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.
A man was arrested alongside a foreigner, in the possession of elephant tusks weighing 18.7kg worth more than US$3 000. In a statement, police said Passivel Togara (47) and his accomplice were arrested by detectives who posed as buyers of the elephant tusks on 29 November 2023 in Katakura area, Rushinga.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2023_12_Foreigner and local man arrested in possession of 18 kg elephant tusks_The Chronicle.pdf | 113.09 KB |
Two men were arrested in possession of two elephant tusks and five pangolin scales at Magunje Growth Point.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2023-11_Two arrested in possession of elephant tusks and pangolin scales_The Chronicle.pdf | 497.1 KB |
Caught with a mother pangolin and its child in his home village near Nata on 19 November 2022, 33-year-old Othusitse Baile will forgo his freedom for the next four years.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
BOT_2023_11_Pangolin Pain_The Voice Botswana.pdf | 287.34 KB |
A man was arrested for the possession of 22 kilograms of ivory, valued at approximately US$3 740.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2023_10_Man arrested for possession of 22 kg of ivory_The Chronicle.pdf | 181.12 KB |
Five men were arrested for poaching at Humani Ranch which led to the recovery of 15 kg of Impala meat and a live Pangolin. In a statement, police said: "The suspects are Peter Tendi (38), Innocent Manyezu (31), Michael Bishou (23), Hlanganayi Sithole (61)." The suspects were arrested on Monday following a tip-off. On 18/09/23, Police in Chipinge acted on received information and arrested Peter Tendi (38), Innocent Manyezu (31), Michael Bishou (23), Harunaishe Shuro (43), and Johnson Hlanganayi Sithole (61) in connection with poaching at Humani Ranch…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2023_09_Five arrested for poaching_The Chronicle_Breaking news.pdf | 210.22 KB |
Pangolin poaching for enhanced sexual pleasure on the increase. The Commander of Botswana Defence Force, Lieutenant General Placid Segokgo, has warned that poaching will continue to be part of our lives for as long as some countries in Asia cling to their beliefs that some organs of wild animals give them sexual powers. Addressing journalists at a recent press briefing, Segokgo said, “There are some people in the East who believe that consuming or applying samples of organs such as horns, teeth, or even skins enhance their sexual…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
BOT_2023_09_Illegal wildlife trade fuels poaching_Segokgo_TheVoiceBW.pdf | 245.59 KB |
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.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2023_09_Pair busted selling elephant skin for USD1 500_New Zimbabwe.pdf | 294.55 KB |
Two Zimbabwean men have been remanded in custody after they were found in possession of a live pangolin.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
BOT_2023_08_Duo nabbed in possession of a pangolin_The Voice.pdf | 274.54 KB |
A man was caught red handed skinning an Impala at Zambezi National Park in Victoria Falls and was arrested with 11 wire snares and carcases.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2023_07_Man caught skinning Impala_The Chronicle.pdf | 205.53 KB |
Three Victoria falls men have been arrested for poaching. They were found with 10,5 kilogrammes of kudu meat.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2023_07_Trio arrested for poaching_The Chronicle.pdf | 207.32 KB |
Two men in Victoria Falls, Matabeleland North province have been arrested after police found them with a pair of elephant tusks on Thursday.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2023_05_Pair nabbed with elephant tusks_The Chronicle.pdf | 144.1 KB |
Police have confirmed the arrest of one of the five convicted rhino poachers who escaped from prison in Makhanda in October last year. "We can confirm the arrest and that he was involved in attempted poaching at one of the private game reserves," South African Police Service spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli told talk of the Town. Seven men escaped from Grahamstown Correctional Facility in October 2022. One of them, convicted poacher Trymore Chauke was arrested at Seven Fountains around 7pm on Sunday 23 October.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_04_Convicted rhino poacher arrested at private game reserve_Dispatch Live.pdf | 289.7 KB |
'An incredible story of courage and survival that has now been obliterated' is how wildlife veterinarian Dr William Fowlds has described the killing this week of two orphaned survivors of a 2016 rhino poaching incident at Sibuya Game Reserve. In a bitter blow to the rhino conservation community, two rhinos who mothers were killed by poachers seven years ago were themselves killed by poachers on Tuesday April 4.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_04_Bitter twist to new double Sibuya rhino killings_Dispatch Live.pdf | 300.31 KB |
Police have arrested two Hwange men for unlawful possession of ivory. In a statement on twitter police wrote: "On 30/03/23, Police in Hwange acted on a tip-off and arrested Cephas Charumbira (40) and Dickson Munkombwa (45) for a case of unlawful possession of raw unmarked ivory without a permit. Detectives recovered four pieces of elephantivory measuring approximately 2x75cm, 1x15cm, and 1x10cm from the suspects."
