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.
Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) on Wednesday paraded before media a group of suspects including; Murokozi Desire, Gisa Derrick, Kaburaburyo Cyriaqué a Burundian national and Nicodem Bagabo from Democratic Republic of Congo. The three were found in possession with a consignment of elephant tusks. According to World Wildlife Fund -a leading organization in wildlife conservation and endangered species, poachers kill about 20,000 elephants every single year for their tusks, which are then traded illegally in the international market to eventually end up as ivory trinkets.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
RWA_2021_10_Rwanda arrests 4 poachers with elephant tusks_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 654.88 KB |
The 38-year-old poacher was sentenced to 19 years behind bars after a white rhinoceros was killed in Lower Sabie in 2014.
An official from the North West Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism will appear in the Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court on Monday 11 October after he was arrested in connection with illegal rhino horn trade. The official and the owner of a security company were arrested on Thursday afternoon in relation to alleged contraventions of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, the Rhino Norms and Standards, and contravention of permit conditions.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2021_10_Government official to appear in court for rhino horn trade_The South African.pdf | 393.38 KB |
Police in Bungoma town over the weekend arrested two men who were found with an elephant tusk. The two suspects, James Wandili and Moses Crusho, are suspected to be part of a syndicate engaging in poaching and selling wildlife trophies on the black market. Police said the two were found in possession of elephant tusk weighing 1kg with an estimated street value of Sh100,000. Bungoma South Sub-County Police Commander Benjamin Kimwele told journalists that a team of officers who were on patrol confiscated the illegal cargo in Bungoma town after a tip off from the public.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
KEN_2021_10_Two men found with elephant tusk arrested in Bungoma_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 652.65 KB |
A 34-year old policeman is recovering in hospital after he was shot and injured during a shootout with rhino poachers in Vredefort in the Free State on Tuesday night.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2021_09_Hero policeman shot in gun battle with rhino poachers_The SouthAfrican.pdf | 393.65 KB |
Buyers are being offered more than 200 species of animals threatened with extinction or declining population on social media platforms by illegal wildlife traders. The animals are then transported by air out of Africa and in some instance, by boat.
The Chief Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe has set 27 September, 2021, as the day for delivering judgement against a Chinese national, Yunhua Lin, who is answering charges of money laundering and rhino horn trafficking. Lin came to Malawi as an investor like many do but without proper screening and vetting, the country let in a criminal who is destroying our current and future economy. Lin is a member of one of Southern Africa’s most prolific wildlife trafficking syndicates, which has been operating out of Malawi for at least a decade.
Police said the four were found in possession of 19 pieces of the jumbo tusks. The tusks have a street value of Sh10 million.
At least 249 rhinos were killed in the first six months of this year in South Africa. The bulk of the killings happened at the Kruger National Park, where 132 rhinos were killed.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in Kajiado has recovered four pieces of elephant tusks hidden in a bush in Torosei area, Kajiado Central. Weighing 14 kilograms and estimated at a street value of Ksh 1.4 million, the ivory was discovered by locals who informed their area Chief. KWS County Warden Vincent Ongwae said the ivory is suspected to have been sneaked into the country through the border, as there had been no reported cases of elephants killed in the recent past.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
KEN_2021_07_Ivory worth Ksh1_4M recovered in Kajiado County_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 609.78 KB |
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), most of the poachers come from poor communities and are just looking for food. Such ones use snares, wire traps, poisoned watermelons or nails to catch elephants, and spears as weapons to kill the trapped animals.
Three men from Lupane appeared in court for possessing about 6kg of ivory without a licence.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2021_07_Trio in court for ivory possession_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 606.14 KB |
Members of the Hawks Organised Investigation Unit searched a vehicle and found rhino horns that suspects were attempting to sell. "The pair were arrested during a buy and bust operation where they allegedly attempted to sell the horns. The suspects' vehicle was searched and two rhino horns worth approximately R2.4 million were found," Rikhotso said.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2021_06_Rhino poaching latest_ Police recover R2_4 million rhino horn_The South African.pdf | 920.99 KB |
Johannesburg - A man in the North West has on Thursday been sentenced to eight years for keeping elephant ivory worth over R1 million in his house. Moabi Moribe has been on the run since 2018.
