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.
Namibians should unite against organised and serious environmental crimes such as poaching which involve foreign nationals cooperating with locals for the illicit operations to be successful, police Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga said at the Force's Christmas carols' event for the Kavango East region on Friday.
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NAM_2016-12_Protect wildlife for future generations_The Namibian.pdf | 348.66 KB |
Six people found carrying rifles in the Etosha National Park last week were arrested after a wounded rhino was found in the area.
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NAM_2016-12_Six arrested in Etosha_The Namibian.pdf | 189.19 KB |
The recent arrest of a police officer who allowed a Chinese man to pass through our airport security system with a suitcase of rhino horns once again brings to the fore the mischief and illicit dealings between poachers and law enforcement agents.
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NAM_2016-12_Crime_Corruption Worse Than It Seems_The Namibian.pdf | 292.7 KB |
The arrest of a Chinese citizen who allegedly managed to smuggle 18 rhinoceros horns out of Namibia last week landed a member of the Namibian Police in the dock in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court in Katutura yesterday.
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NAM_2016-12_Airport cop charged over rhino horns_The Namibian.pdf | 534.41 KB |
Police inspector general Sebastian Ndeitunga yesterday said he will take stiff measures on officers who were on duty at Hosea Kutako International Airport when the Chinese national smuggled 18 rhino horns out of Namibia.
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NAM_2016-11_Ndeitunga breathes fire over rhino horns_The Namibian.pdf | 551 KB |
A Chinese man was arrested on Wednesday in South Africa when he was found with 18 rhino horns worth R6,6 million which are suspected to have been smuggled from Namibia.
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NAM_2016-11_Chinese national arrested with 18 rhino horns_The Namibian.pdf | 965.73 KB |
South African police Thursday said they had arrested a Hong Kong-bound Chinese man found with 18 rhino horns hidden in his luggage.
Four Chinese citizens sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment each in connection with an attempt to smuggle rhinoceros horns and a leopard skin out of Namibia in March 2014, will appeal against their conviction and sentences.
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NAM_2016-10_Rhino horn smugglers want to appeal_The Namibian.pdf | 665.14 KB |
Four Chinese citizens convicted of having tried to smuggle 14 rhinoceros horns and a leopard skin out of Namibia in March 2014 were sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment each at the end of their trial today.
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NAM_2016-09_Rhino horn smugglers get 14 years in prison_The Namibian.pdf | 754.09 KB |
Namibia could lose its entire rhinoceros population in the next 10 years if the rate at which poachers have been killing these endangered animals in recent years continues unchecked. Poachers have killed 201 rhinos in Namibia since 2011, and their crimes have not only had an environmental impact, but also an economic one.
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NAM_2016-09_Poaching could wipe out rhino population_The Namibian.pdf | 664.32 KB |
The discovery of a hoard of rhino horns and a leopard skin in two suitcases at Hosea Kutako International Airport in March 2014 led to the conviction of four Chinese citizens on two criminal charges in the Windhoek Regional Court on Friday.
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NAM_2016-09_Chinese men guilty over rhino horns in luggage_The Namibian.pdf | 610.48 KB |
Four Chinese citizens who were accused of having tried to smuggle a hoard of rhino horns and one leopard skin out of Namibia in March 2014 were found guilty on two charges in the Windhoek Regional Court today.
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NAM_2016-09_Chinese foursome convicted over rhino horns_The Namibian.pdf | 252.92 KB |
Three Zambians and a Namibian, the latter suspected to be a former policeman, were arrested last Friday after poaching a black rhino at the Erindi private game reserve near Omaruru.
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NAM_2016-09_Black rhino poached at Erindi 4 arrested_The Namibian.pdf | 256.12 KB |
A Chinese citizen who tried to send a piece of rhino horn out of Namibia in a parcel was sentenced to pay fines totalling N$40 000 or serve a two-year prison term yesterday.
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NAM_2016-09_Chinese man fined over rhino horn in parcel_The Namibian.pdf | 211.06 KB |
Police arrested two Chinese businessmen for alleged extortion, attempted murder and robbery at Walvis Bay after they held another Chinese businessman at gunpoint on Saturday.
