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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.

Explore your search results using the filter checkboxes, or amend your search or start a new search.

Displaying results 1 - 12 of 12
Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Stoddard E 2024. Five elephants killed in Zambia after vexed translocations, NGO says toll is higher.

Kasungu is in Malawi but borders Zambia, and more than 260 elephants were translocated to the park more than two years ago in an operation spearheaded by Ifaw and African Parks, despite the glaring fact that there is no fence on the international frontier and much of the Malawian side. "It is with great concern that Ifaw has learned that five elephants have been found dead in Kasungu National Park between May and September 2024," Ifaw's statement read. It was also posted on Ifaw's site but not prominently.

Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Stoddard E 2024. Loaded for Bear: SA's white rhino population on the rebound despite poaching - thanks to private sector.

"White rhino populations in South Africa are on the rise despite poaching," the report says. Curiously, the report does not mention private ownership of the species, which has been one of the driving forces behind this trend. The report notes that by 2012, there were more than 21,000 white rhinos on the planet, capping a remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction. A century earlier, there were fewer than 100.

Thursday, 13 July 2023
Stoddard E 2023. Kruger lions being poisoned by poachers for body parts, says SANParks.

South African National Parks has confirmed that lions have been targeted in a poisoning campaign in the northern Kruger Park by poachers seeking the animals’ body parts, presumably for the muti trade. The numbers are not huge, but in the wake of the rhino poaching onslaught, the targeting of another charismatic species in the iconic park will set off alarm bells among conservationists.

Wednesday, 12 July 2023
Stoddard E 2023. Rhino horn trafficking case sheds light on curious criminal network involving frozen seafood, 'mishandled baggage'.

The Wildlife Justice Commission has published details of a rhino horn trafficking case that includes the use of frozen seafood and 'mishandled baggage', as well as the failure of authorities not to publicly report their seizure of the horn. 

Monday, 16 January 2023
Stoddard E 2023. Private and communal lands conserve half of Africa's rhinos, and call for 'adaptive policies'.

Private and communal lands now conserve at least 50% of Africa's rhinos, according to a newly published paper in journal 'Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment', highlighting the need for 'adaptive policies' to build on this success. These trends have policy implications as debates rage about rhino-horn trade and trophy hunting.

Thursday, 11 November 2021
Stoddard E 2021. This week we're listening to: A riveting and disturbing foray into South Africa's rhino-poaching crisis.
Wednesday, 20 October 2021
Sithole S 2021. Mbire poachers jailed 20 years.

Two Mbire poachers were yesterday sentenced to a combined 20-year jail term by Guruve magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa over possession of 34,12kg of elephant tusks.

Saturday, 14 August 2021
Sithole S 2021. Poachers axe ZimParks rangers.

Three Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) officials are battling for life at a hospital in Harare after they were recently severely assaulted by suspected poachers in Mushumbi, Mashonaland Central province.

Saturday, 31 July 2021
Haynes D 2021. South African rhino poaching increased 50% this year, still lower than before pandemic.

There was a 50% increase in the number of rhinoceroses killed in the first six months of 2021 in South Africa compared to the same period last year, but the figure is still lower than pre-pandemic years, the country's government announced Saturday. Barbara Creecy, the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, said 249 rhinos have been poached for their horns from Jan. 1 through the end of June. That's up from the 166 poached in the same time period in 2020, but still a marked decline from 2019, which saw 318 rhino poaching.

Thursday, 22 July 2021
Sithole S 2021. Jealous man plants ivory in ex-wife's toilet.

A plot by a jealous Guruve man to get his ex-wife and her boyfriend imprisoned by planting ivory on her hit a snag after he was arrested for possession of ivory.

Monday, 29 March 2021
Mzantsi S 2021. 40 SANParks employees sacked over rhino poaching.

Forty SANParks employees found guilty of being involved in rhino poaching have been dismissed, Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has revealed. She was responding to a Parliamentary question on whether any SANParks staff were involved in the poaching of rhino for their horns. "SANParks staff members have been involved in rhino poaching since 2009. In dealing with rhino poaching-related offences, SANParks runs a parallel process alongside the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)," said Creecy.

Tuesday, 9 February 2021
Stoddard E 2021. In the war on rhino poaching, data shows private parks are doing a better job.

Rhino poaching declined sharply in South Africa last year, according to the latest official data, and the data also shows that rhinos on state land were far more vulnerable than those in private hands. In South Africa, if you are a rhino on a state reserve, your chances of getting whacked by a poacher are about nine times greater than if you roam a private one.

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