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The recent sentencing of three wildlife poachers has been hailed as a success in the anti-poaching efforts of the Greytown community. Farmers, SAPS and security companies working together to curb poaching in the Greytown area have welcomed the sentences handed down to three men aged between 27 and 42 years old, who were found guilty of illegal hunting by the Greytown Magistrate's Court. The three men were each sentenced to eight months' imprisonment or a R2 000 fine.

Two accused persons have appeared in court following their arrest by detectives for allegedly trying to unlawfully dispose off an elephant hide for US$1,500.

Kenya will enhance partnerships with neighboring countries and regional blocs in a bid to protect abundant natural resources like wildlife from the clutches of organized crime, an official has said.

Police has arrested three men for illegal possession of seven leopard skins in Victoria Falls.

A member of a poaching syndicate has appeared in court for allegedly gunning down a bull elephant valued at US$50 000.

Zimbabwe recorded a decline in wildlife poaching last year as the nation’s anti-poaching activities continued to bear fruit, the spokesperson for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said Monday. A total of 36 key wildlife animals were poached in 2022, down from 42 in 2021, Tinashe Farawo said. Out of the 42 wild animals killed in 2021, 31 were elephants while rhinos totaled 11, including six white rhinos and five black ones, he said. Out of the 36 wild animals poached last year, 25 were elephants, seven rhinos and four lions, he said.

South Africa: Six Zimbabwean nationals have been found guilty in the Makhanda High Court of conspiracy to commit rhino poaching and illegal possession of firearms. They’ll be back in court on the 4th of November for the start of sentencing proceedings. The court heard previously that information uncovered relating to the crimes of the accused dates back to before their arrest in 2018. It included the tracking of their cellphones which was later linked to rhino poaching incidents at Kragga Kamma and Shamwari Game Reserves.

The Kruger National Park rhino population has again decreased from 2 809 at the end of 2020 to 2 458 rhinos at present.

Rhino poachers are heartless and kill every rhino they see - young or old, with of without a horn - just to get rid of them from the reserve and to "try and make their job easier", should they come back. This is according to Ezemvelo Wildlife spokesperson Musa Mntambo. This week, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Barbara Creecy said that KwaZulu-Natal recorded a loss of 133 rhinos in the first half of the year - which is more than triple the 33 rhino killed in the first six months of 2021.

Almost 260 rhino were poached for their hornsin South Africa in the firstsix months of this year.

Nationally South Africa lost 259 rhino in the first six months of this year - 10 more than in the corresponding period last year - with concern expressed about the amount of poaching in KwaZulu-Natal and private game reserves. Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy maintains the "trend" away from what has long been poacher target number one - the Kruger National Park - makes it "important for national government to shift its focus to supporting provincial authorities and private reserves in the war on rhino poaching".

A zebra and its foal have been found dead, caught in the grip of a snare in the Bisley Nature Reserve.

Tanzanian wildlife authorities on Saturday warned poachers to stop the malpractice before they faced the full force of the law.

Three people were arrested for alleged poaching inside the Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park in the northern KwaZulu-Natal. This was confirmed by the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife on Sunday, which said the trio were arrested before they could kill a rhino. The first man was arrested on June 6 and two others were caught two days later. These arrest bring the number of alleged poachers caught inside the Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park this year to five. "The Park has been under siege since the beginning of 2022.

A 16-year old Beitbridge boy has been arrested and is due to appear in court after he was caught in possession of snares and game meat. The boy was arrested together with one Freeman Moyo (38), and the two are being charged for contravening section 5 of Trapping of Animals Control Act.

Magma Security and Investigations said while their officers were patrolling in the Karkloof area, a suspicious vehicle was observed on a client’s property just after 2am, on Sunday morning. It said that upon stopping the vehicle, the officers found six occupants with six dogs. "They had poached and killed two warthogs and six porcupines. Knives were found in their possession. Suspects were handed over to Howick SAPS," said Magma Magma Security and Investigations.

Three Harare men appeared in court charged with illegal possession of ivory after they were caught with 37kgs of elephant tasks.

