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 illegal trade in Cape pangolin scales amongst East African nations is suspected to be the driving force behind the unlawful killing of the creatures in Botswana.
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BOT_202309_Cape pangolin poaching on the rise_Mmegi Online.pdf | 295.21 KB |
Francistown: Two men from Zimbabwe appeared in court Tuesday to face a count of capturing a protected game animal and another for entering Botswana unlawfully. According to the charge sheet, Kelvi Maposa, 43, and Matitshidza Sibanda, 33, both unemployed and from Plumtree in Zimbabwe, being persons not licensed, authorised or exempted unlawfully captured a pangolin being a protected game animal without a permit to do so.
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ZIM_2023_07_Zim duo in illegal possession of pangolin_Mmegi Online.pdf | 241.41 KB |
Tsabong Police Station Commander, Superintendent Christopher Tlhapi-David says the recent interception of poachers by his team in which the suspects were later found in possession of a pangolin, signals concern for other protected species.
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BOT_2023_06_Pangolin poacher convicted_MmegiOnline.pdf | 234.41 KB |
The 2022 poaching statistics show a loss of 210 rhino on state properties and 49 in privately owned parks. As indicated, hardest hit during this period is KwaZulu-Natal which recorded a loss of 133 rhino. This is more than triple the 33 rhino killed in the first six months of 2021.
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SA_2022_09_The war against rhino poachers intensified_Krugerdorp News.pdf | 482.75 KB |
By building these new campgrounds, ZimParks wants to prevent a repeat of the 2013 massacre of more than 120 elephants who were poisoned by poachers. Farawo said when the elephants were poisoned, it was difficult for ZimParks to move from the main camp to the site. He added that having on-site housing would also make it easier for rangers to respond to wildlife affecting nearby communities. One of the closest communities to the park is the district of Tsholotsho, which is about 10 kilometers away. Farawo said building Makona will ensure rangers can protect elephants.
Rural communities in the Okavango Delta in Botswana have accused the country's government of not engaging them in efforts to combat rampant poaching in the area. Since 2018, more than 100 rhinos have been gunned down by poachers in the Delta and communities in the region say the situation might have been better had the government engaged them in anti-poaching work.
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BOT_2022_03_Botswana residents want to be included in anti_poaching efforts_The Independent.pdf | 1.72 MB |
Franzistown: A tenderpreneur has pleaded with the court to be lenient when sentencing him after pleading guilty to illegal possession of an elephant tusk.
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BOT_2021_09_Tenderpreneur pleads guilty to illegal ivory possession_Mmegionline.pdf | 365.51 KB |
A well-known rhino pair were poached at the Bothongo Rhino and Lion Nature reserve early Wednesday morning. A rhino cow and her calf needlessly lost their lives when they were poached in the Bothongo Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve in the Cradle of Humankind in the early hours of Wednesday, September 15.
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SA_2021_09_Rhino cow and her calf killed by poachers_Krugersdorp News.pdf | 410.96 KB |
Francistown: It is more than two years since the state successfully appealed the case of the alleged SADC poaching ringleader, Dumisani Moyo, on urgency but has not acted on the appeal thereafter. In May 2019, Magistrate Lebogang Kebeetsweng acquitted and discharged Moyo of allegedly unlawfully being found in possession of a rhinoceros horn contrary to Section 70 of the Wildlife Conservation and National Parks Act.
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BOT_2021_09_Appeal Against SADC Poaching Ringleader Stalls_Mmegionline.pdf | 351.03 KB |
Two men recently received a seven-year prison sentence each after they were found guilty on charges of trying to sell an injured pangolin.
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SA_2021_04_Two imprisoned for attempting to sell injured pangolin_Krugersdorp News.pdf | 1.09 MB |
Four thousand kilograms of pangolin scales were seized by authorities in Cameroon on what experts are calling a "major trafficking route".
The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) director Kabelo Senyatso has strongly refuted claims by former president Ian Khama that 120 rhinos have been poached in the last 18 months.
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BOT_2021_03_Rhino poaching_Khama is lying malicious grossly irresponsible_Mmegi.pdf | 380.04 KB |
Five suspects have been arrested for illegal possession of ivory and a live Pangolin. They were arrested in separate operations conducted on Sunday by the Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA and the Uganda Police in Lira and Agago Districts.
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UGA_2021_02_Five arrested in possession of ivory_live pangolin in Northern Uganda_The Independent.pdf | 431.51 KB |
BDF is investigating a case in which the suspected poacher allegedly stabbed the soldier with a sharp object during an anti-poaching operation.
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BOT_2020-11_Poaching suspect injures soldier_Mmegi Online.pdf | 262.02 KB |
The former head of the global convention on international wildlife trade says that current rules surrounding legitimate enterprise “don’t cut it” to prevent future pandemics and that wildlife crime should be confronted with the same international legal force that tackles human trafficking and terrorism. John Scanlon served as Secretary-General of the Secretariat overseeing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) from 2010 until 2018. CITES is affiliated with the United Nations Environment Programme…
Botswana Defence Force (BDF) soldier and a poacher have died during a poaching incident that happened early this morning at Chiefs Island in heart of the Okavango Delta, the army has confirmed.
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BOT_2020-03_Mmegi Online_Soldier_poacher killed in rhino hotspot shootout.pdf | 322.82 KB |
Shoot-to-kill policies just don’t work, are immoral and unlawful too. To my knowledge, the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) and Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) anti-poaching squads have killed well over 60 alleged poachers since the late 1980s with no discernible effect.
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BOT_2020-02_ Mmegi Online_Of body bags and poached rhinos.pdf | 285.17 KB |