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.
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The three were arrested in Lagos in July 2021 following the interception by Nigerian Customs agents of 196 sacks of pangolin scales weighing 7,137.40kg, one sack of pangolin claws weighing 4.60kg and 29 sacks of elephant tusks weighing 870.4kg.
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NIG_2023_10_How illegal wildlife_trade traffickers escape justice in Nigeria_The Guardian.pdf | 374.86 KB |
Johannesburg - South African National Parks (SANParks) welcomed the hefty sentence handed to two Mozambican nationals convicted for rhino poaching by the Skukuza Regional Court. Lucky Shihlangu and Sergio Mathebula were found guilty and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment on Monday. The two were arrested in the Malelane section of the Kruger National Park in September after they were found in possession of a hunting rifle, an axe, and two rhino horns.
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SA_2023_01_ Sanparks hopes hefty sentence handed to KNP rhino poachers deters criminals_EWN.pdf | 250.36 KB |
The Nigeria Customs Service, in collaboration with Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), has intercepted 397.5 Kilogramme of pangolin scales and arrested 8 suspects in connection with the seizure.
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NIG_2022_08_Nigeria Customs intercepts 397kg of Pangolin scales_arrests 8 suspects_The Guardian.pdf | 422.35 KB |
A total of 259 rhinos were poached for their horn in South Africa, over the first six months of 2022.
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SA_2022_08_259 rhinos poached in SA over the last 6 months_EWN.pdf | 296.67 KB |
Four rhino have been killed at a game reserve just outside of Cape Town. Management at the Inverdoorn private game reserve said that an anti-poaching unit found the four rhino while on their regular patrols. One of the four was pregnant. A fifth rhino was wounded and is recovering.
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SA_2021_12_4 rhino killed in poaching incident at WC game reserve_EWN.pdf | 311.71 KB |
A local game breeder has earlier today been charged with the illegal possession and the selling of rhino horns after a combined intelligence operation involving several law enforcement units.
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SA_2021_07_Game breeder arrested for possession_trade in rhino horns_Review.pdf | 1.83 MB |
The National Prosecuting Authority has welcomed the sentences handed to two Mozambique nationals found guilty for poaching related offences by the Malamulele Regional Court. Enock Sibanda(31) and Eckson Shirinda (28) were arrested by Kruger National Park rangers on 14 November 2018 and were each sentenced to eight year’s imprisonment, said Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, the Regional Spokesperson of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Limpopo.
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SA_2021-05_Kruger Park elephant poachers jailed by Limpopo court_Review.pdf | 2.2 MB |
Despite being 20 times smaller and having much lower rainfall, Richtersveld has more plant species than the country's famous Kruger national park. It is, says Van Wyk, "the most important succulent laboratory in the world". But it is this variety of rare succulents that draws the poachers. Many Richtersveld species are so specialised that they grow only in one valley or on one mountain slope. In extreme cases an entire species can be confined to an area smaller than a football pitch, so a poacher could render a species extinct in a morning.
Three black rhinos were found killed in separate incidents in the Lephalale and Gravelotte policing areas. In the first incident, a rhino was found shot and killed at a local game reserve in the Waterberg district on Friday, 22 January.
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SA_2021_01_ 3 rhinos killed in two separate incidents in Lephalale Gravelotte-Review.pdf | 1.45 MB |
The police on Friday arrested three suspects for possession of elephant tusks worth over R100 000. The suspects were arrested at a local mall during an undercover operation which was conducted by the police together with the Endangered Species Unit in Limpopo, K9 unit, Crime Intelligence, LEDET and KNP ECI .
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SA_2021-01_ Undercover cops arrest trio for possession of elephant tusks_Review.pdf | 511.14 KB |
The trio were arrested following a R50 000 transaction for parts of lions they killed on a private game reserve outside Lephalale.
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SA_2020-12_3 men sentenced in Mokopane for selling lion parts_Review.pdf | 1.17 MB |
"We provide free air support for the reserves up here," explains Rob over the headphones. "The more we’re doing surveillance up in the air, the safer the rhino below. In some cases, our surveillance has seen a 97 per cent drop in rhino poaching." Rob scans the bush constantly and, when he spots two waterbuck at a canter, he swoops down to take a closer look.
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SA_2020-05_Conservation planes_Flying to save our wilderness _SA Country Life.pdf | 1.9 MB |