Search results

The environment ministry is investigating prominent wildlife dealer Johan Lombaard after he allegedly transported two white rhinos without the necessary paperwork. Namibian Sun understands the investigation was necessitated after Lombaard was involved in a car accident on Tuesday afternoon between Rehoboth and Kalkrand while transporting a rhino cow and its calf from Mariental to farm Uitkyk in the Karibib district.

Chinese rhino-horn smuggler Wang Hui (48) escaped from custody at around 11:00 yesterday and was still on the run at time of going to press last night. Wang escaped when he went to Brakwater with a warden from the Windhoek Central Prison to pick up material from a supplier.

The number of rhinos that have already been poached this year stands at 57, compared to the 44 rhinos that were killed by poachers last year. Spokesperson for the environment ministry, Romeo Muyunda, confirmed to Namibian Sun that two white rhinos were poached on private farms last week.

The dehorning of rhinos began in 1989, making Namibia the first country to use it as an anti-poaching method. There remains a lot of conjecture surrounding the possible implications of dehorning rhinos. While the benefits of such an exercise have long been proved, some sceptics believe it could have some effect on rhino behaviour and biology.

Self-proclaimed prophet Jackson Babi was sentenced on 12 counts related to rhino poaching in the Gobabis Magistrate's Court last Friday, and faces at least 10 years' direct imprisonment. In total, he has been found guilty and sentenced on 19 counts and must pay fines amounting to N$370 000 or face further jail time.

The elephant population in Namibia has increased over the years from an estimated 7 000 at independence to about 23 736, but the growing population has become a major cause of human-wildlife conflict. Namibia is part of seven southern African elephant range states that have strongly reconfirmed their commitment to combatting elephant poaching ahead of this year's World Wildlife Conference (Cop 19).

Private rhino owners have begun dehorning their animals again to protect them against a recent surge in rhino poaching. The number of rhinos poached this year has increased to 48, surpassing last year's total of 44, and the 42 rhinos poached in total in 2020. Of the animals poached this year so far, 32 were black rhinos and 16 were white rhinos. Twelve black rhinos were poached on custodianship farms and 16 white rhinos were poached on private farms.

Rhino poaching rates in Africa declined to 2.3% in 2021 from 3.9% of the population in 2018. This is according to a new report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the global non-governmental organisation Traffic. The report was compiled for the 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which will be held in Panama in November.

Last week, five white rhinos were poached on private farms, bringing 2022's total to 39, of which 15 were white rhinos.

A farmer shot and wounded a suspected poacher in the leg at farm Kaliombo in the Karibib district on Sunday. It is alleged the farmer acted in self-defence, after a group of alleged poachers attempted to attack him after he discovered them on his farm. According to a crime update provided by the Namibian police, the farm owner (65) was alerted to possible intruders (65) when he heard dogs barking on Sunday at about 23:45. He was also notified about suspected poachers on his farm by security guards from K-Sapu Security and Anti-Poaching.

Eight months into the year and already 36 rhinos have been poached across the country. In the latest incidents, the carcass of a white rhino was discovered yesterday on a private farm in the Okahandja district. On Monday, the carcasses of two more white rhinos - killed by poachers - were discovered on a private farm in the Outjo district. Just last week, the ministry said 33 rhinos had been poached this year, of which 24 were black rhinos and nine were white rhinos.

A Namibian and a Chinese national were arrested in Okahandja on Saturday after they were found in possession of 27 protected plant species. The confiscated items included four Elephant's foot plants, 15 Cyphostemma, eight Commiphora, in addition to five plastic bags containing Welwitchia seeds and 12 bags filled with a variety of unidentified seeds. The suspects were arrested after ministry officials followed up on video footage they had obtained, showing two persons collecting the protected plants, reportedly around Usakos.

The environment ministry today released a statement confirming the arrest of 11 suspected poachers during the course of four law enforcement operations undertaken close to the world renowned Etosha National Park since June. Environment ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda today said the arrests, and confiscation of vehicles, cash and weapons, were the result of joint law and intelligence operations, following the discovery of 11 rhino carcasses at Etosha in June. The rhinos were all killed during poaching incidents.

