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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 - 6 of 6
Monday, 13 May 2024
Iyambo S 2024. Two arrested over wildlife products.

A Namibian (28) and an Angolan national (32) were arrested over the weekend for allegedly being found in possession of pangolin skin without permits, says national police spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi.

Sunday, 26 November 2023
Iyambo S 2023. Suspect arrested, 24 elephant tusks confiscated in Zambezi.

One suspect has been arrested while seven suspects fled from the scene after officials discovered 24 elephant tusks in a car at Katima Mulilo on Friday.

Monday, 26 September 2022
McCain N, Lekoma N 2022. Rhino poaching hits private game reserves in the pocket.

Private game reserves are buckling under the costs of keeping rhinos safe from poachers. This as the trend shows poachers have set their sights on private reserves. More than 250 rhinos were poached in the first half of the year.

Saturday, 27 August 2022
McCain N, Lekoma N 2022. Rhino conservation groups call for cross-border enforcement as poaching numbers rise after Covid-19.

Rhino conservation groups say a collaborative, cross-border approach is needed to stop poaching. South Africa lost 259 rhinos to poaching in the first half of the year. Private game reserves are increasingly targeted by poachers, forcing them to increase security measures.

Monday, 25 May 2020
Wiltshire J, Macdonald IAW 2020. Why are rhinos important for ecosystems?.

Most people understand that the poaching of rhinos is cruel and could, quite possibly, drive rhinos to extinction. But why the inordinate fuss about rhinos? Are they special enough from an ecological point of view, that ecosystems need them to be around? Of course, no species should go extinct due to man, and rhinos are iconic symbols and tourism draw-cards.

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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