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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 - 10 of 10
Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Pinnock D 2022. Kruger National Park's rhinos are headed for extinction, we must declare emergency.

Kruger National Park, the world's greatest refuge for rhinos, is losing them to poaching faster than they're being born. The park's last rhino may already be alive. It's time to declare an emergency.

Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Pinnock D 2022. Meet the hounds trained to track down rhino poachers in Kruger Park.

Rhino poachers entering Kruger National Park are increasingly being run down by packs of unleashed hunting hounds in full cry, followed by a chopper tracking their hi-tech GPS collars. As the baying pack approaches, the poacher has no idea the dogs are trained to not attack. They won't bite him (there are legal implications), but if he tries to harm the dogs, rangers will fire from the chopper. The poachers know this and no dog has yet
been lost to a poacher’s bullet.

Thursday, 10 February 2022
Onyenucheya A 2022. Nigeria: Customs intercepts N3.1bn pangolin scales, elephant tusks enroute Asia.

The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), in collaboration with the Wildlife Justice Commission, has intercepted pangolin scales and elephant tusks worth N3.1billion being transported through Nigeria to Asia. The Controller General of Customs, Hameed Ali, who disclosed this yesterday while displaying the seized items to journalists at the Customs Training College, Ikeja, Lagos, said 15 sacks of pangolin scales (839.4kg) and four sacks of elephant tusks (145kg) were intercepted in a Toyota Sienna bus with registration number KRD 541 HH at Lekki on February 2, 2022.

Tuesday, 25 January 2022
Kriel H, Pinnock D 2022. Beyond its exceptional beauty, Kruger National Park is on the ropes and hurting.

The Kruger National Park has a major rhino-poaching crisis, but that's just one of many mounting problems - and it's extremely worrying.

Thursday, 3 December 2020
Ro C 2020. Convicted poachers in South Africa explain why heavy policing is ineffective.

It's clear why the illegal wildlife trade exists. Where there's consumer demand for products from endangered species, there are bound to be networks seeking to profit from that demand. But what about the motivations of individual offenders? TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade NGO, decided to simply ask them. The researchers interviewed 73 people in South African correctional centers, who had been convicted of crimes related to rhinos, abalone, or cycads (ancient palm-like plants that have been called "the world's most endangered plants").

Thursday, 7 May 2020
Pinnock D 2020. How the Coronavirus changes poaching strategies.

Wild animals are back. Kangaroos bounding through the streets of Melbourne, elephant herds passing through Indian villages, jackals in Johannesburg, leopards in Mumbai, wild boar in Bergamo and Verreaux eagles catching thermals above a silent Cape Town. And of course, inevitable cartoons of humans in surgical masks staring forlornly at animals playing on the sidewalk. Is lockdown good news for creatures - or for poachers?

Monday, 30 July 2018
Shapwanale N 2018. Businessmen 'prey' on poor Namibians to poach rhino for international syndicates.

Well-heeled businessmen are allegedly driving the trade in poached rhino horn in Namibia, using marginal communities as foot soldiers, an amaBhungane/The Namibian investigation has revealed. The role of local entrepreneurs in the horn trade has not previously been highlighted. The popular perception in Namibia is that Chinese nationals are the kingpins in charge of the trade.

Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Shapwanale N 2017. Courier worker suspected in rhino horn smuggling.

Police are investigating an employee of a multinational courier company for attempting to smuggle rhino  horns through Eros airport, police spokesperson, commissioner Edwin Kanguatjivi said yesterday.

Friday, 31 March 2017
Shapwanale N 2017. Four arrested over Zambezi poaching.

The police this week arrested two Zambians and two Namibians in the Zambezi region after they were found with elephant tusks and rhino horns.

Thursday, 15 December 2016
Shapwanale N 2016. Criminal Chinese tarnishing name - embassy.

The Chinese embassy in Namibia said it will not allow a few of its nationals who have been arrested in connection with poaching to tarnish their country's image.

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