Environment and Tourism Minister Pohamba Shifeta has confirmed suspicions that some of the ministry’s rangers are part of syndicates causing poaching havoc in the Etosha National Park. Yesterday he confirmed that retired Commissioner Ndahangwapo Kashihakumwa, the head of the wildlife protection unit, has been redeployed from Windhoek to Etosha with immediate effect. "There was too much complacency from our staff in Etosha and there were inside jobs," he told Namibian Sun late yesterday.

New strategy aimed at defining common approaches for the protection and conservation of wildlife and to ensure the effective enforcement of laws governing wildlife resources in Namibia.

More than 40% of the 987 suspects arrested in connection with elephant and rhino wildlife crimes over the past five years are currently free on bail. Statistics show that 415 of the close to 1 000 persons arrested on elephant and rhino crime charges were released on bail, while only 142 of those detained since 2017 have been convicted of their crimes to date. Meanwhile, more than 87% of the 987 arrested suspects are Namibians. This is according to statistics shared by deputy commissioner Barry de Klerk, head of the protected resources division and the Blue Rhino Task Team.

Four suspects were arrested in Mwenezi District in southern Zimbabwe last month, for possession of a live pangolin, four lion teeth and a python skin, with intentions to sell them for more than US $ 5,000. The trial began on Thursday May 19, CITE has established.

According to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s rhino poaching statistics available on the organisation’s website, a total of 99 have fallen victim to poachers this year.

A group of 36 anti-poaching rangers graduated at the Waterberg Law Enforcement Centre last week after receiving basic wildlife protection and law enforcement training.

Additionally, 770 suspects were arrested for wildlife crimes. Wildlife products confiscated included 108 elephant tusks, 117 pangolins and 59 rhino horns, while 42 unlicensed firearms used in the commission of wildlife crimes were seized.

Corruption is a key enabler of the illegal wildlife trade and its effects can be seen in every stage of this crime chain. This is according to a new report by the wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC, which said by reviewing past wildlife crime court cases, the relationship between these crimes and corruption can be better understood. It noted that thoroughly investigating corruption in these cases can potentially identify higher-level individuals for investigation, arrest, conviction and appropriate sentencing, disrupting organised criminal groups to a greater extent.

World Pangolin Day kicked off with a bang on 19 February, with Namibia hosting a sizeable number of pangolins.

Seven new wildlife crime cases have been reported recently, while 21 suspects were arrested. Seven suspects were arrested with regards to rhino poaching or trafficking cases and six were arrested for elephant poaching or trafficking. At Oshikango, two Namibians and three Angolan nationals were arrested on 5 December for being in the possession of a pangolin skin. In another incident at Okakarara, five Namibians were arrested on 5 December for conspiring to hunt a rhino.

Elephant poaching in Africa has fallen to the lowest level since 2003. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species programme for Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) published its annual analysis of continental and sub-regional trends in the levels of poaching. This is derived from data collected at 95 MIKE sites across 43 elephant range states in Africa, including Namibia, and Asia.

Authorities in Democratic Republic of Congo have seized $3.5 million worth of ivory, rhinoceros horn and pangolin scales in a joint operation with United States officials, the U.S. embassy in Kinshasa said on Monday. Two wildlife traffickers were also arrested in the United States on Nov. 4, following a more than two-year investigation between the two countries and global police agency Interpol.

According to the report, three Namibians were arrested on 15 October at Katima Mulilo for being in the possession of a live pangolin. Chika Ilukena, Mayuni and Nicky Mundia were charged with illegal possession and dealing of controlled wildlife products. At Witvlei, three Namibians were arrested on 16 October when they were caught with an oryx carcass.

According to the latest wildlife crime report, Petrus van Rensburg was arrested at Ariamsvlei on 9 October with 10 oryx carcasses. He was charged for the illegal hunting of huntable game. In another incident, Kaserandu Tjiumbua was arrested at Kamdesha on 10 October for poisoning four lions and two spotted hyenas. He was charged with illegal hunting of game and for administering poison. At Rundu, Dominikus Ndara was arrested on 11 October for being in the possession of a python skin. He was charged for the illegal possession and dealing of controlled wildlife products.

