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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 - 9 of 9
Saturday, 2 December 2023
Gaveni K 2023. Foreigner and local man arrested in possession of 18 kg elephant tusks.

A man was arrested alongside a foreigner, in the possession of elephant tusks weighing 18.7kg worth more than US$3 000. In a statement, police said Passivel Togara (47) and his accomplice were arrested by detectives who posed as buyers of the elephant tusks on 29 November 2023 in Katakura area, Rushinga.

Thursday, 30 November 2023
Gaveni K 2023. Two arrested in possession of elephant tusks and pangolin scales.

Two men were arrested in possession of two elephant tusks and five pangolin scales at Magunje Growth Point.

Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Gaveni K 2023. Five arrested for poaching.

Five men were arrested for poaching at Humani Ranch which led to the recovery of 15 kg of Impala meat and a live Pangolin. In a statement, police said: "The suspects are Peter Tendi (38), Innocent Manyezu (31), Michael Bishou (23), Hlanganayi Sithole (61)." The suspects were arrested on Monday following a tip-off. On 18/09/23, Police in Chipinge acted on received information and arrested Peter Tendi (38), Innocent Manyezu (31), Michael Bishou (23), Harunaishe Shuro (43), and Johnson Hlanganayi Sithole (61) in connection with poaching at Humani Ranch…

Friday, 4 November 2022
Williams R 2022. Saudi nationals to pay R2 million for stealing indigenous plants.

Cape Town - Three Saudi nationals have been ordered by the Vredendal Regional Court to pay R2 million to the State after they entered a plea and sentence agreement for being in possession of 1.63 million flora items. NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said on Thursday, "The court ordered Abdulnaser Mohammed Althenaian, his son Mohand Abulnaser Althenaian and Bedah Abdulrahman Albedah to leave South Africa within 48 hours of their release and declared them unfit to possess a firearm."

Sunday, 12 December 2021
Williams R 2021. Four suspects to appear in Ceres court for the poaching of five Inverdoorn rhinos.

Cape Town - Four suspects were arrested by police for the poaching of five rhinos at a private game reserve. Police spokesperson Wesley Twiggs said the four arrested suspects were expected to appear in Ceres Magistrate’s Court after they have been charged. Five rhinos were attacked by poachers at Inverdoorn Private Game Reserve just outside Cape Town last week. Four of the rhinos were killed while the fifth rhino survived a gunshot to the face.

Saturday, 21 August 2021
Munhende L 2021. Zimbabwe - A major transit route for smuggling of critically endangered shell fish to China.

Investigations by the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) have revealed Zimbabwe is now a major transit route for smuggling of valuable but critically endangered shell fish, abalone, to China and other countries.

Tuesday, 8 June 2021
Hamalwa F 2021. Cop, soldier nabbed with rhino horns.

Four men, including a police officer and a soldier, are due to appear in the Ohangwena Magistrate’s Court this morning after they were arrested for being in possession of eight rhino horns.

Monday, 25 May 2020
Munhende L 2020. Spike in wildlife poaching as poachers take advantage of lockdown laxities.

Zimbabwe has realised a spike in wildlife poaching as the wildlife management authority has redirected efforts towards combating the spread of Covid-19 during the current lockdown period, a top lobby has said.

Prediger K 2022. Trafficked pangolins get a second chance, but do they survive?. 16-21

In recent years, pangolins have become the most trafficked animal in Namibia. According to national wildlife crime reports, 491 pangolins (152 live and 339 carcasses or skins) were confiscated and 640 arrests made in the last seven years (2015-2021, MEFT statistics). Pangolins are poached for their scales, body parts, and meat for traditional beliefs, medicine and food worldwide. In recent years there is rising pressure on the species primarily due to their scales being used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

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