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.
A 34-year-old Harare man has appeared before magistrate Dennis Mangosi charged with illegal possession of ivory. Author Edwin Kowe of Stone Ridge, was arrested on February 19, 2023 after being trapped by detectives from the Police Minerals Flora and Fauna Section who posed as potential buyers. One of the detectives pretended to be an ivory buyer, while the other team carried out surveillance as backup. The detective who was acting as the buyer phoned the accused person and lured him to Waterworks along Chiremba Road.
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ZIM_2023_02_Ivory dealer nabbed in police trap_NewsDay.pdf | 183.96 KB |
Eastern Cape police have arrested two suspects for possession of abalone worth R1.8m in Gqeberha.
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SA_2023_02_Two suspects bust for possession of abalone worth R1.8m in Gqeberha_TimesLive.pdf | 297.41 KB |
In the war on poaching, some of the best defenders have four legs. Trained canines are used in some of South Africa's national parks to detect wildlife contraband like rhino horns, pangolin scales, and ivory at airports and roadblocks. Other dogs are trained to track and apprehend poachers in the field. According to Save the Rhino, 9,885 rhinos have been lost to poaching in the last decade. But Carl Thornton, founder and director of Pit-Track K9 Conservation and Anti-Poaching Unit, says the numbers are likely much higher.
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SA_2021_11_How Dogs Are Fighting Rhino Poaching_Treehugger.pdf | 574.43 KB |
An illegal abalone dealer has been declared an undesirable person in SA after his conviction on a slew of charges.
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SA_2021_08_Illegal abalone dealer jailed and declared an undesirable person_TimesLive.pdf | 334.71 KB |
Authorities have recovered lion teeth and claws from a suspected illegal wildlife trader. The Vietnamese man was arrested during raids in Bela-Bela and Pretoria after a four-month probe by analysts and wildlife investigators. The suspect was also arrested for illegal possession of a firearm.
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SA_2021_08_Lion teeth and claws seized as wildlife squad swoops on Vietnamese suspect_Times Live.pdf | 346.65 KB |
They were bust with about R500,000 worth of rhino horn. The regional court in Gqeberha sentenced Jonathan Jeremy Perring, 37, Keanon Terblanche, 28, and Christo Shaun Swartz, 30, on Thursday.
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SA_2021_07_Trio slapped with three_year jail sentences for rhino horn theft_Times Lives.pdf | 478.8 KB |
The Hawks have arrested a suspect for possession of ivory in Cape Town. Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said detectives responded to a tipoff and bust the suspect on Friday in the suburb of Table View. Hani said the Hawks had teamed up with the department of agriculture, forestry and fisheries officials.
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SA_2021_05_Hawks swoop on man transporting elephant tusks in Cape Town_Times Live.pdf | 443.3 KB |
In March, life was looking rather bleak for Victor, the Cape pangolin.
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NAM_2013-05_Victor the very lucky pangolin_The Namibian.pdf | 186.73 KB |