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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 - 7 of 7
Wednesday, 27 December 2023
Haripersad D 2023. US rhino trade activist arrested for possession of horns without documentation after 16-hour raid.

The Texan faces accusations of violating South African law after several carcasses were found that had no paperwork. A controversial figure in the rhino horn trade debate was arrested last week after more than 20 rhino carcasses were found at his game farm in Limpopo. The arrest of Derek Lewitton was made by the Hawk, after they investigated his Harmony game farm for more than 16 hours. During the searches, members of the Hawks discovered multiple rhino carcasses missing their horns.

Thursday, 7 December 2023
Graig A 2023. Plant poaching a rising trend.

National Botanical Garden curator Leevi Nanyeni has called on Namibians to support the fight against the growing trend of poaching of vulnerable and indigenous plants. Namibia is home to some of the world's most unique plant species, all categorised, catalogued and preserved at the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) in the capital. "These days, we are increasingly dealing with plant poaching," Nanyeni said. "Plant poaching has become a tendency. I am already aware of up to ten registered cases of it – just between 2019 and 2023.

Wednesday, 6 December 2023
Graig A 2023. Plantstropery 'n gevaarlike neiging.

Die Nasionale Botaniese Tuin se kurator, Leevi Nanyeni, het 'n beroep op Namibiërs gedoen om die stryd teen die toenemende stropery van inheemse en kwesbare plante te ondersteun. Namibië huisves van die wêreld se mees unieke plantspesies, wat almal by die Nasionale Botaniese Navorsingsinstituut (NBRI) in die hoofstad gekategoriseer, gekatalogiseer en bewaar word. Nanyeni het kommer uitgespreek oor die groeiende tendens van plantstropery.

Saturday, 3 June 2023
Haripersad D 2023. 16 suspects appear in court after being bust for illicit rhino horns trade.

Sixteen suspects appeared before the Nelspruit Commercial Crimes Court on 31 May 2023 to face charges related to money laundering and corruption connected to the illicit trade of rhino horns. The accused were apprehended during the course of "Project Blood Orange", which saw an investigation conducted by the Serious Corruption Investigation unit of the Hawks in Mpumalanga.

Thursday, 18 May 2023
Haripersad D 2023. Suspected pangolin trafficker arrested in Gravelotte.

Hidden in the boot inside a bag, police found a pangolin estimated to be worth R150 000. In a collaborative operation involving the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation and other enforcement agencies, police arrested a 59-year-old suspected pangolin dealer in Gravelotte, near Tzaneen, on Wednesday, 17 May 2023.

Friday, 14 October 2022
Tan J 2022. Poaching surges in the birthplace of white rhino conservation.

Poaching has more than doubled this year in South Africa’s Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, the birthplace of white rhino conservation. Conservationists say poaching syndicates have turned their attention to this and other parks in KwaZulu-Natal province because rhino numbers in Kruger National Park, the previous epicenter of rhino poaching, have been drastically reduced, and private reserves around Kruger are dehorning their animals. Hluhluwe-Imfolozi is a very challenging game reserve for anti-poaching patrols to defend, exacerbated by leadership issues in Ezemvelo, the…

Sunday, 15 August 2021
Tairo A 2021. African rangers fight poaching under plight of COVID-19 pandemic.

A survey conducted by conservation encouragement charity, Tusk and Natural State, found that African rangers see no sign of relief. Poaching is actually escalating as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact Africa’s communities and wildlife. The survey questioned 60 field organizations across 19 countries in Africa.

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