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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 - 16 of 16
Saturday, 13 April 2024
Lawal S 2024. Elephant in the room: Why Botswana, Namibia want fewer of the gentle giants.

They might be an awesome sight to see from a safe distance on safari as they lumber around with their big, lopping ears and long trunks, but for those who live side by side with elephants, these mammals can quickly become a menace. Elephants’ numbers in African countries have dwindled hugely in the past. Conservation efforts since the 1980s, however, have seen populations recover somewhat. In Southern African countries, where about half of the African elephant population resides, their higher numbers mean they are starting to come into conflict with humans.

Saturday, 7 October 2023
2023. Foreign national sentenced to five years for illegal lion skin possession in Sesheke.

In a recent development in Sesheke, the Subordinate Court has handed down a five-year prison sentence to a foreign national, Edward Mushanana, aged 50, hailing from Botswana. Mr. Mushanana was found guilty of illegally possessing a lion skin weighing 12.7 kilograms.

Friday, 29 September 2023
2023. Man jailed five years for unlawful possession of Ivory.

The Itezhi -Tezhi Magistrates' Court in Southern Province has convicted and slapped a five year jail sentence with hard labour on a 51-year-old man for being found in possession of Ivory. Particulars were Shamazongo on 15th September 2023, in Itezhi -Tezhi had in his possession a prescribed trophy namely 10.4 kilograms of Ivory without a certificate of authority from the Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife.

Friday, 28 July 2023
2023. Lundazi trio jailed for unlawful possession of game meat.

ZAW officers in Livingstone on Sunday killed an elephant that attacked 1 36 year old man of Simoonga village. Below, members of the community share the meat of the elephant in question Three people in Lumezi District have been sentenced to one month imprisonment with hard labour for unlawful possession of a government trophy.

Wednesday, 5 July 2023
2023. Namibia reports record level of rhino poaching.

The number of endangered rhinos poached in Namibia last year was the highest on record and almost twice as many as the year before, officials say. A total of 87 rhinos were killed compared with 45 in 2021, official government data show. Most were poached in Etosha, Namibia's biggest national park, officials say. Rhino numbers in Africa have dropped significantly in recent decades to feed demand for rhino horn in China and Vietnam.

Tuesday, 31 January 2023
2023. Rhino poaching surges 93 percent in Namibia.

The number of endangered rhinos poached in Namibia reached an all-time high last year after 87 animals were killed compared with 45 in 2021, official government data has shown. Africa's rhino population has been decimated over the decades to feed the demand for rhino horn, which, despite being made of the same material as rhino hair and fingernails, is prized in East Asia as a supposed medicine and as jewellery.

Wednesday, 7 September 2022
2022. Poacher jailed, fined K242,000 for poaching.

The Itezhi Tezhi Magistrates Court has found a farmer guilty of unlawful possession of game meat and sentenced him to three years in prison. The details of count three are that Mafuta unlawfully hunted and killed a game animal, namely a warthog, without a hunting license on the same date, jointly and with others unknown.

Monday, 15 August 2022
2022. Three convicted, sentenced to five years for unlawful possession of game meat.

The Itezhi Tezhi Magistrates Court has convicted and sentenced three Itezhi Tezhi residents to five years in jail and fined two others K120, 000 for unlawful possession of 810 kilograms of game meat worth K42, 448.

Wednesday, 20 July 2022
2022. Two dealers get five years sentence for illegal possession of Government trophy.

Facts before court were that on 1 April 2022 the duo whilst acting together possessed a prescribed trophy namely elephant ivory weighing 25 KG and valued at K 90,467 without a certificate of ownership issued by the Director General the Zambia Wildlife Authority.

Thursday, 18 November 2021
Muronzi C 2021. Can NFTs help save rhinos from poachers?.

A rhino conservationist has turned to the world of non-fungible tokens to help fund efforts to keep poachers at bay.

Tuesday, 19 January 2021
2021. Court sends 51-year old man to 7 years in jail with hard labour for illegal ivory possession.

The Chinsali subordinate court has sentenced a 51-year-old poacher to seven years imprisonment with hard labour for unlawful possession of 9.5 kilogrammes (kg) of ivory.

Friday, 4 December 2020
Klein D 2020. NGO: Poverty fuels South African wildlife crimes.

Every day about two rhinoceroses are killed in South Africa for their horns. Be it for traditional medical purposes, or to impress friends with gifts such as carved figurines and necklaces, the demand in East Asia is high for rhino horns and wealthy buyers are willing to pay a good price. South Africa, on the other hand, is home to two third of Africa's rhinos while nearly half of the adult population lives in poverty.

Wednesday, 9 September 2020
2020. New tracking technology will help fight rhino poaching in Namibia.

Interactive software that 'reads' and analyzes footprints left by black rhinoceroses can be used to monitor the movements of the animals in the wild, giving conservationists a new way to keep watch on the endangered species and help keep it safe from poachers, according to a new study.

Saturday, 8 August 2020
2020. Namibia: Rhino poaching falls by more than 60 percent.

Windhoek says intensified intelligence operations by authorities and tougher sentences for poachers led to the drop. Rhino poaching fell 63 percent year-on-year in Namibia, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism has said citing intensified intelligence operations by authorities and tougher sentences and fines for poachers. Elephant poaching, which occurs to a lesser extent, also decreased with two incidents reported this year compared with 13 in 2019, the ministry said.

Wednesday, 17 June 2020
2020. Poacher sentenced to 7 years imprisonment for illegal possession of Elephant Ivory.

The Chama Subordinate Court has sentenced a poacher to seven years imprisonment for illegal possession of elephant ivory weighing 10 kilograms. Lovemore Nkhowani, 60, a former wildlife police officer, turned into a notorious elephant poacher nicknamed Mbanje, was charged with one count of Unlawful Possession of Prescribed Trophy, that is elephant ivory, contrary to section 130(1) of the Zambia wildlife Act No. 14 of 2015.

Thursday, 12 March 2020
2020. Zambia Police arrest man for being in possession of 12 pieces of elephant Ivory tusks.

The Department of National Parks and Wildlife has arrested a 39 year old Kapiri Mposhi man for being in possession of 12 pieces of elephant Ivory tusks worth over K100, 000. Department of National Parks and Wildlife Central Region Warden Patrick Sakanga has confirmed the arrest to ZANIS yesterday.

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