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NAM_2016-08_Businessmen arrested for extortion_The Namibian.pdf | 262.21 KB |
The delivery of the verdict in the trial of four Chinese citizens charged with having tried to smuggle a hoard of rhino horns out of Namibia in March 2014, has again been postponed by a month.
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NAM_2016-08_Rhino horns foursome kept waiting for verdict_The Namibian.pdf | 472.82 KB |
The environment minister, Pohamba Shifeta, described the latest rhino and elephant poaching figures as "a pity", saying his ministry will do all it can to keep these figures from rising further. According to figures released by the minister yesterday, three more rhino carcasses, possibly poached for their horns, were recently discovered in the Etosha National Park, pushing the figure of known rhino mortalities up to 37 this year, which brings the total rhino deaths since last year to 162.
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NAM_2016-08_162 rhinos elephants poached since 2015_The Namibian.pdf | 270.11 KB |
The three men who were arrested on Friday with freshly sawn-off rhino horns at a mobile police roadblock outside Otavi were ordered to remain in custody with their first court appearance yesterday.
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NAM_2016-07_Rhino horn suspects remanded in custody_The Namibian.pdf | 484.48 KB |
Deputy minister of environment Tommy Nambahu has repeated his stance that the release of suspected rhino poachers is hampering the ministry's efforts to fight the scourge.
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NAM_2016-07_Concern over release of poachers as three are arrested with rhino horns_The Namibian.pdf | 576.11 KB |
Three carcasses of black rhinos were discovered in the Uukwaluudhi conservancy situated between Oshakati and Kamanjab last week on Thursday.
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NAM_2014-06_Black rhino slaughter uncovered_The Namibian.pdf | 248.39 KB |
Two businessmen who spent a week in police custody after they were arrested in connection with an alleged attempt to sell four rhino horns, have been released on bail of N$50 000 each. Windhoek resident Tangi Sheefeni Amon Namwandi (32), who is also known as 'Mox', and Jairus Shaalukeni (32), who lives at Ongwediva, were granted bail when they made a second appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court in Katutura on a charge of possessing or dealing in rhino horns on Thursday last week.
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NAM_2016-06_Two granted bail in rhino horn case_The Namibian.pdf | 520.79 KB |
Four Chinese citizens accused of having attempted to smuggle two suitcases filled with rhino horns and a leopard skin out of Namibia in March 2014, are due to hear the verdict in their trial next month.
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NAM_2016-05_Verdict awaited in rhino horn smuggling trial_The Namibian.pdf | 494.25 KB |
Environment and tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta is concerned about the increasing poaching and illegal trafficking of wildlife products. He told visiting Interpol secretary general Jurgen Stock in Windhoek on Tuesday that Namibia could use more help and support from the international community to end the poaching and trafficking of wildlife products.
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NAM_2016-03_Poaching an international concern_The Namibian.pdf | 982.12 KB |
The Namibian Police is offering a reward of N$60 000 for any reliable information which could lead to the arrest of people suspected to be involved in poaching. Suspected poachers are mainly targeting Namibia's rhino and elephant population for horns and tusks respectively, which fetch lucrative sums, particularly in Asian countries.
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NAM_2016-03_Police offer NS60 000 for arrest of poachers_The Namibian.pdf | 232.7 KB |
What was described as excellent cooperation between the Omaruru District Watch and the police resulted in two white rhinos being saved from poaching and four suspected poachers arrested.
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NAM_2016-03_Two rhinos saved four suspects arrested_The Namibian.pdf | 288.96 KB |
Depity fisheries minister Chief Samuel Ankama says the only way to combat poaching is by apprehending the end-users, who keep the market alive.
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NAM_2016-03_Arrest buyers of poached products_The Namibian.pdf | 208.97 KB |
The Ministry of Environment and Tourism projects to have spent over a billion dollars in anti-poaching operations by the end of this year since the operation started two years ago.
