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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t's a grim and all too common sight for rangers at some of Africa’s nature reserves: the bullet-riddled carcass of an elephant, its tusks removed by poachers. African elephant populations have fallen by about 30% since 2006. Poaching has driven the decline. Some reserves, like Garamba in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Selous in Tanzania, have lost hundreds of elephants to poachers over the last decade. But others, like Etosha National Park in Namibia, have been targeted far less.
The number of rhinos being poached in Namibia, home to the world's second-biggest population of the animals, is surging with the government and environmental non-profits suspecting that international syndicates are shifting their focus from South Africa. In the 12 months to the end of August, 74 rhinos were killed illegally, compared with just 16 in the first eight months of 2021, according to government statistics.
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SA_2022_09_Rhino poaching rises in Namibia as population falls in South Africa_News24.pdf | 246.83 KB |
Namibia is experiencing a surge in poaching, with the number of poached rhinoceros rising to 48 this year, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said Wednesday. In a statement, Muyunda said of the poached rhinoceros, 32 were black rhinoceros and 16 were white rhinoceros.
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NAM_Rhinoceros poaching surges in Namibia_The Star.pdf | 348.34 KB |
Endangered African painted dogs are at the risk of local extinction due to poachers hunting other wildlife at Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park. The painted dogs are victims of rampant poaching by local and international syndicates hunting for wildlife such as buffaloes and elephants. Although poachers have no interest in painted dogs themselves, they become victims of snares or poisoned water sources meant for other game. The destruction of their habitants is also cited as one of the reasons why the painted dogs face extinction. "It’s not about the painted dogs only.
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ZIM_2022_05_Poachers kill endangered painted dogs in Zimbabwes Hwange National Park_Independent.pdf | 486.29 KB |
Four people were arrested in the Kamanjab area after they were found with rhino horns.
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NAM_2021_07_Four caught with rhino horns_The Namibian.pdf | 580.6 KB |
According to police crime coordinator deputy commissioner Moses Simaho, the suspects were arrested after they tried to sell the scales to undercover officers at Epalela on Tuesday at 09:30. The pangolin products as well as cannabis were allegedly smuggled into the country from Angola without a permit from competent authorities in that country. "The two suspects have been arrested for possession of and dealing with controlled wildlife and dealing in prohibited dependence-producing drugs. We seized a bag containing cannabis whose value has not yet been determined and 2,22 pangolin…
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NAM_2021_06_Two nabbed for possessing pangolin scales_The Namibian.pdf | 361.88 KB |
Environmentalists and conservation groups have expressed their dismay over the decision by the Windhoek High Court to fine two ivory smugglers only N$20,000, saying such a slap on the wrist defeats Government’s efforts to curb poaching.
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NAM_2017-08_Outrage over N20 000 ivory smuggling fine_Windhoek Observer.pdf | 302.69 KB |
Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) has increased in profile in recent years as a global policy issue, largely because of its association with declines in prominent internationally trafficked species. In this review, we explore the scale of IWT, associated threats to biodiversity, and appropriate responses to these threats.
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Illegal wildlife trade Scale_processes_and governance.pdf | 515.96 KB |