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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 - 27 of 27
Saturday, 7 May 2022
Katanda P 2022. Trio nabbed with 37 kilograms of ivory.

Three Harare men appeared in court charged with illegal possession of ivory after they were caught with 37kgs of elephant tasks.

Wednesday, 23 June 2021
Ngcobo N 2021. Concern over rise in poaching at PMB nature reserve.

"In the last couple of weeks, we found in certain areas a marked increase in the number of snares and a zebra was just left to rot where it had died, caught up in the snare." "We need to ask people to walk regularly and look for the snares. Quite often, they will set the snares and then they don't return in time to see if the animal has been caught in the snare and the animal is just left to rot." The Msunduzi Municipality has also raised concern about the rise in poaching at the reserve in recent weeks.

Tuesday, 8 June 2021
Shikongo A 2021. Police, military officers arrested over wildlife crime.

Among the items seized from the suspects are four elephant tusks, two rhino horns, one live pangolin, a giraffe skin and a pangolin skin.

Friday, 5 February 2021
Shikongo A 2021. Less poaching, more arrests in 2020.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism recorded fewer incidents of wildlife poaching and maintained a high number of arrests for wildlife crime in 2020, minister Pohamba Shifeta says.

Thursday, 3 September 2020
Shikongo A 2020. 'Butcher' poacher locked up for 30 years.

Notorious Congolese poacher Mobanza Mobembo Gérard, who is said to have poached some 500 elephants in the Republic of Congo, was last month sentenced to a 30-year jail term in an unprecedented wildlife crime conviction in that country.

Thursday, 13 August 2020
Shikongo A 2020. Elephant, pangolin crimes still highest.

More than half of 363 suspects arrested for animal poaching or trafficking in 2020 were apprehended for crimes involving high-value animal species. This includes rhino, elephant and pangolin, according to the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.

Thursday, 6 August 2020
Shikongo A 2020. US helps Namibia pounce on pangolin smugglers.

The Namibian Police successfully arrested four suspected pangolin traffickers in a first-of-its-kind cooperation. This in partnership with US law enforcement through the US embassy in Windhoek. 
A statement issued by the embassy yesterday said information received by their investigations office in Pretoria was passed on to local authorities to facilitate the successful arrest of the suspects.

Tuesday, 4 August 2020
Shikongo A 2020. Five nabbed over wild cat skins.

Five suspects were arrested last week for contravening the Controlled Wildlife Products and Trade Act after they were allegedly found in possession of lion and leopard skins.

Thursday, 9 July 2020
Ngatjiheue C, Shikongo A 2020. Rhino, elephant poaching cases down.

Namibia has recorded a drastic drop in rhino and elephant poaching cases in the past three years because of improved response mechanisms, the government said yesterday. Minister of environment Pohamba Shifeta said the country has seen a reduction in rhino poaching numbers from 78 cases in 2018, 49 in 2019 and 17 so far this year.

Tuesday, 7 July 2020
Shikongo A 2020. Environment ministry receives donation for Canine Unit.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism today received a donation of a vehicle and vetenary drugs for the ministry's Canine Unit, aimed at supporting anti-poaching efforts. The two donations were made by Standard Bank and Swavet, MDS Animal Health and the Rhino Park Private Hospital, at a handover ceremony hosted in Windhoek today.

Tuesday, 16 June 2020
Shikongo A 2020. Wildlife gets bulk of environment budget.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has allocated 36% of its budget to wildlife and protected area management. This was announced by minister of environment, forestry and tourism Pohamba Shifeta during his budget motivation in the National Assembly on Thursday.

Thursday, 4 June 2020
Shikongo A 2020. 16 Namibians nabbed for Wildlife crime.