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NAM_2016-03_Poaching war to cost a billion_The Namibian.pdf | 249.89 KB |
Two men arrested by the Namibian Police Force (NamPol)'s Protected Resources Unit for the possession of rhino horns and abalone products at the beginning of this month, have been granted bail.
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NAM_2016-02_Men arrested with rhino horns_abalone granted bail_The Namibian.pdf | 544.38 KB |
The prosecutor general has bank accounts and six cars belonging to a Chinese citizen and a Namibian man facing charges of possessing and trying to export the shellfish abalone from Namibia in her sights.
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NAM_2016-02_Poca assets order against two abalone accused_The Namibian.pdf | 294.61 KB |
In 1963, the then South African administration proclaimed the entire Western Caprivi as a nature park, by far the earliest nature conservation area in northern Namibia.
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NAM_2016-02_A militarised nature park_The Namibian.pdf | 1.14 MB |
The discovery of close to 100 kilogrammes of dried abalone and more than a kilogramme of rhino horn pieces in Windhoek this week landed a Chinese citizen and a Namibian man in the dock in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court yesterday.
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NAM_2016-02_Two charged over rhino horn and abalone_The Namibian.pdf | 508.19 KB |
THE Namibian government has made great strides in combating the poaching of endangered animals in recent months, the minister of environment and tourism (MET), Pohamba Shifeta, has said.
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NAM_2016-01_Nam makes big strides in combating poaching Shifeta_The Namibian.pdf | 746.42 KB |
Four more rhino carcasses were found at Grootberg Lodge in Kunene region in late December last year.
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NAM_2016-01_Rhino poaching toll at 80_The Namibian.pdf | 974.5 KB |
A Chinese businessman was sentenced to 10 years in prison or alternatively pay N$100 000 for the illegal possession of protected wildlife specimen in the Opuwo magistrate court on Monday.
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NAM_2015-12_Chinese man gets 10_year prison sentence for rhino horn possession_The Namibian.pdf | 1003.14 KB |
Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta says he is not aware of any ministers or former members of parliament involved in poaching. Meanwhile, police Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga says he cannot deny that ministers or members of parliament were involved in poaching, but he wanted to know who they are so he can lay his hands on them. The minister and the police chief were reacting to reports in the Namibian Sun that NamRights executive director Phil ya Nangoloh had allegedly submitted a report to Ndeitunga in which political leaders are accused of involvement in…
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NAM_2015-12_Shifeta unaware of ministers who poach_The Namibian.pdf | 462.12 KB |
The trial of four Chinese citizens accused of having tried to smuggle two suitcases containing rhino horns out of Namibia in March last year is scheduled to continue in the Windhoek Regional Court next month.
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NAM_2015-12_Rhino horn trial moves on to defence case_The Namibian.pdf | 576.98 KB |
The killing of rhinoceroses in the supposed safety of Etosha National Park is continuing, despite intensified efforts to clamp down on poaching in Namibia. The carcasses of another two black rhinos that had been killed for their horns were found in the south-western part of Etosha National Park early last week, a police spokesperson, chief inspector Kauna Shikwambi, confirmed on Friday. Shikwambi said both carcasses were found in the area between the Otjovasando air strip and Renostervlei in the far western part of Etosha. The horns of both animals had been removed.
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NAM_2015-11_Rhino slaughter continues_The Namibian.pdf | 209.33 KB |
At one of Hanoi's priciest restaurants, a group of Vietnamese businessmen meet their new American partners to celebrate their latest venture. “A toast!” someone exclaims.
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NAM_2015-11_Pressuring the Poachers_The Namibian.pdf | 363.91 KB |
Aron Uiseb must have been a happy man when Omaruru magistrate Abel Sankwasa fined him N$250 which was wholly suspended for three years, after he pleaded guilty to poaching a leopard at Ai Aiba lodge near Omauru a year ago. The Namibian understands a leopard trophy is worth between N$50 000 and N$90 000.
Not only did Uiseb escape paying N$250 if he is not convicted of the same offence in the next three years, the N$15 000 he deposited as bail will be returned to him.
