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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 - 13 of 13
Tuesday, 16 January 2024
Ombati C 2024. Policeman among two arrested with elephant tusks in Nairobi.

The police constable and a civilian had been arrested in Nairobi West and Eastleigh with the cargo on Sunday. They had tried to sell the trophies to Kenya Wildlife Service ocials who had posed as potential buyers.

Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Ombati C 2023. Kenya: Two arrested with 77kgs of elephant tusks worth Sh12m in Samburu.

Two men were on Tuesday arrested while trafficking 36 pieces of elephant tusks weighing 77 kilogrammes valued at Sh12 million in Maralal, Samburu county.

Monday, 24 October 2022
Vuso S 2022. Third Eastern Cape prison escapee nabbed after begging for food in Makhanda.

Cape Town - A third prisoner who escaped from custody in Makhanda last week has been rearrested. Trymore Chauke was nabbed on Sunday after police received information about a possible escapee who was alleged to have been asking people for food in the farming community of Seven Fountains in Makhanda. A police task team immediately followed up on the lead and within 30 minutes Chauke was rearrested, police said. He escaped from the facility through a window with six other inmates last week. He was held in custody for rhino poaching.

Monday, 15 August 2022
Vuso S 2022. SANParks to investigate suspected poisoning at Kruger National Park after buffalo carcass found.

SA National Parks (SANParks) says it is investigating a suspected poisoning incident in the Kruger National Park after the discovery of a buffalo carcass which appeared to have been laced with poison last Thursday. More than 100 dead vultures and a dead hyena likely to have fed off the carcass were also found on the scene.

Wednesday, 25 August 2021
Kamati E 2021. Beweerde stropers bly in aanhouding.

Die drie mans het verlede week hul eerste hofverskyning gemaak nadat hulle op 'n gruispad naby Ohorongo Cement in besit van 'n knaldemper, lewendige ammunisie, 'n jaggeweer, swaarkaliber-ammunisie, 'n mes en 'n panga betrap is. Die vermoede is dat hulle onderweg was om renosters op 'n nabygeleë plaas te stroop.

Wednesday, 25 August 2021
Kamati E 2021. Accused poachers remanded at Otavi.

Three suspects arrested on poaching charges near Otavi last week were remanded in custody by the Otavi magistrate's court. The three were arrested on a gravel road near the Ohorongo Cement factory on Tuesday. They were found in possession of a silencer, ammunition, one hunting rifle, a knife and a machete. They were suspected to have been on a rhino poaching mission at a nearby farm.

Monday, 2 August 2021
Ombati C 2021. Kenya: Police arrest four suspects with Sh10 million elephant tusks.

Police said the four were found in possession of 19 pieces of the jumbo tusks. The tusks have a street value of Sh10 million.

Sunday, 16 May 2021
Nkala O 2021. Southern Africa: Botswana rhino poaching worsens as government dithers.

Kasane - Rhino poaching in Botswana is getting worse, and the government is not helping matters in any way due to its split attitude on the crisis. On the one hand, the government of President Mokgweetsi Masisi - in power since 2018 - acknowledges the seriousness of the crisis but, when it suits it, the administration ambivalently denies any calamity and neglects taking decisive action.

Thursday, 18 March 2021
Nkala O 2021. Namibian rhino poaching suspect is a fugitive from justice in Botswana.

The Namibian man intercepted alongside a party of suspected Zambian rhino poachers that he was attempting to guide into Botswana is a repeat offender wanted in Botswana for skipping the country when he was due for prosecution for rhino poaching and illegal possession of firearms, the Botswana Gazette can reveal.

Monday, 18 January 2021
Nkala O 2021. The perfect rhino crime.

Zimbabwean police officer Sergeant Tawanda Kwaramba drove from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls on September 16 2019, on a mission to undermine the law he had sworn to uphold. In Victoria Falls he loaded seven Chinese nationals into a stolen car and drove more than 900km to Sango on the border with Mozambique. From Sango border post, the Chinese nationals - Zeng Dengui, Peicon Jang, Liu Cheng, Yu Xian, Yong Zhiu, Cheng Zhiang and Qui Jinchang - were driven across south-central Mozambique to Maputo and the safety of a Chinese fishing boat that was due to sail them home.

Thursday, 10 September 2020
Kamati E 2020. Poaching carnage at Randveld farm: Randveld, a farm between Otjiwarongo and Outjo, fell victim to a poaching spree on Sunday morning.

Three poachers brutally killed eight calves and mutilated six more on the farm Randveld of Jacques Swartz at around 02:00 on Sunday. The calves were attacked with spears and axes, and their intestines were ripped out. Swartz said he and a few watchmen were doing their night patrol - something they started doing regularly after a similar incident last month when four cattle were killed in a similar incident.

Friday, 24 August 2018
Nkala O 2018. Confessions of an ivory poacher.

Oscar Nkala talks to a jailed Zambian elephant poacher about the structure, financing and operations of cross-border smuggling gangs.

Friday, 1 December 2017
Nkala O 2017. Faces behind Namibia's donkey abattoirs.

Who are the people driving Namibiaʼs plans to open commercial abattoirs for donkey meat and skins for Asia? Oscar Nkala tracks them down.

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