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Katima Mulilo - Three individuals, Nyambe Calvin Matomola, John Mwelwa, and Nziye Lusinyize, have been brought before the Katima Mulilo Magistrate's Court for alleged possession of controlled wildlife products. The trio was apprehended with a total of 39 elephant tusks, leading to their court appearance on Tuesday. Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, revealed that Matomola, along with seven Zambian nationals, was caught with 24 tusks after smuggling them into Namibia via the Zambezi Region.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) has recorded a total of 18 pangolin skins, 12 live pangolins and 146 pangolin scales that were confiscated between September and November this year. This is according to the ministry's spokesperson Romeo Muyunda, who in a press statement on Monday said as a result 23 criminal cases have been registered and 38 suspects arrested.

A 29-year-old Tanzanian woman is set to appear in the Opuwo Magistrate's court on Thursday for a bail application, in connection with the alleged trafficking of protected plant species. The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) spokesperson Romeo Muyunda in a media statement on Monday said Diana Mashiku was arrested alongside Namibians, Veisiruaije Tjavara (25), Jennifer Simataa (37) and Tjivinda Unatavi (31) for being in possession of 46 Adenia pechuelii plants, which they allegedly harvested from the wild without a permit.

Three poachers were caught red-handed with a hunting rifle fitted with a silencer and ammunition in the Kruger National Park (KNP). According to KNP spokesperson Isaac Phaahla, the arrests were made in the Stolznek Section on Tuesday. In the first six months of 2023 a total of 231 rhinos were killed in South Africa at an average of just under 1.3 rhinos per day.

The Eastern Marine Command of Nigeria Customs Service in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said it has made a significant breakthrough in combating wildlife trafficking by intercepting a substantial quantity of pangolin scales, elephant tusks and sacks of used second hand shoes worth N680,290,400 in its area of operation.

Authorities have apprehended an Indonesian in an ivory smuggling operation after uncovering 38.4kg ivory consignment valued at approximately Sh10 million. The suspect was arrested at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Police at Chileka in Blantyre District have arrested two men for allegedly being found in possession of a dead pangolin. According to Sergeant Jonathan Phillipo who is Chileka police public relations officer, the suspects have been identified as Vincent McLoud, 23, and Noah Mgawa Nikolasi, 55. Sergeant Phillipo said Chileka Police Detectives arrested the two on Monday September 25, 2023 at Puli Village following a tip-off by well-wishers.

Two men were on Saturday arrested at Farm Kenilworth in the Otjozondjupa Region, after being found in possession of protected game meat valued at N.dollars 22 000.

"On August 1, South Africa's Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment released an update that rhinoceros (rhino) poaching dropped 11% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period of the previous year. Between 1 January and 30 June 2023, poaching trends also continued to show a move away from the Kruger National Park to provincial and private reserves," the report stated.

Succulent poaching, fuelled by the illicit trade it sustains, is emerging as a pressing global concern, threatening the existence of these remarkable plants. The increasing demand fuels a lucrative illicit market, endangering their existence in the wild. The climate crisis and the destruction of natural habitats further exacerbate the challenges faced by these unique plants.

A suspect has been arrested after being found with two endangered pangolins inside his home in Kuruman in the Northern Cape.

Lion bones are used to replace tiger bones in fortified tiger wine and Traditional Chinese Medicines. Lion bones are also carved into jewellery. South Africa's legal trade of lion bones to Asia has opened up a fast growing illegal trade of the animal carcass. On Friday, a 43 year old man was arrested for the illegal possession of lion bones destined for Asia.

A 32-year-old poacher, Freedom Siyabonga Ndlovu, was sentenced to 32 years of direct imprisonment for offences related to poaching by the Skukuza Regional Court. The accused had a hand in the killing of three rhinos.

Dr Chana added that in Ruaha - Rungwa ecological system buffalo population has increased by 80 per cent, zebra 36 per cent and antelope 65 per cent compared to the census conducted in 2018. "The black rhino which are among the endangered species have increased by 27.5 per cent compared to their population in 2018," Dr Chana said. "The increase in wildlife population is an indication of strengthened security and management of conserved ar- eas," she added. The minister said that the achievements have been also contributed by the government efforts to conduct patrols…

This past weekend, police have seized large quantities of abalone in the Eastern Cape and Free State with both consignments allegedly heading to Bloemfontein. In the latest arrest, a 46-year-old suspect was apprehended and police recovered abalone worth over R1 million.