The connections between poaching and human-wildlife conflict in conservancies are a significant local conservation concern. Meanwhile, poaching is compromising the ability of local communities to legally use natural resources to support local livelihoods, and reduces wildlife available for local economic development. This is according to the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Alka Bhatia. She was speaking at a signing ceremony of the 'integrated approach to proactive management of human-wildlife conflict and wildlife crime in hotspot landscapes in Namibia' project…

While recent statistics indicate that Namibia is winning the battle against both wildlife crime and human-wildlife conflict, an almost N$100 million project will intensify these efforts. This is according to the environment ministry executive director, Teofilus Nghitila. He was speaking at the signing of the project document. The total budget of the project is approximately N$92 million at current exchange rates and will ramp up Namibia's efforts to prevent and mitigate both human-wildlife conflict and wildlife crime in the period up to 2026.

Once the world gets the Covid-19 pandemic under control, poaching of elephants could skyrocket again because of the accumulated demand for ivory in the world's black markets. Daniel Stiles, an independent investigator who specialises in illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products, warns that a recent rise in black-market prices for ivory in Vietnam and China are disturbing signs. He says this in a report that forms part of a series by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC).

Parties of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) can and must do more to address the dire impacts of the global illegal pangolin trade A new briefing document outlines the Environmental Investigation Agency's (EIA) findings and recommendations on key issues relating to global illegal pangolin trade. EIA says that following decades of overexploitation due to international trade, in 2016 all eight pangolin species were uplisted from Appendix II to Appendix I to Cites.

In a separate case, another Namibian national Ignasius Mbaraka was arrested at Outjo on 17 September, also in connection with an old case for conspiring to hunt a rhino. The case dates back to June when a rhino carcass and a vehicle were confiscated. He has been charged with the illegal hunting of specially protected game and for conspiring to hunt specially protected game. He is also a Namibian. Meanwhile, Namibian Alberto Johannes Joel was arrested on 12 September in Otavi for being in the possession of a pangolin. The case was not reported last week.

In the past decade Namibia's black rhino population have increased by more than 6% and its white rhinos have more than doubled. This is according to the latest State of Rhino report, published by the International Rhino Foundation every September ahead of World Rhino Day on September 22. But the report says wildlife crime is an ever-evolving challenge and requires collaboration and coordination within and between countries, as rhino horn trade is controlled by large criminal syndicates that operate multi-nationally.

Three suspects arrested on poaching charges near Otavi last week were remanded in custody by the Otavi magistrate's court. The three were arrested on a gravel road near the Ohorongo Cement factory on Tuesday. They were found in possession of a silencer, ammunition, one hunting rifle, a knife and a machete. They were suspected to have been on a rhino poaching mission at a nearby farm.

At Okahandja, three Namibians were arrested on 24 July for illegally hunting a wildebeest. Festus Nyama, Staynley Bwendo and Phoster Manyando were charged for violating the Nature Conservation Ordinance Act. A hunting rifle was also confiscated. The case was not reported last week. In another incident at Kahenge, a Namibian was arrested with two python skins on 26 July. Hamutenya Mutjireni was charged with the illegal possession and dealing of controlled wildlife products. At Rundu, two Namibians were arrested on 27 July for being in possession of a pangolin skin.

This year to date only four elephants have been poached in comparison to the 12 elephants that were poached last year. In 2014, when poaching started to increase in Namibia, 78 elephants were killed, peaking at 101 poached elephants in 2016.

At Sangwali, a Namibian was arrested on 6 July for being in possession of one impala carcass. Oscar Munyandi was charged with illegal hunting of special protected species. In another matter, a Namibian, Simuna Kankona, was arrested on 12 July with two python skins, and charged for the illegal possession and dealing of controlled wildlife products. On 13 July, Mathews Hamusira, a Namibian citizen, was arrested at Rundu for being in possession of a pangolin skin.

On 20 June, a Namibian was arrested at Rundu for being in the possession of a pangolin skin. At Etosha National Park's King Nehale gate, two Namibians were arrested on 21 June for illegally being in the possession of an eland carcass. In another incident at Omahenene, an Angolan national and a Namibian were arrested on 22 June with 22 pangolin skins, while a revolver pistol as well as five rounds of live ammunition were confiscated.

