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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
Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Kheibes E 2024. Three men caught with protected plants worth N$80 000.

Three Namibians were nabbed last week after they were caught in possession of close to 450 kilograms of protected plants, estimated to be worth nearly N$80 000. According to the Namibian Police, the three men - aged 27, 30 and 37 - were caught at the Namasira police checkpoint in the Kavango West Region last Friday. Police discovered the men were transporting seven 150-kilogram bags containing 176 gouty-vine (cyphostemma) plants weighing, 429 kilograms in total. The pants were valued at N$79 288.

Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Shefeni S 2023. Bail hearing in rare-plant poaching case.

A suspected plant-tracking kingpin, Diana Mashiku (29) from Tanzania, and her three Namibian co-accused are scheduled to apply for bail on Thursday in the Opuwo Magistrate's Court. Mashiku and her Namibian assistants - Veisiruaije Tjavara (25), Jenniter Simataa (37) and Tjivinda Unatavi (31) - were arrested for allegedly being in possession of 46 Adenia pechuelii plants, known as elephant's foot, which they allegedly harvested without a permit. They were arrested between 21 October and 10 November in the Okondjombo area of the Kunene region.

Monday, 18 December 2023
Shefeni S 2023. Rare plant poaching case heading to court.

A suspected plant-tracking kingpin, Diana Mashiku (29) from Tanzania, and her three Namibian co-accused are scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing on 21 December. Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesperson Romeo Muyunda says there is a growing trend of criminal syndicates using locals to illegally harvest Namibia's unique plant species. "This case is one of many where international poaching syndicates use Namibian enablers to persuade local community members to nd and harvest the plants for a small fee.

Wednesday, 16 February 2022
Masika C 2022. Man in court for trying to sell Sh300,000 tusks to cops.

The charge sheet says the tusks weighed three kilograms, worth Sh300,000.

Monday, 29 March 2021
Simasiku O 2021. Cop, pastor nabbed for possession of rhino horn.

An Otjiwarongo-based police constable and a pastor of the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church were arrested on Friday in Omuthiya after they were found in possession of a rhino horn. A third accomplice from Oshana region was also arrested. The trio was apprehended around 02h15 after the police received a tipoff from Otjiwarongo that the suspects were allegedly carrying prohibited contents.

Tuesday, 23 July 2019
Simasiku O 2019. NDF member nabbed for illegal hunting.

An instructor at Valombola Vocational Training Center in Ongwediva and a member of the Namibian Defence Force attached to the Otavi   military base, were on  Sunday arrested by the Oshikoto police for illegal hunting.

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