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.
Explore your search results using the filter checkboxes, or amend your search or start a new search.
One of Algoa Bay’s most valuable resources is being poached and plundered at an alarming rate. Nelson Mandela Bay has experienced a string of perlemoen-related incidents over the past few days, with experts in the field saying the illegal trade of this protected shellfish is now at an all-time high.
The Skukuza regional court on Friday sentenced a Mozambican national Joshua Mongwe to six years' imprisonment for poaching-related offences. The accused, 29, pleaded guilty to the offence and was subsequently convicted of trespassing in the Kruger National Park, contravention of Immigration Act, possession of ammunition.
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SA_2023_12_Man found with rifle in Kruger National Park gets six_year jail term_Herald Live.pdf | 148.94 KB |
Gqeberha police arrested a 28-year-old man on Wednesday after allegedly discovering perlemoen with an estimated street value of R3m in the bakkie he was driving.
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SA_2023_11_Man_28_ found with perlemoen worth R3m_Herald Live.pdf | 187.89 KB |
Gauteng police have seized meat carcasses hijacked from a delivery truck, guns and ammunition, blue lights and signal jammers at a property in Alexandra, Johannesburg. An elephant tusk was also found at the 7th Avenue premises during Tuesday's operation, said police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi.
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SA_2023_08_Elephant tusk_meat carcasses_guns and blue lights seized in Alex bust_Herald Live.pdf | 259.5 KB |
The Gqeberha-based economic protected resources team under the serious organised crime Investigation unit of the Hawks arrested a 43-year-old man on Friday for possession of perlemoen. The suspect joins his 10 co-accused, previously arrested in Algoa Park in May for allegedly being in possession of perlemoen, as well as running a yshing operation without a permit.
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SA_2023_08_Perlemoen suspect arrested after evading arrest for two years_Herald Live.pdf | 270.23 KB |
Ten suspects arrested for allegedly running an illegal perlemoen operation appeared in the Gqeberha magistrate’s court on Monday. Acting on a tip-off, the Hawks' Economic Protected Resources team in Gqeberha followed up on information about perlemoen activities at a residential premises in Algoa Park. Surveillance was conducted and law enforcement was granted a warrant to execute a search on Thursday last week, leading to the discovery of an alleged illegal operation.
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SA_2023_05_Ten in court for possession of perlemoen_Herald Live.pdf | 290.01 KB |
The Wilderness Foundation has offered a reward in an effort to put the brakes on the recent spate of rhino poaching in the Eastern Cape.
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SA_2023_03_Wilderness Foundation offers reward to stop Eastern Cape rhino poaching_Herald Live.pdf | 307.41 KB |
Two rhinos that survived a poaching attack at Schotia Safaris Private Game Reserve, near Nanaga, nearly 10 years ago were killed by poachers on Thursday. After disabling the pair of male and female white rhinos in the attack, the poachers hacked off their horns with pangas before making their escape.
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SA_2023_02_Schotia rhinos Bonnie and Clyde killed by poachers and dehorned_HeraldLive.pdf | 414.04 KB |
The Skukuza regional court on Thursday convicted and sentenced a man who had been arrested in the Kruger National Park on three separate occasions to an effective 32 years' imprisonment for poaching-related offences. Forster Lubisi, 43, was convicted of three counts of trespassing, two counts of possession of a prohibited firearm with a serial number obliterated, possession of ammunition, possession of a dangerous weapon, killing of a rhino and possession of an unlicensed firearm. He pleaded guilty to the crimes.
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SA_2023_01_Third time unlucky for poacher as he is sentenced to 32 years in jail_HeraldLive.pdf | 274.95 KB |
Two men were arrested for the possession of stolen firearms, ivory and other property on Friday in Cape St Francis.
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SA_2022_11_Men nabbed with stolen firearms and ivory_HeraldLIVE.pdf | 248.71 KB |
A Police operation code name 'Clarion' last week arrested 127 illegal immigrants from neighbouring Zambia who were suspected of engaging in the illegal harvesting of protected wood species in the Zambezi region.
Namibia Police (Nampol), Zambezi regional Commander, Andreas Shilelo told Confidente the immigrants were charged under the Illegal Immigrant Act and given forty-eight hours to leave the country and were subsequently deported. "Most of them we arrested, where not found harvesting timber but we took
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NAM_2022_11_Illegal Timber harvesting plagues Zambezi region_Confidante.pdf | 224.39 KB |
Otamanzi constituency councilor, Johaness Iyambo has warned residents of his constituency to desist from hunting stray Game animals which has found way into their communal land as they search for water. This comes after a two-week open hunting season, for residents in the Otamanzi Constituency which borders the Etosha National Park to the East, where residents have been feasting on the stray animals.