The National Police in Huila arrested last weekend a Vietnamese national suspected of trafficking ivory, having been caught with 20 kilograms of the prohibited trade product. He was arrested at the Chibemba police post, in Gambos municipality, when he was trying to cross the border post and enter Huila province, from Cunene where he works.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ANG_2021_05_Vietnamese National Arrested With 20 Kg of Ivory_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 662.53 KB |
The Skukuza Regional Court has handed down a stiff sentence to a 34- year-old man from Mozambique who was recently convicted of several poaching related crimes including the illegal hunting and killing of rhino.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2021_05_Rhino Poaching Files_Poacher gets 25 years in jail_The South African.pdf | 699.91 KB |
Police in Busia have arrested a Senior Security Officer from Uganda in possession of three pieces of animal trophies worth Kshs 3 million street value. Kennedy Wabwire, was arrested on Friday at around 2.00 pm through a tip off from members of the public. "We got information that some Ugandan Nationals were on a mission to traffic ivory into Kenya with the aim of selling," said Busia DCIO, Benard Wamalwa.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
KEN_2021_05_Ugandan official arrested with ivory worth Kshs_3M in Busia_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 277.85 KB |
The suspected ivory smuggler from Alberton is facing the full might of the law this week, after two elephant tusks were found in his possession.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2021_05_Gauteng man busted for possession of two elephant tusks_The South African.pdf | 906.15 KB |
A Retired Italian Diplomat, Diego Marino Enrico has been arrested and is presently under detention at the Jinja Road Police Station after his house was searched and over 5 Kilograms of Ivory discovered.
Developments in two major ivory trafficking cases in Tanzania are not what conservationists might have hoped for. The conviction of Boniface Mathew Malyango, known as "Shetani Hana Huruma" ("the Devil has no mercy" in Kiswahili), was hailed by conservation organisations as a victory in 2017, with one of East Africa's most notorious illegal ivory traders. However, his conviction was quietly overturned in mid-2020 - a development that was largely unreported in the press.
The Criminal Investigations Department of police has conrmed to the arrest of David Kisitu, a suspect that has been on the run since December 2020, on charges of possession of prohibited wildlife species. Authorities from the Wildlife Centre equate the trunks [sic] to 22 kgs of Ivory. Wildlife trafcking has over the years become a lucrative transnational crime and Uganda Police has since joined global efforts in ensuring that this illegal wildlife trade is curtailed.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
UGA_2021_02_One arrested in unlawful possession of wildlife pieces_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 707.13 KB |
A Kenyan man accused in a multimillion-dollar operation to deal rhinoceros horns and ivory from elephant tusks - harming more than 100 endangered animals - arrived in the city Monday morning after being extradited to face charges of conspiracy to commit wildlife trafcking and other counts.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
KEN_2021-01_Kenyan national faces indictment in New York on charges_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 383.5 KB |
Measures to help curb the spread of Covid-19 in Uganda - such as restrictions on movement - apparently have not deterred the illegal international wildlife trade. The demand for both traditional wildlife products (such as pangolin scales) and newer ones (such as elephant penises) has continued, with numerous arrests made last year. There was an increase in poaching in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda’s top wildlife reserve, with 60 poachers arrested between March and May 2020.
The Randfontein Police working under the West Rand District Police together with the West Rand K9 unit arrested four male suspects for illegal possession of ivory on Friday, 15 January. According to Captain Mavela Masondo, Provincial Police spokesperson, the four suspects, aged between 29 and 37 were arrested in the parking area of the Randgate Library.