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NAM_2015-10_Leopard poacher goes scot free_The Namibian.pdf | 376.23 KB |
The police anti-poaching unit has since June this year arrested 48 people for alleged rhino poaching. About 22 of those arrested appeared in the Okahao Magistrate's Court in Omusati Region last month, while an unspecified number of suspects were released, pending further police investigations.
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NAM_2015-08_48 arrested over rhino poaching since June_The Namibian.pdf | 192.18 KB |
The four Chinese men accused of having tried to smuggle a hoard of rhino horns out of Namibia in March last year is due to continue in the Windhoek Regional Court in September.
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NAM_2015-08_Rhino contraband trial continues next month_The Namibian.pdf | 261.57 KB |
One of the Chinese men accused of trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns out of Namibia in March last year admitted yesterday that he knew he was carrying controlled wildlife products in two suitcases which he was planning to take to China.
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NAM_2015-07_Chinese man admits smuggling rhino horns_Namibian.pdf | 543.73 KB |
International tourism to Africa reached record levels in 2013, with 56 million tourists bringing in N$410 billion. Significantly, 80% of them came to see the continent's wildlife. This valuable economic injection could increase by 10% a year – provided poachers don't wipe out the iconic species that safari goers travel here to see.
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NAM_2015-07_How poachers kill jobs_The Namibian.pdf | 425.1 KB |
The Tourism minister has accused some traditional leaders and businesspeople of being used as middlemen by poaching syndicates.
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NAM_2015-07_Poaching syndicates use locals_The Namibian.pdf | 687.89 KB |
Government yesterday condemned the random shooting of Namibian citizens suspected of being poachers at the Botswana border, saying the authorities in that country are too quick to pull the trigger.
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NAM_2015-07_Government condemns Botswana for shooting Namibians_The Namibian.pdf | 290.5 KB |
Yet another black rhino was poached in the Omatendeka Conservancy in Southern Kunene over the weekend, bringing the total number of poached rhinos in the country to 69 this year. The rhino is the fifth to be poached in the same area within a couple of months. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism confirmed yesterday that five people were arrested in connection with the incident after they were discovered with two rhino horns in their possession.
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NAM_2015-06_Rhino carcass discovered at Omatendeka Conservancy_The Namibian.pdf | 222.79 KB |
Five Namibian men were arrested on Saturday afternoon in the Kunene Region after they were found with a freshly sawn off black rhinoceros horn and a rifle, allegedly used to shoot the rhino. The five appeared before Magistrate Leena Iyambo at Opuwo on Monday afternoon.
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NAM_2015-06_Five Namibians arrested with rhino horn in Kunene_The Namibian.pdf | 387.08 KB |
In a move to control rhino poaching, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism started constructing a proper boundary fence to protect animals in the Etosha National Park. The fencing is expected to cost an estimated N$700 000 per kilometre. Etosha measures 824 kilometres, and the ministry would need about N$576 million to fence it all. The ministry, however, does not have enough funds for the project and has requested an additional N$167 million during this financial year. It was allocated about N$643 million in the 2015/2016 national budget.
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NAM_2015-06_Fencing Etosha to prevent poaching_The Namibian.pdf | 436.57 KB |
The Chinese Embassy in Windhoek, through its office of the director of political affairs, Wang Xuguang (Tony), responded to a request by Nampa on the Embassy's stance after another Chinese national appeared in court for alleged rhinoceros horn smuggling.
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NAM_2015-06_Chinese Embassy on rhino horn case-The Namibian.pdf | 317.56 KB |
A Chinese, who police believe to be the 'kingpin' in one of Namibia's biggest rhino horn smuggling cases, was denied bail by the Windhoek Magistrate's Court in Katutura yesterday. Wang Hui (40), who was remanded in custody at the Windhoek Correctional Facility, had his case transferred to the Regional Court where he is expected to appear on 25 June.
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NAM_2015-06_No bail for Chinese linked to rhino horns_The Namibian.pdf | 217.13 KB |