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2023_03_Two arrested for ivory possession_The Chronicle.pdf | 239.47 KB |
Two Bulawayo men have been arrested for allegedly possessing ivory with a market value of over US$2 000.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2023_03_Two arrested for possession of ivory_The Chronicle.pdf | 185.22 KB |
Nearly three years ago, North West District Council Chairman, Kebareeditse Ntsogotho was badly injured during an encounter with a buffalo just outside his home village, Khwai. Last week he, along with six other men from his village- including Deputy Chairman of Khwai Development Trust, Paul Mothathobi were summoned before Maun magistrates court charged with poaching.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
BOT_2023_03_NWDC chairman in poaching charges_thevoicebw.pdf | 256.8 KB |
Police has arrested three men for illegal possession of seven leopard skins in Victoria Falls.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2023_03_Three nabbed for illegal possession of leopard skins_New Zimbabwe.pdf | 339.58 KB |
A member of a poaching syndicate has appeared in court for allegedly gunning down a bull elephant valued at US$50 000.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2023_02_Poacher in dock for shooting USdollar 50K elephant_NewsZimbabwe.pdf | 301.32 KB |
Western Cape police have arrested three men in separate incidents for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and abalone.
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.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2023_01_Wildlife poaching declines in Zimbabwe in 2022_NewZimbabwe.pdf | 346.44 KB |
Speaking during the handover event DWNP Director, Kabelo Senyatso revealed that the drone has greatly improved their capabilities in the fight against rhino poaching.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
BOT_2022_11_Fight Against Poachers Intensifies_The Voice Botswana.pdf | 333.73 KB |
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.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2022_10_SA_ Zimbabweans convicted of rhino poaching illegal possession of arms_New Zimbabwe.pdf | 491.42 KB |
A Gokwe man has been nabbed after he was found in possession of an elephant tusk following a tip off by members of the public.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2022_08_Man arrested after being found in possession of elephant tusk_The Chronicle.pdf | 329.23 KB |
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.
Three Harare men appeared in court charged with illegal possession of ivory after they were caught with 37kgs of elephant tasks.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2022_05_Trio nabbed with 37 kilograms of ivory_NewZimbabwe.pdf | 547.26 KB |
Two elephants are suspected to have been killed by poisoning by poachers after they were found dead in the Sentinel Safaris area which is part of Zimbabwe’s component of the Greater Mapungubwe Trans-frontier Conservation Area (GMTCA). The mega-park is made up of communal lands and national parks from Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2022_05_Two Zimbabwe elephants poisoned by poachers_The Chronicle.pdf | 583.4 KB |
Community participation is key to reducing wildlife crimes amid concerns that the country is losing revenue as a result of poaching. Poachers kill elephants for their tusks and rhinos for their horns. The official value of ivory is US$250 per kilogramme yet poachers can sell it for as little as US$50 per kilogramme.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2022_04_Zim losing forex to poaching_The Chronicle.pdf | 380.12 KB |
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.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2022_03_SA_Zimbabwean Jailed 10 Years Over Pangolin_Newzimbabwe.pdf | 440.89 KB |
Poaching activities around Hwange National Park went down last year, thanks to the involvement of local communities in anti-poaching campaigns. Poaching remains one of the main threats to the survival of painted dogs found in the area. Covid-19 induced lockdowns worsened the situation over the past two years.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_Anti_poaching campaigns pay off in Hwange_The Chronicle.pdf | 485.66 KB |
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.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2022_02_Poachers kill endangered white rhino_NewZimbabwe.pdf | 545.62 KB |
A man has been arrested for unlawful possession of ivory after he was found with two elephant tusks. Police confirmed the arrest which occurred in Victoria Falls on February 21.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2022_02_Man arrested after being found with elephant tusks_The Chronicle.pdf | 486.59 KB |
Three Bulawayo men were on Tuesday arrested after police found them in possession of a lion skin which they had stashed inside a bag.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2022_02_Three men arrested for possession of lion skin_The Chronicle.pdf | 873.37 KB |
A sense of remorse and a convincing mitigation statement have saved a convicted ivory dealer from a lengthy jail term as he got off lightly with a reduced sentence. Poul Garirayi would have been condemned to a mandatory 10-year maximum jail term and a hefty fine for the elephant tusks valued at P10 233.22 that he was found in possession of.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
BOT_2021_11_Illegal Ivory Dealer Jailed For Two Years_The Voice Botswana.pdf | 432.33 KB |
