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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 - 11 of 11
Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Pinnock D 2022. Kruger National Park's rhinos are headed for extinction, we must declare emergency.

Kruger National Park, the world's greatest refuge for rhinos, is losing them to poaching faster than they're being born. The park's last rhino may already be alive. It's time to declare an emergency.

Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Pinnock D 2022. Meet the hounds trained to track down rhino poachers in Kruger Park.

Rhino poachers entering Kruger National Park are increasingly being run down by packs of unleashed hunting hounds in full cry, followed by a chopper tracking their hi-tech GPS collars. As the baying pack approaches, the poacher has no idea the dogs are trained to not attack. They won't bite him (there are legal implications), but if he tries to harm the dogs, rangers will fire from the chopper. The poachers know this and no dog has yet
been lost to a poacher’s bullet.

Friday, 28 October 2022
Itamalo M 2022. Omusati residents warned against hunting stray animals.

Otamanzi constituency councilor, Johaness Iyambo has warned residents of his constituency to desist from hunting stray Game animals which has found way into their communal land as they search for water. This comes after a two-week open hunting season, for residents in the Otamanzi Constituency which borders the Etosha National Park to the East, where residents have been feasting on the stray animals.

Tuesday, 25 January 2022
Kriel H, Pinnock D 2022. Beyond its exceptional beauty, Kruger National Park is on the ropes and hurting.

The Kruger National Park has a major rhino-poaching crisis, but that's just one of many mounting problems - and it's extremely worrying.

Thursday, 17 June 2021
Taylor L 2021. Poaching declines in Tanzania following prosecution of ivory trafficking ringleaders.

Once known as the world's elephant killing fields, Tanzania appears to have halted the worst ivory poaching within its borders, making more than 2,300 arrests of poachers and traffickers over five years.

Thursday, 17 June 2021
Taylor L 2021. Tanzania's "Ivory Queen" denied release after appeal.

One of the world's most infamous ivory traffickers will remain in prison in Tanzania after an appeal judge sent her case back to a lower court. The high court accepted there were anomalies in the original written judgment against Yang Fenglan, but declined her attorney's application for her release. Between 2009 and 2014, poachers reduced Tanzania’s elephant population by 60%, according to a government census. In response, Tanzania developed a strategy of intelligence-led investigations.

Thursday, 7 May 2020
Pinnock D 2020. How the Coronavirus changes poaching strategies.

Wild animals are back. Kangaroos bounding through the streets of Melbourne, elephant herds passing through Indian villages, jackals in Johannesburg, leopards in Mumbai, wild boar in Bergamo and Verreaux eagles catching thermals above a silent Cape Town. And of course, inevitable cartoons of humans in surgical masks staring forlornly at animals playing on the sidewalk. Is lockdown good news for creatures - or for poachers?

Friday, 27 March 2020
Uupindi K 2020. Sixteen arrested for poaching.

The Namibia Police Force arrested and charged 16 suspects on charges of rhino or elephant poaching and conspiracy of elephant poaching last week. Police also confiscated five firearms, rounds of ammunitions and a motor vehicle. Among other items which were recovered during the anti-poaching operation  are;  varied wild life products  such as  four elephant tusks, a pangolin skin , two duiker carcasses, one waterbuck carcass and one warthog carcass.

Monday, 4 December 2017
Itamalo M 2017. Three arrested with two rhino horns.

Ohangwena police on Friday arrested three men found with two fresh rhino horns. The trio were arrested at a temporary roadblock at Omungwelume. According to Ohangwena police spokesperson, sergeant Abner Kaume Itumba, the men were travelling in a seven-seater vehicle when they were arrested.

Thursday, 19 October 2017
Itamalo M 2017. Rhino injures suspected poacher.

A suspected poacher was severely injured by a rhino in the Etosha National Park on Saturday evening. Warrant officer Simson Shilongo of the police in Kunene told The Namibian yesterday that Luteni Muharukua (age unknown) and other alleged poachers had entered the national park illegally to poach rhinos.

Monday, 21 August 2017
Itamalo M 2017. Two men found with fresh rhino horns.

Two Namibian men were arrested on Saturday afternoon at a roadblock in the Ohangwena region after police found two fresh rhino horns in their luggage. According to Ohangwena police spokesman sergeant Abner Kaume Itumba, the men aged 29 and 32 were arrested at the Onhuno roadblock in the Helao Nafidi town.

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