This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:
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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Zambezi regional police arrested two Zambian nationals for possession of 15 elephant tusks in the Kapani area of the Linyanti constituency on Sunday. The two Zambian nationals, aged 29 and 32, were part of a group of seven, however,
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NAM_2023_11_Zambezi police make another elephant tusk bust_The Namibian.pdf | 115.95 KB |
The Zambezi regional police need the public's assistance to arrest the suspects behind the killing of a hippopotamus, valued at N$100 000. Speaking to The Namibian on Tuesday, police regional spokesperson inspector Kisco Sitali said they are investigating a case of hunting of a specially protected animal in the Sikunga conservancy, after a dead hippo was found floating in the Zambezi River near Mubala Lodge around 10H00 on Friday.
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NAM_2023_05_Zambezi police searching for suspected hippo poachers at Kalimbeza_The Namibian.pdf | 157.06 KB |
Cape Town - Four men from Milnerton pleaded guilty and were sentenced following their arrest for the possession of abalone valued at more than R4.8 million.
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SA_2023_03_Abalone poachers plead guilty in Cape Town Magistrates Court_IOL.pdf | 228.88 KB |
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has launched an investigation into the poaching of two hippos in the Muyako area of the Zambezi region. This comes after the carcass of a hippo was on Sunday found by community members, who then alerted ministry officials Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda on Monday said it is suspected that the hippo died as a result of a bullet wound, and that it was shot on Saturday night. He said this was the second hippo killed in the same way in the area this year, with the first incident reported in February.
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NAM_2023_03_Two hippos poached at Muyako_Zambezi_The Namibian.pdf | 299.15 KB |
An environment and tourism official was arrested with three other men for illegally hunting a protected blue wildebeest in the Daan Viljoen game park, west of Windhoek. They were arrested on Tuesday at the roadblock, west of Windhoek, leading to the game park. The suspects, including the official in uniform, were nabbed with a whole carcass of the wildebeest in the boot of their sedan. Blue wildebeest are classified as protected and endangered species in Namibia. The official is said to be stationed at the park as an assistant game ranger for the environment ministry.
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NAM_2023_02_MET official nabbed for alleged poaching_New Eera.pdf | 252.96 KB |
The environment and tourism ministry has said rhino poaching remains a serious concern with 87 rhinos poached in 2022, consisting of 61 black rhinos and 26 white rhinos. The ministry’s spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, yesterday said the 2022 poaching cases include 15 rhinos poached on rhino custodianship farms, another 25 on white rhino private farms and a majority of 46 were killed in the Etosha National Park.
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NAM_2023_01_Etosha remains poaching hotspot_New Era.pdf | 270.82 KB |
The environment and tourism ministry says even though it continues to record successes in its fight against wildlife crime, poaching of highly valued species remains a concern. Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda over the weekend said 63 rhinos have been poached in the country this year alone. This includes 41 black rhinos and 22 white rhinos. This year’s poaching cases include 15 rhinos poached on custodianship farms, another 22 on private farms and 26 in the Etosha National Park.
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NAM_2022_11_Poaching remains unabated_New Era.pdf | 266.55 KB |
Uitkoms - As the population of Farm Uitkoms grows, crimes and social ills such as poaching, stock theft and drug and alcohol abuse are skyrocketing. Farm Uitkoms, housing mainly marginalised Namibians some 160km north-east of Okahandja, is seen as the epitome of self-sustainability in terms of government resettlement efforts. In 2008, retired veteran politician Dr Libertina Amathila, who at the time held the portfolio of Deputy Prime Minister, vigorously spearheaded a campaign that saw the marginalised San community resettled at this farm.
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NAM_2022_07_Poaching rife around farm Uitkoms_New Era.pdf | 472.69 KB |
Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta has redeployed retired police commander Ndahangwapo Kashihakumwa to lead anti-poaching efforts in the Etosha National Park. The national park has been hard-hit by poachers in recent weeks, including the discovery of 11 rhino carcasses.
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NAM_2022_06_Kashihakumwa redeployed to tackle Etosha poaching_New Era.pdf | 380.07 KB |
Namibia will soon make use of DNA analysis in forensic investigations into animal abuse and crimes such as illegal smuggling, poaching and the illegal trade in protected species. Using DNA analysis will make it possible to identify the species and geographical origin, such as the population of a forensic sample, and to also individualise the sample with high levels of probability. Police chief Sebastian Ndeitunga this week announced that the capacitation of the new National Forensic Science Institute of Namibia is at an advanced stage.
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NAM_2022_06_Cops turn to DNA analysis in wildlife crimes_New Era.pdf | 446.49 KB |
Environment, forestry and tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta has revealed that Namibia's elephant population has grown to an estimated 23 736 since independence.
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NAM_2021_10_Elephant conservation efforts yield results Shifeta_The Namibian.pdf | 616.78 KB |
Stakeholders of the Tsavo Landscape Multi-Agency Wildlife Security Hub in Taita Taveta have agreed to establish wildlife security hubs to tackle human-wildlife conflicts, illegal trafficking and poaching. The two state of the art centres will be located at Kenya Wildlife Services office in Voi and at the Kasigau wildlife corridor. Wildlife insecurity in Kenya is characterised by poaching, illicit trade, commercial poaching for bush meat and destruction of habitats.
