Search results

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.

Explore your search results using the filter checkboxes, or amend your search or start a new search.

Displaying results 1 - 14 of 14
Tuesday, 30 April 2024
Steynberg F 2024. Artificial intelligence tracking rhinos At Addo Elephant National Park.

Some of the rhinos at Addo Elephant National Park are now collared with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to secure their safety. This is a first-of-its-kind intervention at the Park. Smart algorithms continuously monitor the rhino's behaviour and in the event of an incident, an alert is generated that pinpoints the rhino's location via GPS. This enables the effective, real-time investigation of possible poaching incidents. Behaviours that can be tracked include fighting, mating, giving birth and death.

Wednesday, 28 February 2024
2024. South African National Parks and Namibian Rangers unite against poaching.

In a landmark display of cross-border cooperation, |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park Field Rangers from South Africa joined forces with their Namibian counterparts to conduct regular joint river patrol along the Orange River. This milestone collaboration marks a significant achievement following a three-year interruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The joint patrol, integral to the management of the |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park (ARTP), aimed to address the rampant illegal gillnet activities that have been decimating fish populations in the area.

Thursday, 22 February 2024
2024. Successful apprehension of abalone poachers at Smitswinkel Bay, Cape Town.

The South African National Parks (SANParks) Environment Crime Investigation (ECI) Unit received tip-offs from the public about potential poaching activities at Smitswinkel Bay, Cape Town. A prompt response by the ECI, its Canine Unit and the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) Marine Unit Rangers led to the apprehension of two suspected poachers who were found with a total of 291 units of abalone. The apprehended suspects were transported to the South African Police Services.

Saturday, 17 February 2024
Moser K 2024. Namibia warns of rising pangolin trafficking on World Pangolin Day.
Namibia's Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism issued a warning on World Pangolin Day, exposing the extent of illegal trafficking and poaching activities targeting pangolins.
Sunday, 31 December 2023
2023. Botswana, Namibia launch joint elephant poaching investigation: official.

Botswana and Namibia have embarked on a joint investigation into the increased incidents of elephant poaching in the northern part of Botswana. "The country (Botswana) experienced a surge in elephant poaching incidents during November and December 2023," Lesego Kgomanyane, the spokesperson for Botswana's Ministry of Environment and Tourism, told Xinhua over the telephone, noting that the development has shone the light on the apparent increase in poaching of elephants in northern Botswana.

Thursday, 1 September 2022
2022. Rhinoceros poaching surges in Namibia.

Namibia is experiencing a surge in poaching, with the number of poached rhinoceros rising to 48 this year, Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said Wednesday. In a statement, Muyunda said of the poached rhinoceros, 32 were black rhinoceros and 16 were white rhinoceros.

Tuesday, 10 August 2021
2021. One poacher killed in Botswana.

One poacher was killed in an anti-poaching incident in Ditshiping village, Okavango Delta, Botswana Defense Force (BDF) said Tuesday.

Monday, 2 August 2021
2021. Interview: Namibia eager to partner with China on wildlife cooperation.

Namibia is eager to partner with China on wildlife cooperation, the African country's environment minister said during an interview with Xinhua. Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta said that China has been a supporter of Namibia's conservation programs, adding that he had discussed others areas of cooperation with his counterparts during a trip to China. "Namibia-China cooperation is very cordial and a genuine one, especially when it comes to conservation programs and also environmental programs.

Monday, 17 May 2021
2021. Namibia records drop in poaching cases.

Namibia has recorded a drastic drop in poaching cases with only two rhinos poached so far this year compared to 13 poaching cases recorded at the same period last year, Environment Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said on Monday.

Saturday, 24 October 2020
2020. SANParks staff members arrested on suspicion of rhino poaching.

South African National Parks (SANParks) announced the arrest of three staff members on 20 October 2020; in an extended Intel driven operation by SANParks, SAPS Crime Intelligence Unit, Sabi Sands and Skukuza SAPS Stock Theft Unit outside Kruger Gate. Two of the officials were employed as Security Guards and one was attached to Technical Services at one of the rest camps. The three were likely to appear in court on Thursday, 22 October 2020 and will thereafter be subjected to internal employee disciplinary procedures.

Thursday, 22 October 2020
2020. Namibia drastically reduces poaching cases: minister.

Namibia has drastically cut down on the number of rhino poaching cases in the past year despite the country still battling the problem, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta told Parliament on Wednesday.

Thursday, 28 May 2020
2020. Two poachers shot dead in Botswana.

The Botswana Defence Force (BDF) has reported death of two poachers killed in an anti-poaching incident in the Okavango Delta, bringing the number of poachers killed in the Southern Africa country to seven this year.

Monday, 4 May 2020
2020. "We can’t afford to scale back": S. Africa faces poaching threat amid Covid-19 lockdown.

Despite a country-wide lockdown amid the Covid-19 pandemic, South Africa’s anti-poaching rangers remain on patrol, protecting one of the country’s most valuable resources at a time when conservationists fear a lack of tourists may be putting rare animals at greater risk from illegal hunting.

Thursday, 13 February 2020
2020. Namibia launches conservation fund to tackle human-wildlife conict .

Namibia launched an initiative that will contribute to the collective efforts of conserving the environment as well as the conservancies and communities in the rural areas at an event held in Windhoek on Thursday.

NOT FOUND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR? AMEND YOUR SEARCH...