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The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has reported a distressing surge in rhino poaching incidents, with 28 rhinos poached in the country so far this year. Of particular concern is the discovery of 19 poached rhinos within the iconic Etosha National Park, 10 found during dehorning operations throughout March. Ministerial spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda said in a statement. Muyunda said the recent spate of poaching threatens not only the rhino population but also the integrity of this vital tourism attraction.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has sounded the alarm on the rapid decline of wildlife habitats due to deforestation and industrial emissions, exacerbating the impacts of climate change and hindering efforts to sustainably manage natural resources. In a statement released over the weekend to mark World Wildlife Day, Romeo Muyunda, spokesperson for the ministry, highlighted the urgent need to confront the challenges confronting local wildlife.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism in Namibia delivered a stark message on World Pangolin Day, shedding light on the alarming rise in illegal trafficking and poaching activities targeting pangolins. Teofilus Nghitila, the Ministerial Executive Director, expressed deep concern over the ongoing illegal capture of pangolins, highlighting them as the most trafficked mammals since 2014. "Unfortunately, this relentless exploitation has led to a steep decline in their population, pushing them perilously close to extinction," he emphasized.

Seven suspects aged between 17 and 47 were arrested for poaching and being in possession of wildlife and weapons. According to a provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, some wildlife species, mostly more than 20 antelope, two hunting rifles, some bush knives, some ammunition and a light delivery vehicle were all confiscated from the Mauchsburg Plantation in Pilgrim’s Rest this morning, Monday December 4, at about 03:00.

The anti-poaching drive was strengthened with the recent launch of two Rhino Management plans and a horse patrol unit last week at the Etosha National Park on Friday. Speaking at the commemoration of World Rhino Day, the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), Pohamba Shifeta said the day is dedicated to raising awareness about the threats that the rhino population is facing and how the world can come together and protect these endangered species.

Two accused persons have appeared in court following their arrest by detectives for allegedly trying to unlawfully dispose off an elephant hide for US$1,500.

Illegal wire snares are becoming more common in Etosha National Park, causing concern for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism. A total of 62 active wire snares were retrieved in the area around Okaukuejo, in the îagship Etosha National Park, over three days, according to spokesperson Romeo Muyunda on Tuesday.

The FF Plus called for intensified efforts to curb poaching of wild animals in the Manyeleti Game Reserve, while the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency said the situation had been stabilised after a hectic December of dog poaching and snaring.

An alleged rhino poacher, who has been on the run from authorities since 2019, was rearrested in KaBokweni.

Eight suspects were netted over the long easter weekend for crime related to rhino poaching in two separate incidences, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism announced on Thursday.

Police has arrested three men for illegal possession of seven leopard skins in Victoria Falls.

A member of a poaching syndicate has appeared in court for allegedly gunning down a bull elephant valued at US$50 000.

A ranger's job is never done. Even in the midst of the floods the Kruger National Park is currently experiencing, some rangers detained one of their own hiding two other individuals with poaching equipment in their possession.

In a poaching update of high-value species, namely elephants and rhinos, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) spokesperson Romeo Muyunda revealed that the elephant poaching cases have dropped from 101 recorded in 2015, to 50 in 2017, 27 in 2018, 13 in 2019, 12 in 2020, 10 in 2021 and only four in 2022. The four poached elephants in 2022 include two in the Zambezi Region, one in the Kavango West Region, and one in the Kunene Region, according to Muyunda. "We hope that these figures will continue to descend until we reach the zero-poaching target.

Zimbabwe recorded a decline in wildlife poaching last year as the nation’s anti-poaching activities continued to bear fruit, the spokesperson for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said Monday. A total of 36 key wildlife animals were poached in 2022, down from 42 in 2021, Tinashe Farawo said. Out of the 42 wild animals killed in 2021, 31 were elephants while rhinos totaled 11, including six white rhinos and five black ones, he said. Out of the 36 wild animals poached last year, 25 were elephants, seven rhinos and four lions, he said.

The first case of rhino poaching this year was recorded in an incident where a suspected poacher was killed on Saturday, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda confirmed this week. It is alleged that three male suspects hunted a rhino at farm Okarakua, Windhoek district, in which one suspect was shot and killed by the anti-poaching members and another male suspect, aged 27 was arrested, while the third one is still at large, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security’s weekend serious crime report stated.

Shiuhau Chen, a Chinese national, was found guilty on three counts of illegally dealing in rhino horns and contravening the Immigration Act in the Kempton Park Regional Court on Friday January 20.

The Kruger National Park (KNP) expects a decline in rhino poaching incidents due to heavy sentences imposed on five poachers in November. The acting managing executive of the KNP, Dr Danny Govender, commended the Skukuza Regional Court for imposing lengthy jail terms in recent cases and said it shows they are making good progress in fighting rhino poaching.