Soldiers from the Royal Gurkha Rifles have trained Zambian rangers in anti-poaching skills and tactics – the first UK deployment of its kind in the country. The 30-strong unit spent six weeks in Zambia, sharing soldiering skills with the rangers to help strengthen their response to poaching and the illicit wildlife trade – thought to be worth £17bn a year internationally to criminal gangs. With a large elephant population and rare and endangered species in Zambia, there has been an increase in the number of groups selling illegal animal products internationally,…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZAM_2020_12_British Troops Train Zambian Rangers To Tackle Poaching_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 759.11 KB |
When a squad of federal and state law enforcement agents with guns and bulletproof vests entered a single-story brick home in Buffalo, New York, on July 5, 2018 they were searching for business records of a suspected criminal enterprise. Experts trained to handle dangerous exotic cats congregated in a sunroom pungent with the odor of cat urine.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
INTERNATIONAL_2020_12_Black_market wildlife trade_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 976.18 KB |
Five poachers were gunned down by Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) rangers in 10 incidents of armed confrontation in national parks this year amid an intensifying crackdown on poaching by authorities. Poaching activities declined significantly this year, thanks to the introduction of new anti-poaching strategies that include deployment of high-tech drones to monitor conservancies, retraining of rangers and the introduction of a shoot-to-kill policy.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2020-12_Five poachers gunned down_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 225.37 KB |
The suspects belong to an organized ivory trafficking network whose ramifications extend as far as Nigeria. Six suspected ivory traffickers were arrested in early December in the eastern region of Cameroon, in a joint operation by the departmental delegation of the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife and the police. This operation was carried out with technical assistance from LAGA, an NGO specializing in law enforcement on wildlife. Two of the suspects were arrested on December 2 in Bertoua, the regional capital, with four ivory tusks, two of which came from baby…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
CAM_2020-12_The arrest of six presumed traffickers of ivory_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 744.53 KB |
Two teachers and five other people from Muanza district in Sofala province, including a smallholder and a public administration technician, were arrested this weekend while trying to sell two elephant tusks and the skin of a leopard for 44,000 meticais (24,000 for the tusks and 20,000 for leopard skin).
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
MOZ_2020-12_Seven arrested on poaching related charges in Sofala_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 673.24 KB |
Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI) has formulated a wildlife protection project setting up a task force project to end ivory poaching and trafficking. It as well would introduce much stronger custodial sentences, if criminals are caught with Illegal Wildlife Trade. Kumera Wakjira, Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority General Director, said that the project is aimed at combatting wildlife crime. Kumera added that the project has set up an Environmental Crime Unit and regional task forces to combat wildlife crime.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ETH_2020-12_EBI steps up measures to combat poaching_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 773.44 KB |
Tanzanian police said on Friday they have seized 10 pieces of ivory weighing 23 kilograms and arrested two suspected poachers in connection with illegal possession of the ivory.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
TAN_2020-11_Ivory seized Tanzania_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 680.68 KB |
Namibia is in the process of establishing a special operations unit that will include the use of horses to help curb poaching, an ofcial said on Wednesday. According to Manie le Roux, who coordinates the K9 unit at the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, the mounted unit, which will have 12 horses and 14 members, will work together with the canine unit.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2020-11_Namibia mounted patrol_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 327.76 KB |
Zambia is leading a push for African countries to obtain a CITES waiver that would allow them to legally export ivory stockpiles. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has an international ban on trade and sale of ivory and related products. Southern African countries have accrued huge stockpiles of ivory worth millions of dollars over the decades. The stockpiles mostly constitute ivory from elephants culled for conservation and ecological purposes.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZAM_2020-11_Zambia lobbies hard for ivory sales_Southern Times Africa.pdf | 407.37 KB |
Anti-poaching initiatives instituted by Zimbabwe are bearing fruits as the country recorded a 78 percent decline in rhino poaching incidents in the first six months of 2020 compared to same period last year. Statistics from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) show that four rhinos were poached from January to June 2020. The figure for January - June 2019 was 19.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2020-10_Anti-poaching initiatives pay dividends_The Southern Times.pdf | 164.87 KB |
