disheartening and unsustainable, with poachers killing at least one rhino every day. Some conservationists have looked to drones as a potentially powerful tool in anti-poaching efforts, with the technology continuing to evolve. But experts say it isn’t at the level yet where it can meet the challenge, and that while it can be helpful, conservation efforts must continue to engage and educate local…

Thursday, 16 April 2020
Langa V 2020. Govt set to amend Wildlife Act to protect whistleblowers (Zimbabwe).

Parliament has recommended amendments to the Wildlife Act to provide protection for whistleblowers and ensure stiff penalties for those found in possession of cyanide, a dangerous chemical often used by poachers to poison elephants.

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