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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 - 14 of 14
Monday, 1 April 2024
Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) 2024. Update on the elephant and rhino poaching in namibia.
Update on the elephant and rhino poaching in namibia.
Monday, 16 October 2023
Hilukilwa P 2023. Cannabis, mandrax, and rhino horn possession lands six behindbars.

Meanwhile, the police at Outjo in the Kunene region arrested a 28-year-old suspect while he was transporting a rhinohorn on Friday evening. He was apprehended when the police stopped and searched the vehicle he was traveling inbetween Outjo and Okaukuejo. The rhino horn’s estimated value is N$300,000.

Thursday, 22 June 2023
Hilukilwa P 2023. Nampol in Omusati thwart a rhino poaching expedition and confiscate the rifle.

Nampol in Omusati thwart a rhino poaching expedition and confiscate the rifle.

Sunday, 15 May 2022
Ontebetse K 2022. US almost absolves Botswana security agencies for spike in rhino poaching.

The United States has not decided on adopting an official position on claims that corruption within Botswana security agencies contributes to the rise of rhino poaching in the country. The US revealed this when commenting on a briefing document submitted by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) at a recent CITES' Standing Committee's 74th meeting (SC74). In its report, EIA claimed that, "corruption allegations within the agencies tasked with addressing the poaching of Botswana’s wildlife are especially concerning."

Wednesday, 30 June 2021
Leuschner E 2021. Renoster in Etosha gestroop.

’n Renoster is tussen Saterdagnag en Sondag by die Chudop-watergat naby Namutoni in die Etosha Nasionale Park gestroop. Volgens die woordvoerder van die ministerie van die omgewing, bosbou en toerisme, mnr. Romeo Muyunda, is beide die renoster se horings verwyder. "Dit is die eerste renoster wat vanjaar in die park gestroop is. Die renoster is geskiet en die karkas is Sondag ontdek," het hy gesê. Die Chudop-watergat is sowat vyf kilometer suidwes van Namutoni geleë.

Wednesday, 14 April 2021
Leuschner E 2021. Coronakrise bremst Nashorn-Wilderei.

Fälle der Wilderei sind im vergangenen Jahr zurückgegangen - Schuppentiere "am meisten" gehandelt. Mehr als 300 Personen wurden im vergangenen Jahr wegen Wildtierverbrechen an hochwertigen Arten festgenommen. Die geringste Anzahl gemeldete Fälle wird im Zusammenhang mit der Nashorn-Wilderei, die höchste Anzahl wiederum im Zusammenhang mit dem Handel von Schuppentieren verzeichnet.

Friday, 15 January 2021
Leuschner E 2021. Woman nabbed with ivory.

A 50-year-old woman was arrested in Walvis Bay after being found in possession of two elephant tusks. According to Erongo police spokesperson Erastus Iikuyu, the arrest took place on Monday at around 19:00 during a police raid in Robert Forbes Street. He couldn't say what the ivory was valued at. The woman faces charges of violating the law on controlled wildlife products and trade.

Tuesday, 24 November 2020
Leuschner E 2020. Wilderei ein Grund zur Sorge.

Farmer in der Umgebung von Usakos und Karibib müssen wachsam sein Seit. Monaten kämpfen Farmer in der Umgebung von Usakos und Karibib gegen eine besonders hohen Anzahl Fälle der Wilderei - das Ausmaß wird als alarmierend bezeichnet und die private Antiwildereieinheit arbeitet nahezu rund um die Uhr. Die Polizei untersucht das Ausmaß.

Friday, 13 November 2020
Leuschner E 2020. Beritten gegen die Wilderei.

Das Ministerium für Umwelt, Forstwirtschaft und Tourismus greift hart und konsequent gegen die Wilderei durch. Im Etoscha-Nationalpark wurde vor einiger Zeit eine spezialisierte Hundeeinheit stationiert, nun soll noch eine berittene Einheit dazukommen. "Der Etoscha-Nationalpark ist Namibias Aushängeschild. Touristen reisen in den Park und wollen die Artenvielfalt bewundern und beobachten - und genau das müssen wir schützen", stellte Umweltminister Pohamba Shifeta am Mittwoch bei Okaukuejo klar.

Friday, 7 August 2020
Leuschner E 2020. Pangolin-Schmuggler gestellt.

Polizeieinsatz mit US-Strafverfolgungsbehörden führt zum Erfolg. Vier mutmaßliche Schuppentier-Schmuggler konnten während eines Einsatzes zwischen US-Strafverfolgungsbehörden und der namibischen Polizei vor kurzem gestellt werden - es wird die erste Kooperation ihrer Art bezeichnet. Zudem wurden erneut mutmaßliche Wilderer bei Walvis Bay verhaftet.

Thursday, 8 October 2015
Hilukilwa P 2015. Principal busted for poaching.

A timely tip-off and a swift police deployment in the dead of the night produced yet another success story in the Namibian Police’s ongoing anti-poaching campaign in the northern regions bordering the Etosha National Park when four suspected illegal hunters were caught red-handed on Wednesday morning. The suspects – including the principal of local primary school - were arrested in the Ompundja Constituency of the Oshana Region after they were allegedly found in possession of the carcasses of four duikers, one steenbok, four springhares, one rabbit and two red-crested korhaans.…

Friday, 17 July 2015
Hilukilwa P 2015. Poachers won’t win.

The police are determined to get to the bottom of the rhino poaching problem regardless of the status of the people involved, Commissioner Ndahangwapo Kashihakumwa, who is leading an anti-poaching operation in the Etosha National Park and surrounding areas in Omusati and Kunene, has warned. On Wednesday, a team of investigating officers was sent from pillar to post by three suspected poachers who had pledged to give their full cooperation to the police.

Tuesday, 7 July 2015
Hilukilwa P 2015. Syndicates exposed in Etosha rhino poaching.

The police have made significant progress in their investigation of the recently discovered mass killings of rhino in the Etosha National Park. The death toll is expected to rise, if information at the sites of buried carcasses prove to be correct. A large number of suspects have been arrested and the list includes employees within the park. The Oshana police regional commander, Commissioner Ndahangwapo Kashihakumwa, is heading a team of investigators permanently deployed in Etosha since June 1.

Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) 2021. Combatting Wildlife Crime in Namibia - Annual Report 2020.

Rhino crimes accounted for most arrests during the past year, with 145 suspects having been detained. A significant number of these were pre-emptive arrests, where suspects were caught before they could kill a rhino. This is not only a highly commendable law enforcement success, but also a very positive conservation outcome. Pre-emptive arrests have directly saved numerous rhinos and will allow the population to continue to multiply. The number of rhinos known to have been poached in Namibia during 2020 has decreased from the previous year.

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