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NAM_2022_10_Omusati residents warned against hunting stray animals_Confidante.pdf | 356.39 KB |
A carcass of a white bull rhino was discovered on the October 20 at a private farm in the Windhoek district. It is believed the rhino was poached between the October 16 and 20. According to a police report, investigations were carried out at the scene of the crime to which, "bullet fragments from the animal indicate the animal was killed for its horn," the police report reads. In a similar report a case of hunting of specially protected game has been opened at the Seeis police station in the Windhoek district.
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NAM_2022_10_Two Rhinos found dead and dehorned_Confidente.pdf | 284.46 KB |
Rhino conservation has received a major boost with the recent Gqeberha sentencing of a gang convicted of conspiring to poach rhino. The September 22 sentencing of the Chitlongo Three in the Gqeberha Regional Court, the first achieved under National Environmental Management Act "conspiracy to poach" legislation, gives SA lawmakers a lethal new weapon to pursue suspects who have often escaped prosecution in the past because of a lack of evidence.
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SA_2022_10_Rhino poaching conspiracy ruling boosts conservation efforts_HeraldLive.pdf | 490.73 KB |
While Africa is seeing a drop in the rate of rhinoceros poaching, Namibian wildlife authorities say they are seeing a surge in rhino killings in the southern African nation. Conservationists say poachers seeking rhino horns for Asian markets are targeting Namibia’s commercial farms. Save the Rhino Trust CEO Simson Uri Khob said there are reports that syndicates of rhino poachers from South Africa are operating in Namibia. He said poaching cases are rising, especially in Etosha National Park and commercial farms. "It's a problem," Khob said.
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NAM_2022_10_Cross border syndicates implicated in surge in rhino üoaching_Confidante.pdf | 481.11 KB |
Two men have been arrested in Jansenville with 39 black bags of perlemoen worth about R432,000 and an illegal firearm in their possession.
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SA_2021_08_Two suspects caught with 39 black bags of perlemoen_Heraldlive.pdf | 159.2 KB |
A high-speed chase by the Gqeberha flying squad and a private anti-poaching unit resulted in the arrest of six people for the illegal possession of perlemoen on Tuesday morning.
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SA_2021_06_Six arrested and perlemoen worth R1.4m seized_HeraldLive.pdf | 441.12 KB |
Four men were arrested after allegedly being found in possession of perlemoen and diving equipment near Port Alfred on Tuesday. An off-duty Port Alfred police officer apprehended four men after allegedly catching them with about R13,000 worth of perlemoen. Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said the officer, based at a unit in Port Alfred, received information about possible perlemoen poachers in the Kasouga area.
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SA_2021_05_Four arrested for perlemoen poaching near Port Alfred_Heral Live.pdf | 446.42 KB |
According to the Combatting Wildlife Crime in Namibia Annual Report for 2020, rhino crimes accounted for most arrests during the past year, with 145 suspects having been detained. "A significant number of these were pre-emptive arrests, where suspects were caught before they could kill a rhino. This is not only a highly commendable law enforcement success, but also a very positive conservation outcome. Pre-emptive arrests have directly saved numerous rhinos and will allow the population to continue to multiply," the report stated.
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NAM_2021_04_Wildlife crime decreases in 2020_Confidente.pdf | 2.03 MB |
Rhino poaching down from 59 cases in 2013 to zero in 2020, says Kenya Wildlife Service.
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KEN_2021-02_No rhino poached in 2020_AA.pdf | 445.99 KB |
The Namibian Police arrested a deputy director in the Ministry of Lands at its Gobabis sub-regional office for her role in the alleged illegal hunting of an oryx valued at N$6 000. Mclesia Mbaisa (49) who heads the Division of Land Reform was arrested alongside her brother Marvin Mbaisa (36) and Rudolf Katjiuanjo (35) following the illegal hunting of the wild animal at Heath Bell resettlement farm in the Gobabis district.
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NAM_2020_06_Deputy director_brother arrested for illegal hunting_Confidente Namibia.pdf | 666.93 KB |
Working with WWF in Namibia to raise awareness for the protection of rhinos, Ginger Mauney accompanied a team from Condé Nast China Traveler magazine to share Namibia’s conservation story and to forge a partnership for change that can help to stop the illegal trade in wildlife products.
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NAM_2020-01_Chinese actors campaign against poaching_Confidente Namibia.pdf | 322.49 KB |