Namibia has lost nine rhinos to poaching in various national parks this year, according to the environment ministry. The statistics show three black, and six white rhinos were poached this year alone. The three black rhinos were killed in the Etosha National Park, while six rhinos were poached for their horns at private-owned white rhino reserves. Environment spokesperson Romeo Muyunda also issued national elephant poaching statistics per year from 2014 to 2021.
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NAM_2021_07_Nine rhinos poached in 2021_New Era Live.pdf | 408.64 KB |
Barks Sobozi (44) was arrested at Silonga after months of joint investigations by the Wildlife Protection Services (WPS) division of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, and the Namibian Defence Force. Sobozi is allegedly part of a transnational syndicate suspected of rhino poaching in the Botswana Delta.
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NAM_2021_03_Suspected poaching syndicate member denied bail_The Namibian.pdf | 1.01 MB |
A 59-year-old Namibian man was arrested on Friday for the alleged illegal possession of five lechwe carcasses in the Chikuzwe area of the Zambezi region. Zambezi's regional head of the police's protected resources unit, Morgan Saisai, told The Namibian today that after gathering intelligence, they set up a roadblock at Chikuzwe, which led to suspect's arrest.
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NAM_2021_03_Man arrested for alleged illegal possession of lechwe carcasses_The Namibian.pdf | 651.39 KB |
Etosha - Although poaching of endangered species such as rhino and elephant have been reported to be minimal in the Etosha National Park, environment minister Pohamba Shifeta has called on law enforcement officials to do ballistic testing among communities adjacent to the park. Shifeta made the call Wednesday when he was briefed on the security situation cluster on antipoaching operation 'Yes Ongava' phase 18 in the Etosha National Park.
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NAM_2020-11_K9 unit helps sniff out poacher_New Era.pdf | 504.52 KB |
A twenty-year-old Zambian man was arrested on Sunday in the Zambezi region after he was found in possession of one elephant tusk and 81 pangolin scales.
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NAM_2020-08_Zambian nabbed for ivory_pangolin scales_The Namibian.pdf | 716.9 KB |
Fishermen on a fishing expedition stumbled upon a bag containing four elephant tusks hidden in shallow waters between Ondangwa and Ongwediva over the long Africa Day weekend. A group of village boys between Opoto and Shipepe locations near Ongwediva were fishing in the water channel near the road when they made the elephant tusks discovery.
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NAM_2020-05_Fishing expedition stumbles on elephant tusks_NewEra.pdf | 295.92 KB |
The ministry of environment has started an investigation after an elephant was found dead on a farm in the Kavango East region. According to ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda, the elephant was found dead in a crop field with its tusks intact at farm Nanava within the Linena constituency over the weekend. The elephant was reportedly found with a bullet wound above the right eye. The farm is approximately 90km southeast of Rundu. He said a follow up was done on Saturday by the ministry staff, the protected resources unit and the police special field force.
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NAM_2020-05_Elephant found dead in Kavango East_New Era Live.pdf | 842.1 KB |
A 31-Year-old Zambian man was arrested yesterday arrested at Mukuyu village after he was found in possession of one elephant tusk and a rhino horn.
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NAM_2019-08_Man nabbed for possession of elephant tusk_rhino horn - The Namibian.pdf | 593.11 KB |
Two men were arrested at Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi region on Wednesday after they were found in possession of four elephant tusks.
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NAM_2019-07_Two suspected poachers arrested in Zambezi region again_The Namibian.pdf | 276.64 KB |
Two suspected poachers were arrested on Monday night after they were found in possession of a crocodile skin in Kongola area of the Zambezi region.
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NAM_2019-07_Suspected poachers arrested in Zambezi region_The Namibian.pdf | 354.33 KB |
A man was denied bail on a charge of possession of six elephant tusks yesterday in the Katima Mulilo Magistrate's Court.
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NAM_2019-05_Man denied bail for possession of six elephant tusks_The Namibian.pdf | 478.2 KB |
Six suspected poachers were arrested in Zambezi region after they were found in possession of four elephant tusks, two elephant tails and one zebra skin yesterday.
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NAM_2019-03_Six in for possession of tusks_zebra skin_The Namibian.pdf | 284.23 KB |
Two suspected poachers were arrested on Friday in the Zambezi region for being in possession of zebra meat without a permit.
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NAM_2019-01_Two suspected zebra poachers arrested_The Namibian.pdf | 505.17 KB |
Police in the Zambezi region are calling on community members who have a missing relative to come and identify the body of a suspected poacher who was killed during a chase over the weekend in the Bwabwata National Park. Zambezi regional police commissioner Karel Theron yesterday said the man was killed during a shoot-out between the police, members of the anti-poaching unit, and suspected poachers on Saturday.
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NAM_2018-04_Suspected poacher killed by police_The Namibian.pdf | 385.79 KB |
Five suspects who were arrested last week for being in possession of four elephant tusks were denied bail in the Katima Mulilo Magisitrate's Court on Monday.
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NAM_2018-01_Five suspected poachers denied bail_The Namibian.pdf | 350.32 KB |
The police in the Zambezi region have arrested four Namibians and one Zambian suspect after they were allegedly found in possession of four elephant tusks on Friday.
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NAM_2018-01_Five suspected poachers arrested in Zambezi_The Namibian.pdf | 353.32 KB |