Johannesburg: The Secunda regional court has sentenced a Zimbabwean national who was found in possession of a live pangolin to a 10-year jail term.

A carcass of a white rhinoceros shot dead by poachers has been discovered in Bikita, Masvingo province, as wildlife poaching escalates in the country. The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) national spokesperson, assistant commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the discovery of the endangered animal's carcass made last Sunday.

Rhino poaching in South Africa is at a critical level despite a "deafening" silence from official government communications and mainstream media, one of southern Africa’s most dedicated and respected wildlife vets Dr Dave Cooper maintains. Referring to the violent killing of rhino as "murders" rather than the mild, mundane "poaching", he issued a massive cry for action before it's too late, begging the world to wake up, see and stop what is happening in South Africa, according to Rhino Review. His plea comes days after witnessing possibly the "worst…

In January 2021, Nigeria seized pangolin scales and tusks and bones from endangered species hidden in a container of furniture materials. The seized materials are used in traditional Chinese medicine despite having no medicinal value. Studies have suggested that pangolins, the most-smuggled animals in the world, may have been an intermediate host of the coronavirus that was discovered in an outdoor farmers market in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Customs officials said the contraband consisted of 162 sacks of pangolin scales and 57 sacks of mixed animal parts, including ivory and…

The South African National Parks (SANParks) warned people on Saturday about a video circulating on social media depicting a "severely injured White Rhino cow", saying it was "distressing to watch". In a statement, SANParks said that its rhino dehorning team made the gruesome discovery of a badly mutilated female rhino in the South of the Kruger National Park (KNP) on Thursday. "According to the SANParks Veterinarian and the Section Ranger who attended to the rhino, it appeared as if the animal had been shot a few days prior to being found.

South African National Parks (SANParks) today (10 December) said its Environmental Crime Investigation Unit (ECI) in collaboration with the South African Police Service (SAPS) Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI), conducted a series of intelligence driven operations which led to the arrest of eight suspected poachers in October and November in villages adjacent to the Kruger National Park (KNP).

South Africa is no stranger to wildlife crime as shown in Operation Thunder, an Interpol-led effort against environmental crime in the broadest sense of the words. The worldwide enforcement operation against wildlife and timber crime co-ordinated by Interpol and the World Customs Organisation (WCO) disrupted crime networks and saw hundreds of arrests internationally, the France-headquartered policing body said.

Germany on Tuesday granted Tanzania 71 million Euros (about 82.3 million U.S. dollars) for financing various projects, including those initiated to fight poaching and prevent human-wildlife conflicts. An agreement to the grant was signed in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam by Tanzania’s deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Amina Shaaban, and Marcus von Essen, head of the East Africa Division in the Federal German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

A Zimbabwean man, who managed to get his lover off the hook after the pair was caught with two elephant tusks, has been jailed for two years in Botswana.

Among its many responsibilities as custodian of South Africa's natural heritage, the national conservation agency SANParks ensures the survival of rhino, black and white, in the face of continued poaching of this Big Five species. This responsibility, Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow forestry, fisheries and environment minister Dave Bryant maintains, is at least partially undermined by the agency’s setting of a rhinos poached "target".

Investigations by the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) have revealed Zimbabwe is now a major transit route for smuggling of valuable but critically endangered shell fish, abalone, to China and other countries.

Polics in Kwekwe have confirmed the arrest of a 31-year-old man who allegedly stashed a two-metre long rock python in his vehicle.

A Zimbabwean man, charged together with his girlfriend for unlawful possession of elephant tusks, has saved his co-accused from further legal woes after telling the court she knew nothing of the ivory.

South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced further arrests of suspected poachers in the Kruger National Park (KNP), with four men apprehended. The four suspected poachers were arrested on Sunday 30 May in the Pretoriuskop Section and on Monday 31 May in the Houtboschrand Section of the park. On 30 May, rangers (with K9 support) responded to a visual of two poachers and made a follow up in pursuit of the suspected rhino poachers. The Airwing Unit was called in to support the ground teams; and soon thereafter two suspects were arrested without incident.