Out of the 39 court hearings on wildlife crimes during May, only two cases were finalised, with two suspects found guilty. At Katutura, 29-year-old Kavijenene Kaemui was found guilty for the illegal possession of a pangolin skin on 17 May and sentenced to a fine of N$10 000 (N$4 000 suspended) or 24 months in prison (12 months suspended). In another matter at Kamanjab, Josef Selvarius Karunga (38) was arrested on 28 September 2020 for the illegal possession of a python.

In the first incident at Rundu, a Namibian was arrested on 6 May for possession of a pangolin skin. Mukunga Leonard Mwamba was charged with illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products. At Kamanjab on 7 May, an Angolan national was arrested in possession of a pangolin skin. He was charged with contravening the Controlled Wildlife and Trade Act, illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products. Lastly, two Namibians were arrested at Oshakati on 14 May for being in possession of a pangolin skin.

A game farm in the Otavi area is offering a reward of N$50 000 for information that would lead to the arrest of the poachers who killed two nursing white rhino cows last weekend. Both rhinos had young calves. One calf was found, but another remains missing. Only one of the carcasses was dehorned. The other rhino escaped from the criminals, but died of her wounds in the bush.

Within a period of two weeks there have been three wildlife crime cases recorded and four suspects have been arrested and charged. These cases were reported from 3 to 16 May, according to information provided by the intelligence and investigation unit within the environment ministry and the protected resources unit within the safety and security ministry. In the first incident at Rundu, a Namibian was arrested on 6 May for possession of a pangolin skin. Mukunga Leonard Mwamba was charged with illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products.

Three of these suspects were arrested in separate cases on the same day at Nkurenkuru for being in possession of python skins. On 26 April, four Namibians were arrested at Okahao for being in possession of a giraffe carcass. They were charged with illegal hunting of specially protected game, illegal hunting on state land, failure to account for a game meat in their possession, defeating the course of justice and conspiracy to hunt specially protected game.

The strict limits on travel, including international travel, imposed in March last year had the happy side effect of keeping poachers at bay. In 2020, 394 rhinos were poached, 30% fewer than the year before and the lowest yearly tally since 2011. But then South Africa began easing international travel restrictions in November. "Since November, December last year and into 2021, this landscape and particularly Kruger National Park has been experiencing serious numbers of rhino poaching incidents," said Jo Shaw, the Africa Rhino Lead for WWF International Network.

Six suspects have been arrested in connection with wildlife crimes in six separate cases from 18 April to 25 April, while 10 illegal wildlife products were confiscated.

On 12 April, Haita Paulus Tjambiru was arrested at Orupembe in connection with an old case dating back to October 2015 in which a rhino was illegally hunted. He was charged with contravening the Nature Conservation Ordinance. In another incident at Ondangwa on 13 April, Phillipus Alfeus was arrested for being in possession of two python skins.

Although wildlife crime is ultimately driven by demand in consumer countries, Namibians continue to make up over 90% of arrested wildlife crime suspects in country. This according to the environment ministry and police’s Annual Wildlife Crime Report for 2020. A massive 91% of the 304 suspects arrested for wildlife crimes of high value species in last year were Namibians. Suspects from neighbouring countries made up the rest of the arrests and included Angolans (5%), Zimbabweans (4%) and Batswana (0.4%).

Among the more than 300 people arrested for wildlife crimes involving high-value species last year, several were important, high-level suspects that included dealers and kingpins. According to the Combatting Wildlife Crime Annual Report 2020, a kingpin from a neighbouring country with "complex Namibian connections and links to end markets in Asia" was arrested in Namibia during a covert operation last year. A suspect with dual nationalities under different aliases was also arrested while attempting to traffic contraband from regional sources into Namibia.

The police confiscated 110 pangolin scales when they arrested two men at Outapi on 7 March. The two Namibians, Nikodemus Kotekeni Hafeni Nicodemus and Simon Akwenye, were also found in the possession of one pangolin skin.

Six suspects were arrested in connection with wildlife crimes and five new cases were registered recently, while five wildlife products were seized. Two suspects were arrested for rhino poaching or trafficking. Another suspect was arrested for elephant poaching or trafficking. This is according to information provided by the intelligence and investigation unit within the ministry of environment and tourism and the protection resources division within the safety and security ministry. On 28 February, Muronga Hamutima was arrested at Rundu for being in possession of a pangolin skin…