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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 - 17 of 17
Wednesday, 23 August 2023
Terblanché N 2023. Illegal wire snares are decimating wildlife in Etosha.

People that have settled in communities in various areas of the Etosha National Park, one of
Namibia's premier tourist attractions are decimating wildlife by using wire snares to kill animals for
food.

Tuesday, 6 July 2021
Mkanyika L 2021. Kenya: Three jailed 16 years each for poaching of 187 dik-diks.

A Voi court has sentenced three people found guilty of poaching 187 dikdiks in Tsavo East National Park to 16 years in prison each. In the ruling made on Monday, the court also imposed a fine of Sh2.2 million. Kaviha Charo, Katana Unda and Bugo Suluhu will serve their jail terms at Manyani Maximum Security Prison in Voi, Taita Taveta County.

Wednesday, 30 June 2021
Mkanyika L 2021. Kenya: Age question delays sentencing of dikdik poachers.

Three people accused of poaching 187 dikdiks will spend another week in remand in Voi, Taita Taveta County, after the court pushed their sentencing to July 5. Voi Principal Magistrate Cecilia Kithinji ordered that the suspects be detained for one more week. The accused - Kaviha Charo, Katana Unda and Bugo Suluhu - pleaded guilty to three charges related to poaching wildlife on June 21. They were arrested with the animals in Akales, Galana Ranch, in Tsavo East, Kilifi County.

Tuesday, 22 June 2021
Mkanyika L 2021. Kenya: Three suspected poachers plead guilty over dik dik game meat seizure.

Three suspected poachers arrested with 187 dik-diks in Tsavo East were on Monday charged at the Voi Law Court.

Monday, 1 February 2021
Terblanché N 2021. Poachers caught red handed.

Excellent cooperation between the farming community and the Namibian Police in the area of Kapps Farm saw the arrest of three men suspected of poaching wildlife. According to a member of the farming community, the owner of Farm Bellrode discovered that there are poachers on his property on Sunday afternoon when he saw two strange dogs running through the bushes.

Tuesday, 14 July 2020
Terblanché N 2020. Police hunting for poacher gang.

The discovery of a camouflage uniform of the Namibian Defence Force among the belongings of a gang of poachers has added another aspect to the investigation into illegal hunting in Namibia’s national parks. Members of the public who spotted the poachers attempting to recover a broken down vehicle with the help of a second vehicle from the desert in the vicinity of the Kuiseb Canyon informed the Namibian Police about the suspicious activity. The gang of poachers and the people assisting them to recover the broken down vehicle fled on foot when they spotted the vehicles…

Tuesday, 16 June 2020
Shikongo A 2020. Wildlife gets bulk of environment budget.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has allocated 36% of its budget to wildlife and protected area management. This was announced by minister of environment, forestry and tourism Pohamba Shifeta during his budget motivation in the National Assembly on Thursday.

Thursday, 4 June 2020
Shikongo A 2020. 16 Namibians nabbed for Wildlife crime.

The report, which is jointly compiled by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism's intelligence and investigations unit and the protected resources division of the Namibian Police, detailed that the seven cases saw the arrest of 16 suspects. All those apprehended are Namibian nationals. Of those arrested, 11 were in connection with rhino poaching or trafficking, two in connection with elephant poaching or trafficking, two for the hunting of giraffe, and one for contravening the Arms and Ammunition Act. Among the wildlife products seized were six rhino…

Tuesday, 5 May 2020
Terblanché N 2020. Poachers cause havoc during lockdown.

Resettlement farms and other government owned land in rural areas of Namibia have become the secure staging ground from where syndicates can perpetrate serious crimes such as murder, poaching and stock theft with seeming impunity. As a result, members of the farming community have had to take on the added responsibility of continuously safeguarding animals and property against the relentless onslaught of criminals.

Tuesday, 10 March 2020
Shikongo A 2020. K9 unit thwarts suspected oryx poachers.

Police reservists at Karibib intercepted a group of poachers, who had killed two oryx at Farm Albrechtshohe, but were only able to apprehend one of the four suspects.

Tuesday, 22 October 2019
Shikongo A 2019. Police seize tusks, animal hides.

The Namibian Police last week seized an array of wildlife products comprising elephant tusks, kudu horns and hides, civet skin and warthog carcasses, amongst others.

Tuesday, 23 July 2019
Terblanché N 2019. NAC meat thieves kill rare African wild dog pack.

Three security officers and three employees of the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) are in custody at the Hosea Kutako International Airport after they killed two near extinct African wild dogs and wounded another one that was part of a pack of five in order to steal a kudu carcass that the animals managed to kill on the world famous N/a’an ku sê wildlife sanctuary where the animals were in the process of being rehabilitated.

Friday, 24 May 2019
Shikongo A 2019. Justice ministry to prioritise wildlife crime.

Government is tightening the noose on wildlife crime syndicates as the country's flora and fauna increasingly become endangered.

Monday, 25 March 2019
Terblanché N 2019. Well known stock theft suspect arrested in Okahandja.

A wild car chase through the streets of Okahandja that ended in a minor motor vehicle accident resulted in the arrest of the 50-year-old Frieda Goses, a well known stock theft suspect from Otjimbingwe.

Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Terblanché N 2019. Hunt still on for fleeing desert poachers.

Officials from the Ministry of Environment assisted by police reservists from Walvis Bay discovered the carcasses of several poached Oryx when they went looking for poachers operating in the Namib Naukluft National Park. According to the official police report provided by Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Gurirab, acting Erongo Regional Crime Investigations Coordinator, a team comprising of environment ministry officials and Namibian Police Reservists, came across three to five suspects, while they were slaughtering illegally hunted Oryx.

Sunday, 24 February 2019
Terblanché N 2019. Security guards face a charge of attempted murder.

Five farm security guards face a charge of attempted murder after wounding a suspected poacher who was in the process of fleeing from a makeshift camp on a farm near Karibib. According to Deputy Commissioner Erastus Iikuyu, Erongo Regional Crime Investigations Coordinator, the shooting incident occurred early on Thursday morning on the Farm Okondura Nord No. 15 when a group of five farm security guards discovered three suspected poachers in a camp in the bushes.

Sunday, 17 February 2019
Terblanché N 2019. NAC meat thieves set free on bail.

The six men who were caught red handed with the carcass of a kudu they stole from a pack of African Wild dogs after killing two and wounding one of the nearly extinct carnivores made their first appearance in the Katutura Magistrate’s Court and were all set free on bail during court proceedings.

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