South African National Parks (SANParks) has welcomed the finalization of two long running rhino poaching trials by the Skukuza Regional Court. One rhino poacher was sentenced on 14 May whilst three, including a former SANParks employee, were sentenced on 17 May respectively. Nito Mathebula was arrested in Tshokwane Section in January 2019 while hunting in the Park illegally. Two of his accomplices managed to evade arrest. He was found guilty of trespassing in a National Park, breaking the Immigration Act and the killing of a rhino.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has deployed to the Overstrand region of the Western Cape to combat poaching and related crime in conjunction with local law enforcement and other roleplayers. The SANDF said Joint Tactical Headquarters Western Cape launched Operation Corona in the Overstrand on 6 May together with the Maritime Reaction Squadron, local law enforcement and Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries. The main goal is to stop the poaching of marine resources and enforce maritime security.

A Karoi magistrate has cleared two Karoi villagers for charges of unlawful possession of raw ivory valued at US$1 467,10. Whynos Dzotso (23) and Knowledge Nyamukondiwa (25) who both reside under Chief Kazangarare, Karoi were this Tuesday acquitted by Magistrate Felix Chauromwe who made the ruling following the defence's application for discharge at the close of the state case.

South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced another operation that led to the arrest of three suspected poachers on Wednesday 21 April in the Crocodile Bridge Section of the Kruger National Park (KNP). A high calibre hunting rifle, ammunition and poaching equipment were seized during the successful operation.

A Dete man has been arrested after being found with seven elephant tusks. ZimParks rangers ambushed Delight Moyo of Dopota village after getting a tip-off by a ranger Phinos Mudenda that some people were in possession of ivory.

South African National Parks (SANParks) has welcomed sentences imposed for rhino poaching related crimes in two separate cases that have been finalised in Mpumalanga.The trials were concluded in the Mhala regional court in February and March. In one matter three people who were arrested in August 2018 were convicted of rhino poaching related charges including possession of two sets of rhino horns, a high calibre hunting rifle, ammunition and trespassing in a national park with the intention of committing crime as well as the illegal hunting of an endangered animal.

TWO Karoi villagers have been dragged to court for illegal possession of an elephant tusk valued at US$1 467,10.

Police in Bulawayo have arrested a 62-year-old man who was found in possession of a zebra skin and tail. Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube said Jabulani Sifelani, who is from the city's Nguboyenja high density suburb, was arrested in North End on Tuesday afternoon following a tip-off from members of the public.

Police in Bulawayo last week arrested three men after they were found in possession of five pieces of ivory.

Mutare: A local man together with a Zimbabwe National Army officer were arrested by police detectives from the Minerals Flora and Fauna unit after being found in possession of two live pangolins.

"We've gone 12 months without an elephant being shot and killed by poachers at Mana Pools National Park, which is a huge result." For Nick Murray, a conservationist born in Pontypridd, this result has followed years of hard work. Nick now runs a conservation project with his wife Desiree covering the Lower Zambezi Valley of Zimbabwe, an area of 10,000 sq km (3,800 sq miles).

Three men suspected to be part of a poaching syndicate that has been illegally hunting elephants for their ivory at the Hwange National Park and Binga district both in Matabeleland North have been arrested after being found in possession of ivory worth US$11 395. Enos Mudenda (35) of Mankonkole village under Chief Saba in Binga, Joseph Ngwenya (32) of Siantele village in Chief Shana area in Hwange and Mark Sibanda (38) of Bulawayo’s Mahatshula suburb appeared before Hwange magistrate Sekai Chiwundura to answer to a charge of illegal possession of elephant ivory.

Three local men, who allegedly tried to sell a live pangolin, appeared in court here Tuesday facing charges of illegal possession of an endangered species.

Zimbabwe has realised a spike in wildlife poaching as the wildlife management authority has redirected efforts towards combating the spread of Covid-19 during the current lockdown period, a top lobby has said.

South Africa is escalating the fight against poaching using different means and collaborating with other countries in the midst of increased activity by illegal hunters, said South African National Parks (SANParks) on Tuesday.