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A staggering 499 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa in 2023, an MENU increase of 51 on the poaching numbers for 2022. This disappointing figure is a chilling reminder that the South African government and wildlife authorities have not got poaching under control. Barbara Creecy, the minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment (DFFE), said when releasing the annual poaching figures that poaching had dropped in Kruger National Park, previously the focal point of rhino crime.

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.

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.

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.

Authorities are on the hunt for poachers after two carcasses of the endangered White Rhino were discovered on a farm near the Windhoek district. According to the police report, the two Rhinos' were poached between Friday 21 October 2022 and Monday 24 October 2022 at an unknown time at Farm Otjisauona. It is alleged that the suspects unlawfully and internationally hunted the complainant's white Rhinos by means of shooting and removing all the horns.

Wildlife crime has become one of the central conservation challenges in Namibia, with a total of 174 wildlife species poached in the country last year alone. This number signifies an increase, as 115 were poached in 2018.

Pangolins are trafficked in high numbers. Estimates suggest that in the period 2000–2019 the equivalent of approximately 900,000 pangolins were illegally traded globally. This primarily occurs within Asia and Africa, and from Africa to Asia2 , but also involves Europe, North America, and other parts of the world. Trade can involve live and dead pangolins, their scales, and other body parts (e.g., skins).