Four men were arrested for allegedly attempting to sell two endangered pangolins for R200 000 in Mahikeng, North West.

Two Mozambicans have been arrested in Mchinji after being found with a Pangolin. Public relations officer for Mchinji Police Station Limbani Mpinganjira has identified the two as Jackson Yakobe, 40, and Selemani Felix, 46. They were arrested on May 26, 2023 at around 7:00pm after officers from Department of Wildlife and Parks tipped Kamwendo Police that the two were offering for sale a live pangolin at Kadziyang’ane Trading Centre. Upon interrogations, the suspects revealed that the animal was taken from Mozambique and they were searching for a possible market in…

Maputo - The authorities have detained for the second time a notorious Mozambican poacher, Simon Ernesto Valoi, known in the world of crime as "Boss Navarra". Valoi has been held in a Mozambican prison since July 2022. According to a report in the Maputo daily "Noticias', Valoi refused to name his accomplices, who remain at large. Investigators set a trap for Valoi. Pretending to be corrupt, they provided him with a mobile phone through which he could contact his relatives and other members of the poaching ring.

Police arrested 26-year-old man on the N6 Road with 16 refuse bags filled with abalone.

In an unrelated incident, an integrated operation led to the arrest of two suspects in Gansbaai on Friday, 17 February 2023. The team set up a vehicle checkpoint on the R43 between Gansbaai and Stanford and stopped a suspicious minibus taxi. They searched the vehicle and the occupants and confiscated 3608 units of abalone. This has an estimated to have a street value of R1.4 million.

Maputo, 16 Feb (AIM) - Mozambique's Central Office for the Fight against Organised and Transnational Crime (GCCCOT) has filed charges against two poachers, currently being held in preventive detention. According to a GCCCOT press release, the two men (who were not named) were caught on 27 July last year in possession of four rhinoceros horns with an estimated value on the black market of 243,600 US dollars.

The four men who were arrested at Okahandja on Sunday and Monday for alleged possession of an elephant tusk, are set to appear in the magistrate’s court at the town this week. Namibian Police Force spokesperson in the Otjozondjupa Region, Inspector Maureen Mbeha in an interview with Nampa on Tuesday said three male suspects aged 23, 28, and 29 were arrested Sunday morning at a restaurant in Okahandja, where they allegedly intended to sell the elephant tusk to a local buyer.

A 47-year-old accused will appear in the Kabokweni Magistrate Court on Tuesday, 7 February 2023, after his DNA was linked to rhino horns found during a search and seizure operation.

The police in the Eastern Cape are searching for poachers who shot, killed, and dehorned two rhinos on a safari farm in Paterson on Wednesday evening, 1 February.

Meru - A police officer who was arrested over the weekend with elephant tusks worth Sh2.1 million is due to be charged in court. The officer had been arrested in Meru Township while carrying the tusks that he intended to sell to a potential buyer. Police together with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officials were tipped off before they moved in and found him carrying the same. The officer later led the team to another accomplice in the area in the Saturday morning operation. The men are expected in court Monday to face charges of possession and trafficking of the tusks.

A man died in a shootout with officers from the Namibian Police Force (NamPol) Wildlife Protection Unit after allegedly being caught in a rhino poaching incident at farm Okarakua in the Windhoek district on Saturday. A crime report issued yesterday by NamPol said the deceased, whose age is unknown, was one of three suspects who were allegedly attempting to kill a rhino cow and its calf around 17h40. Another suspect aged 27 was apprehended and seriously injured in the process, while the third suspect fled the scene. He was however arrested yesterday, it said.

Two men were arrested at Mutengo village in the Kavango West Region on Wednesday after they were reportedly found in possession of a python skin valued at N.dollars 30 000.

Senior Resident Magistrate Wanangwa Nyirenda on Thursday, December 1st 2022, sentenced Zambian national Kelby Roy Malambo to 15 years imprisonment with hard labour for the three charges he faced in the MK53m wildlife crime case involving elephant ivory.

Police said four women are in custody for the possession of lion cubs they were selling in Boksburg North.

A member of the Namibian Police Force's (NamPol) Protected Resources Unit (PRU) in the Otjozondjupa Region, who is accused of the alleged theft of a rhino horn placed under his care, secured bail on Thursday. Magistrate Peingondjabi Shipo granted the 45-year-old Sergeant Salatiel Simon bail of N.dollars 10 000, on condition that the accused does not leave the district of Otjiwarongo without informing police officers involved in the investigations of his case.