The report, which is jointly compiled by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism's intelligence and investigations unit and the protected resources division of the Namibian Police, detailed that the seven cases saw the arrest of 16 suspects. All those apprehended are Namibian nationals. Of those arrested, 11 were in connection with rhino poaching or trafficking, two in connection with elephant poaching or trafficking, two for the hunting of giraffe, and one for contravening the Arms and Ammunition Act. Among the wildlife products seized were six rhino…

Wednesday, 27 May 2020
Ngcobo N 2020. KZN poaching drops since virus lockdown.

KZN Ezemvelo Wildlife says they have seen a decrease in poaching since the start of the national lockdown. But the conservation body says they remain on high alert as poachers continue to operate in the province. Last week, a suspect was arrested in Mtubatuba, North of KZN for the illegal possession and sale of elephant ivory in the KwaMsane Township.

Wednesday, 8 April 2020
Shikongo A 2020. Wildlife crime arrests up in 2019.

Arrests for wildlife crime involving high-value species like elephants, rhinos and pangolins, increased by 36% in 2019 compared to the year before.

Wednesday, 1 April 2020
Shikongo A 2020. Anti-poaching activities not affected by lockdown.

The ministry of environment says its anti-poaching activities will not be hindered by the rapidly spreading coronavirus, which has forced many countries, Namibia included, into a lockdown.

Tuesday, 10 March 2020
Shikongo A 2020. K9 unit thwarts suspected oryx poachers.

Police reservists at Karibib intercepted a group of poachers, who had killed two oryx at Farm Albrechtshohe, but were only able to apprehend one of the four suspects.

Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Shikongo A 2020. Six arrested for pangolin skin possession.

LAW enforcement agents last week cracked down on six individuals who were found in possession of pangolin skin.

Tuesday, 22 October 2019
Shikongo A 2019. Police seize tusks, animal hides.

The Namibian Police last week seized an array of wildlife products comprising elephant tusks, kudu horns and hides, civet skin and warthog carcasses, amongst others.

Wednesday, 9 October 2019
Shikongo A 2019. Two arraigned over 100 ivory pieces.

Two men were arrested for being found in possession of 100 pieces of ivory, a summary of wildlife crime statistics from 30 September to 6 October details.

Tuesday, 10 September 2019
Shikongo A 2019. Police, suspected poacher exchange gunfire.

A 40-year-old suspected rhino poacher exchanged gunfire with a team of 15 Namibian Police officers and members of the Namibian Defence Force for nearly two hours on a farm outside Otavi on Sunday.

Friday, 24 May 2019
Shikongo A 2019. Justice ministry to prioritise wildlife crime.

Government is tightening the noose on wildlife crime syndicates as the country's flora and fauna increasingly become endangered.

Friday, 5 January 2018
Kahiurika N 2018. Ivory ban will boost illegal trade-Shifeta.

Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta yesterday said the Chinese government's ban on trade in ivory will only make the black market for rhino horns and elephant tusks more lucrative.

Monday, 23 January 2017
Kahiurika N 2017. Two more Chinese in court over rhino horns.

Another two Chinese nationals caught in possession of rhino horns last Thursday will appear in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court today.

Thursday, 24 March 2016
Kahiurika N 2016. Poaching an international concern - Shifeta.

Environment and tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta is concerned about the increasing poaching and illegal trafficking of wildlife products. He told visiting Interpol secretary general Jurgen Stock in Windhoek on Tuesday that Namibia could use more help and support from the international community to end the poaching and trafficking of wildlife products.

Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Kahiurika N 2016. Arrest buyers of poached products - Ankama.

Depity fisheries minister Chief Samuel Ankama says the only way to combat poaching is by apprehending the end-users, who keep the market alive.

Friday, 12 July 2013
Kahiurika N 2013. Elephant poaching a concern.

Over 72 elephants were poached in the Caprivi Region last year alone while six cases have been reported so far this year.

Shikongo A 2021. Intensified anti-poaching efforts bear results.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism says intensified efforts against poaching and other wildlife crimes are bearing results as law-enforcement agencies continue to wrangle poaching suspects.

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