A 37-year-old man of Toteng village was on Friday last week acquitted and discharged of unlawful possession of elephant tusks. It was alleged that on August 20th, Kangootui Kangootui was found in possession of two elephant tusks weighing 16.8kg valued at P27,513.55 wrapped in old blankets along Kunyere River. According Magistrate Keneilwe Kgoadi, the state has failed to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
BOT_2021_10_Man acquitted of illegal possession of elephant tusks_The Voice Botswana.pdf | 567.68 KB |
Two Victoria Falls men, one of them a neighbourhood watch committee (NWC) member, have been fined $6 000 each for trapping animals with wire snares.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2021_10_Suspended sentences for wire snare poachers_The Chronicle.pdf | 1.92 MB |
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.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2021_09_Zim Man Jailed 2 Years In Botswana For Ivory Possession_NewZimbabwe.pdf | 268.8 KB |
A big-hearted boyfriend who managed to get his lover off the hook after the pair were caught with two elephant tusks has been taken to task over the matter and jailed for two years. Zimbabwean native, Brian Ndlovu admitted to being in possession of the ivory, claiming he had been given the tusks by another man with the instruction to sell them. He was busted when police received a tip-off of a man trying to sell tusks at Tonota lands. Swooping into action on 22 January, the cops pounced to find Ndlovu in the presence of his girlfriend and home-girl, Mary Sibanda.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
BOT_2021_09_Big-Hearted Boyfriend Jailed In Elephant Tusk Takedown_TheVoiceBw.pdf | 458.21 KB |
A man caught with a single elephant tusk during an unexpected run-in with the police in the bush two years ago will learn his fate next Thursday. Although he tried to hide the offending item beneath his jacket during his unplanned encounter with the cops, the big bulge gave Gaosego Emang Seipato away. The 35-year-old met his downfall on 3 May 2019, when he was rumbled by a police patrol who were actually on the lookout for illegal gold miners in the bushes between Matshelagabedi and BDF training centre on the outskirts of Francistown.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
BOT_2021_09_Busted In The Bush_TheVoiceBw.pdf | 496.73 KB |
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.
Four suspected poachers have been arrested after being found in possession of elephant tusks worth nearly US$3 000.
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.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2021_07_Kwekwe Python Man Arrested_New Zimbabwe.pdf | 426.76 KB |
Two men from Bulawayo appeared in court for possessing about 16kg of ivory without a licence.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2021_07_Two men found in possession of Ivory_The Chronicle.pdf | 366.48 KB |
Two men from Madumabisa outside Hwange town have been sentenced to nine years in jail after they were caught in a bush in Matetsi with a live pangolin.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2021_07_Two men jailed nine years each for poaching pangolin_The Chronicle.pdf | 376.24 KB |
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.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2021_06_Zim Man_lover arrested in Botswana for illegal ivory possession_New Zimbabwe.pdf | 447.53 KB |
North West District council chairperson, Kebareeditse Ntsogotho is set to appear before Maun magistrate court next week Friday to face poaching charges. "It is true, they are taking me to court," Ntsogotho confirmed briefly in a matter regarding his encounter with a buffalo on the outskirts of his home village, Khwai in May 2020 that left him badly injured and permanently scarred. Although the chairman had insisted that he was attacked while trying to help some of his community members escape the marauding animal, the police treated the case as a poaching incident.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
BOT_2021_06_Council chairman charged with poaching_TheVoiceBW.pdf | 565.18 KB |
The rhino poaching trial of six Zimbabweans, four of whom are allegedly in South Africa illegally, will proceed in the high court sitting in Makhanda on Thursday. Francis Chitiyo, 31, Trymore Chauke, 26, Micheck Chauke, 23, Simba Masinge, 23, Nhamo Muyambo, 28 and Abraham Moyane, 23, - all of whom live in East London - face some 38 charges related to the poaching of about eight rhino in the Eastern Cape between 2017 and 2018. They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2021_05_Six Zimbabweans face multiple charges linked to rhino poaching_Dispatch Live.pdf | 307.95 KB |
An anti-poaching scout in Victoria Falls and his friend have been arrested for selling Kudu meat after finding the animal's carcass in a bush.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2021_05_ Anti_poaching scout nabbed selling Kudu meat_The Chronicle.pdf | 779.97 KB |
A Victoria Falls City Council driver who hit a warthog while driving a municipal vehicle, skinned it and took the meat home for consumption has been arrested for poaching.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2021_04_Vic Falls City Council driver arrested for poaching_The Chronicle.pdf | 389.03 KB |
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.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2021_04_Court Acquits Villagers Busted With US1 400 Ivory_New Zimbabwe.pdf | 523.45 KB |
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.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2021_04_Dete Man Found With 7 Ivory Pieces_New Zimbabwe.pdf | 503.58 KB |