Until an illegal wildlife trade report was published in May 2015, Malawi's role in one of the world's largest transnational organised crimes was largely unknown. The landlocked southeast African nation - bordered by countries with large wildlife populations - was revealed to be a major trafficking hub for ivory, pangolin scales, rhino horn and other illegal wildlife commodities. Malawi's weak identification and enforcement systems were being systematically exploited by criminals to export their products to China, Vietnam and other demand countries. In response…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
Malawi_2020-10_Illegal wildlife trade_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 828.61 KB |
Illegal trade in the endangered animals on the rise again as lockdown decreases. Several pangolins have already been rescued this year.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2020-09_Pangolin rescued and three people arrested in North West_The South African.pdf | 386.65 KB |
Large abalone consignment was kept under surveillance as it travelled from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Police have seized abalone worth an estimated R3-million at a home in the Johannesburg suburb of Mayfair and arrested a 46-year-old man.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2020-08_Police sting operation leads to abalone seizure and arrest_The South African.pdf | 402.45 KB |
Zambia is exploring the possibility of domestically selling its US$100 million ivory stockpile.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZAM_2020-08_Zambia wants to sell US100m ivory_TheSouthernTimes.pdf | 331.59 KB |
In Zimbabwe, where an estimated 85,000 elephants live, the fight to save vulnerable species isn’t just a full-time job-it's a lifeline. Among Zimbabwe's most dedicated anti-poachers are the Akashinga women, a radical all-female unit that patrols five former trophy hunting reserves for illegal activity. The highly-trained, quasi-military troop is an arm of the nonprofit International Anti-Poaching Foundation.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2020-08_Elephant poachers Zimbabwe_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 2 MB |
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2020-08_Elephant tusk South Africa_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 100.49 KB |
Minister says efforts are paying off, with lockdown and increased law enforcement efforts cutting rhino deaths to 166 to date.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2020-07_Lockdown restrictions help cut rhino poaching by half this year_The South African.pdf | 251.82 KB |
A 53-year-old villager from Dete in Matabeleland North has appeared in court for unlawful possession of four elephant tusks. Similo Vundla of Mambanje village under Chief Nekatambe was arrested by an anti-poaching team in March.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2020-07_Illegal elephant tusks_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 398.68 KB |
Sars said the consignment of six boxes, containing the horns that had been concealed in carbon paper and foil, was destined for Kuala Lampur in Malaysia.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2020-07_OR Tambo seizes R115 million worth of rhino horn_The South African.pdf | 328.88 KB |
The illegal global trade in ivory has shrunk while the trafficking of pangolins has soared, a U.N.
Namibia has recorded a drastic reduction in poaching in the past three years because of improved response mechanisms. Most of the success is attributed to the Environment and Tourism Ministry's efforts to upscale law enforcement components of conservation. Environment and Tourism Minister Pohamba Shifeta said anti-poaching canine units (the Ministry of Environment and Tourism Dog Unit) had been deployed to good effect. "The Dog Unit is part of our anti-poaching initiatives.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2020-07_Nam anti_poaching gets bite_Southern Times.pdf | 404.87 KB |
One of the world’s most famous game reserves, Thula Thula in South Africa, has survived the Covid-19 pandemic without any loss of wild animal to poaching. Francoise Malby-Anthony, who runs the game reserve
said that she kept on all her anti-poaching staff throughout covid which prevented any animals being killed by poachers.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA-2020-06_COVID_19 elephant poaching_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 3.03 MB |
Zimbabwe will not pull out of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in order to sell its stockpile of ivory tusks worth US$600 million, the Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Mangaliso Ndlovu, has said.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2020-06_Zimbabwe wont pull out of CITES_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 848.34 KB |
New research led by Elephants Without Borders (EWB) reveals that poaching of African elephants for their ivory has not decreased since 2011 in Western, Southern, and Central Africa. As a result, continued efforts to combat poaching will be necessary to save elephant populations. The new study was published June 23rd in Scientific Reports, in collaboration from researchers at the University of Washington and the Amboseli Trust for Elephants.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
BOT_2020-06_Elephant poaching is not decreasing in Africa_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 99.31 KB |
A tip-off led to the arrest of a man caught attempting to sell a live pangolin.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2020-06_Limpopo man arrested after trying to sell live pangolin_The South African.pdf | 344.55 KB |
Police in the Western Cape continue to crack down on abalone poaching and smuggling, and a separate offender gets 20 years behind bars.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2020-06_Police nab abalone poachers and bust large scale cleaning facility_The South African2020.pdf | 367.44 KB |