The rhino horn that reportedly went missing while in the care of a 45-year-old police officer at Otjiwarongo between 30 September and 03 October this year, has been recovered in Angola.

A successful multidisciplinary, intelligence driven operation led to the arrest of two suspects and the confiscation of abalone to the value of R 190 000-00. It is alleged that on 15 October 2022 at about 23:00, information was received from the colleagues of Queenstown K9 and CI with regard to armed, suspects traveling with an Isuzu bakkie fully loaded with abalones from the direction of Queenstown to Maletswai. Members from James Calata SAPS, Maletswai, Aliwal North, Aliwal North K9, DOCC, TRT and Aliwal North stock unit were activated as a team and intervened.

Malambo, who started defending himself on 8 March this year, was found with 22 pieces of raw ivory, weighing 64.905 kilograms and valued at about MK53 million. He was arrested at Mwami Border Total Filling Station in Mchinji in February, 2021.

The President of the Mozambican Supreme Court (TS), Adelino Muchanga, has expressed his concern about the persistence of poaching in the country. According to Muchanga, speaking on 18 August in Maputo at the launch of the Manual for Training and Supporting Magistrates in Matters of Combating Wildlife Crime, the numbers are worrying because the poachers have been changing their areas of operation, target species, and modus operandi. According to Muchanga, hunting today is no longer for survival, but for profit, a fact that puts strong pressure on nature.

Police in Mangochi have arrested a 50-year old man for possession of nine pieces of ivory.

An adult male, suspected to be a poacher, was shot and killed on Sunday afternoon at Farm Salzbrunnen near Kombat in the Otjozondjupa Region, allegedly during an exchange of gunfire with two farmworkers patrolling the farm.Namibian Police Force.

A Kenyan has pleaded guilty to conspiring to traffic in rhino horns and elephant ivory in a in Manhattan Federal Court. According to Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, Mansur Mohamed Surur was involved in the illegal poaching of more than approximately 35 rhinoceros and more than 100 elephants.

Malambo was found with 22 pieces of raw ivory, weighing 64.905 kilograms valued at about MK53 million at Mwami Border Total Filling Station in Mchinji in February 2021, which led to his arrest.

The Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday sentenced 61-year-old Maliko Mndekano Mwale to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour for illegal possession of ivory. Mwale was found guilty of possession and dealing in government trophy contrary to Section 86 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act of 2017. Public Relations Officer for Lingazi Police Station Sub Inspector Salomy Zgambo has confirmed the conviction of Maliko Mndekano Mwale.

Police in Mchinji have arrested two men for allegedly being found in possession of a live Pangolin. The two have been identified as Mavuto Jophris aged 33 and Mandera Masauso aged 34. The arrest of the two suspects follows a tip off police received on May 12, 2022 that the two were offering for sell a live Pangolin which was concealed in an empty sack and placed in a backpack.

Five people were arrested in Midrand, Gauteng for pangolin trafficking and contravening the National Environmental Management-Biodiversity (NEMBA) Act. The Hawks pounced on the suspects after receiving a tip-off.

Four traffickers have been arrested for trafficking in ivory tusk, pangolin, and chimpanzee.

Both of the convicted rhino poachers had entered the Kruger National Park, and one of them was found to be in the country illegally.

As the cases of wildlife crime are on rise, Lilongwe Wildlife Trust has trained journalists in the country to follow and report court case procedures on Wildlife crimes accurately and in a professional manner.

State prosecutors from 11 East African countries have vowed to tighten their cross border cooperation and tackle money launder crimes and other emerging transnational crimes.

A wildlifetrafficker has been sentenced to more than a year in prison by the BertouaCourt of First Instance for trafficking in pangolin scales.

Zimparks rangers stumbled upon a decomposing elephant carcass suspected to have fallen victim to cyanide poisoning in Lupane.

Namwera Police Post in Mangochi has arrested Alex Jumbe, 50, for being found with a Pangolin. Mangochi Police Publicist Amina Tepani Daudi said the suspect who hails from Nakapa Village, Traditional Authority Bwananyambi in Mangochi was apprehended on March 16, 2022 at Mwambwanjira Trading Centre. Daudi added that Namwera Police detectives were tipped by members of the community that the suspect was offering for sale the listed species at the trading centre.

Amidst the growing devastating impact of climate change on the Nigerian environment, conservation efforts are being threatened by trafficking of wildlife.

On this material day, Mangochi Police detectives were tipped by members of the community that the said suspects were possessing the listed species (Pangolin) at the said house looking for buyers.