Muyunda said even though Namibia continues to record successes in the fight against wildlife crime, poaching of highly valued species remains a concern. In 2022 to date, Namibia recorded 63 rhinos poached cases in the country consisting of 41 black rhinos and 22 white rhinos. "This year’s poaching cases include 15 rhinos poached on custodianship farms, another 22 on private farms, and 26 in the Etosha National Park.

On-duty field rangers working at the Tshokwane Section of the park spotted two sets of footprints at Sundwini and followed up the trail using tracking dogs. Mohlala said the two men were arrested and found in possession of a high-calibre hunting rifle with a silencer, four rounds of live ammunition, an axe, backpacks and food. "Through an investigation it was discovered that the two are from Mozambique and did not
have valid documentation to be in South Africa." He said they pleaded guilty during their first day in court, and hence were sentenced…

Increased spot checks of vehicles inside the park will check for park offences such as possession of contraband and verification of identities and booking receipts of occupants inside the vehicles. Technologies being implemented include vehicle number plate recognition, remote vehicle monitoring, radar surveillance and night flying with specialised infrared cameras.

SANParks says the proliferation of wire snares in the Lowveld is linked to criminal networks.

A total of 55 rhinos have been poached to date this year, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT) said Wednesday, adding that the current statistics are deeply concerning. This is compared to a figure of 44 rhinos in 2021, however, 36 people have been arrested for rhino-related cases this year, compared to 80 in 2021, the MEFT Minister Pohamba Shifeta highlighted on the occasion of the handover of 10 vehicles, park management and law enforcement equipment funded by the Integrated National Park Management II (NamParks V and Covid-19 Fund) and Integrated…

South Africa: Six Zimbabwean nationals have been found guilty in the Makhanda High Court of conspiracy to commit rhino poaching and illegal possession of firearms. They’ll be back in court on the 4th of November for the start of sentencing proceedings. The court heard previously that information uncovered relating to the crimes of the accused dates back to before their arrest in 2018. It included the tracking of their cellphones which was later linked to rhino poaching incidents at Kragga Kamma and Shamwari Game Reserves.

A man has been arrested in Hazyview for being in possession of a Pangolin, following a tip-off from a local community member. On Tuesday September 27, a private game reserve near Hazyview received the tip-off that a white Bantam bakkie was driving around town looking for a buyer for the Pangolin which is the world's most trafficked animal species.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT) last week on Friday received equipment and vehicles to assist in the fight against poaching and the illegal wildlife trade as the country continues to battle with a surge in cases. The donation from the U.S. government which included two Toyota Landcruiser and two Hyundai Game Viewer Trucks as well as anti-poaching equipment all valued at N$9 million Namibia dollars was handed over to the MEFT officials by a senior leader delegation from the U.S. Africa Command.

The first eight months of 2022 saw 48 rhinos poached, four times more than the rhinos poached in 2021, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism announced on Wednesday. The country recorded 44 rhinos poached in 2021, 42 in 2020, 57 in 2019, 83 in 2018, and 55 in 2017. The Etosha National Park alone saw 20 cases this year, with two carcasses discovered in the area just last week. In total, 32 poached rhinos are black and 16 are white. A total of 12 black rhinos were poached on custodianship farms and 16 white rhinos were poached on private farms.

Rhino poachers have shifted focus from national parks to custodianship and private farms with both black and white rhinos being the target, Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism spokesperson (MEFT) Romeo Muyunda said this week. According to MEFT, 33 rhinos poached have been poached so far this year, of which 24 are black rhinos and nine are white rhinos.

A total of 82 rhinos have been poached in the Kruger National Park between January and June this year.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT) recently announced the confiscation of 75 wood planks that are believed to have been illegally harvested in the Kavango region area after a tip-off from the public, an official said this week. All harvesting of trees and wood, anywhere in Namibia, is governed by the Forest Act and its Regulations. "The planks are believed to have been illegally harvested from farms that are in Ncamagoro in the Kavango West Region," MEFT spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda said in a statement.

Three men who had allegedly poached the four rhinos and were able to dehorn three of them, appeared in the Bushbuckridge Magistrate's Court on Monday July 4.

Three alleged poachers were arrested in the Kruger National Park after allegedly killing four rhinos on Friday July 1.

A national report on Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement released recently said that Namibia has inadequate data about the Temminck's ground pangolin's distribution, density, and the impact poaching has on the population. The Temminck ground pangolin is one of the four species found in Africa and the only species in southern Africa. According to the report, only discovered carcasses of pangolins give a relative indication of the extent of poaching. Still, it is not known how many occur in Namibia nor how many are successfully trafficked out of the country.

The Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) and Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF) recently announced a long-term landmark partnership focused on better comprehending the current state of knowledge about the illegal wildlife trade (IWT), and the economics of IWT in southern Africa.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) has confirmed that it has moved to make security adjustments and to close any loopholes in Etosha National Park to ensure that wildlife crimes, poaching incidences, in particular, do not occur again.

Two alleged rhino poachers in connection with the 11 rhinos poached in Etosha National park have been apprehended, an official said this week. The ongoing police operation at Etosha National Park led to the arrest of two rhino poachers on Wednesday evening, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said, adding that investigations are at an advanced stage.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) on Tuesday confirmed that with an ongoing operation in Etosha National Park, 11 rhino carcasses from the beginning of June to date have been discovered. MEFT spokesperson Romeo Muyunda in a statement said all the 11 were found without horns and they were black rhinos. "Investigations indicate that the carcasses range between 3 weeks and older. This is regrettable and a strong indication that the fight against poaching is not over," he added.

It is suspected that setting snares in the Lowveld has increased by 20% from last season while the Kruger National Park has had an increase of 50%.

A 47-year-old man was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment on Friday for illegal poaching. Sam Khoza (47) was apprehended in the Kruger National Park on November 11, 2020, when a shoot-out between field rangers in the park, Khoza and his two accomplices ensued. A statement by a provincial police spokesperson, Brig Selvy Mohlala, said two of the suspects evaded arrest, but Khoza, who sustained some injuries during the shooting, was captured. He was found in possession of a rifle, some ammunition as well as a silencer.

A 16-year old Beitbridge boy has been arrested and is due to appear in court after he was caught in possession of snares and game meat. The boy was arrested together with one Freeman Moyo (38), and the two are being charged for contravening section 5 of Trapping of Animals Control Act.

Three Harare men appeared in court charged with illegal possession of ivory after they were caught with 37kgs of elephant tasks.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) recently held 1500 planks of unprocessed timber in Windhoek intended for export to South Africa, an official said Wednesday. The timber was confiscated and the transport permit was temporarily suspended pending further investigations to establish where the timber came from and if it was legally acquired during the weekend of 08 to 10 April, MEFT spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda said in a statement.

The reopening of the Skukuza Regional Court is producing positive results, with a 100% conviction rate for rhino poachers over the past two years. The court had been closed by the Mpumalanga Regional Court president Naomi Engelbrecht in August 2019, who wanted it to be moved to Mhala Court about 100 kilometres from Skukuza. However, this decision was overruled and the court was reopened again in April 2021.

Wildlife crimes remain a severe threat to the economy and biodiversity as well as to local livelihoods, the recently released Second National Integrated State of the Environment Report for Namibia showed. According to the report, a large number of wildlife crime cases are related to poaching for meat while rhinos currently represent the most valuable and sought after wildlife crime target. "Between 2018 and 2019, there has been an increase in registered wildlife cases related to high-value species growing from 115 to 174 cases.

Johannesburg: The Secunda regional court has sentenced a Zimbabwean national who was found in possession of a live pangolin to a 10-year jail term.

Sibusiso Mahlaule (29), George Manyise (30) and Rodrigues Ngobeni (34) did not escape the might of the law and were sentenced by the Skukuza Regional Court for poaching on Friday March 11. The three were caught by field rangers in Kruger National Park on April 18, 2021. It was reported that the rangers, working at Pretoriuskop, had discovered some tracks that brought the presence of intruders to their attention.

Citizens have been urged to join hands with the government to reverse the current trends of poaching, an official said as the country joined the rest of the world in celebrating World Wildlife Life Day on Thursday. The theme for commemorating World Wildlife Day 22 is which seeks to draw attention to the conservation status of some of the critically endangered species of fauna and flora.

A carcass of a white rhinoceros shot dead by poachers has been discovered in Bikita, Masvingo province, as wildlife poaching escalates in the country. The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) national spokesperson, assistant commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the discovery of the endangered animal's carcass made last Sunday.

Mpumalanga's AB Steyn and Limpopo's Dawie Groenewald appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate's Court on February 23 and 24. The pair's previous appearance was on December 10 last year when the case was postponed for the fourth time. Some issues were raised by each of their legal representatives yesterday including that the state was dragging its feet in the case, that the state should be held responsible for the teams' travel costs because of the delays, and that documents were not presented in the way they were supposed to be.

A total of 320 cases of crimes involving pangolins have been recorded in the last five years since 2017, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda said in a statement when the country celebrated World Pangolin Day over the past weekend. Muyunda said the figures include 43 in 2017; 62 in 2018; 96 in 2019; 59 in 2020 and 60 in 2021.