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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 - 12 of 12
Thursday, 1 September 2022
Matthys D 2022. 48 rhinos poached in 8 months.

The first eight months of 2022 saw 48 rhinos poached, four times more than the rhinos poached in 2021, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism announced on Wednesday. The country recorded 44 rhinos poached in 2021, 42 in 2020, 57 in 2019, 83 in 2018, and 55 in 2017. The Etosha National Park alone saw 20 cases this year, with two carcasses discovered in the area just last week. In total, 32 poached rhinos are black and 16 are white. A total of 12 black rhinos were poached on custodianship farms and 16 white rhinos were poached on private farms.

Thursday, 1 September 2022
Matthys D 2022. 48 rhinos fall prey to poachers.

Namibia saw 48 rhinos killed for their horns in the first eight months of 2022, four more than the 44 cases reported in 2021. The country recorded 44 rhinos poached in 2021, 42 in 2020, 57 in 2019, 83 in 2018, and 55 in 2017. Etosha National Park alone saw 20 cases this year, with two carcasses discovered in the area just last week. The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said of the poached rhinos, 32 are black and 16 are white.

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.

Sunday, 25 October 2020
Simpson M 2020. South Africa - SANParks laments arrest of employees for alleged rhino poaching.

The employees, two of whom are security guards while the other is attached to technical services at one of the Kruger National Park rest camps, appeared in court on Thursday following the discovery of fresh rhino horns in their vehicle. In a statement released by SANParks on Friday, the Managing Executive for the Kruger park, Gareth Coleman, said it was "always disheartening when colleagues from SANParks are involved in criminal activities.

Sunday, 13 September 2020
Simpson M 2020. Pangolin rescued and three people arrested in North West.

Illegal trade in the endangered animals on the rise again as lockdown decreases. Several pangolins have already been rescued this year.

Sunday, 23 August 2020
Simpson M 2020. Police sting operation leads to abalone seizure and arrest.

Large abalone consignment was kept under surveillance as it travelled from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Police have seized abalone worth an estimated R3-million at a home in the Johannesburg suburb of Mayfair and arrested a 46-year-old man.

Saturday, 1 August 2020
Simpson M 2020. Lockdown restrictions help cut rhino poaching by half this year.

Minister says efforts are paying off, with lockdown and increased law enforcement efforts cutting rhino deaths to 166 to date.

Monday, 6 July 2020
Matthys D 2020. B2Gold supports community-backed rhino conservation efforts in north-west Namibia.

With conservation funding affected by the lockdown, a number of areas in north-western Namibia’s rhino range have been left exposed by the lack of tourists thus requiring extra patrolling. With the donation of 1,000 ounces of gold by B2Gold, the launch of the B2Gold Rhino Gold Bar in January 2020 and the subsequent sale of 600 bars to local buyers, the B2Gold Rhino Gold Bar Advisory Committee has responded to the crisis.

Friday, 3 April 2020
Tswanya Y 2020. American nabbed with 354 plants by CapeNature sentenced.

Cape Town - An American citizen has been sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for five years, and further banned from the country for the illegal possession of indigenous plants. Kalman Kaminar was sentenced in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on two counts of illegal possession of succulent plants declared as protected.

Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Matthys D 2020. Anti-rhino poaching short film to screen at DHPS next week.

Local short film, ‘Baxu and the Giants’ will have its first public screening of the year at the DHPS Auditorium, on Thursday, 6 February. Entrance is free but any donations to the Save the Rhino Trust will be welcome.

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.

Friday, 20 June 2014
Toivo B 2014. Poison can end rhino poaching.

Rhinos are known for their distinctive horn or in some cases two horns on their nose. It's a great shame how some people do not consider these animals as the treasures that they are. They are also known as part of the big five.

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