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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DNA testing on seized ivory shipments that reveals family ties among African elephants killed for their tusks is helping to identify poaching areas and trafficking networks at the centre of an illegal trade that continues to devastate the population of earth's largest land animal.
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SA_2022_02_Elephant tusk DNA sleuthing reveals ivory trafficking networks_TimesLive.pdf | 256.82 KB |
A former KwaZulu-Natal cop has been convicted and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for a 2018 incident in which he was found in possession of an unlicensed firearm and rhino horns.
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SA_2022_02_Former KZN cop gets 10 years for rhino poaching_TimesLive.pdf | 632.21 KB |
"It is not uncommon for the money flows associated with illegal wildlife trade (IWT) to be linked to other crimes, such as fraudulent documentation or paperwork, trade-based money laundering including over-, under-, or fictitious invoicing, as well as corruption to facilitate the inflow of funds into SA," said the report. It emphasised that wildlife and wildlife products from SA are in high demand globally, with China and other Asian countries representing the largest markets.
Mangochi Police have arrested Group Village Headman Maundu aged 49 and Rashid White Jusa, 55, over possession of pangolin.
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MAL_2021_10_Two arrested for possessing Pangolin in Mangochi_Malawi 24_Malawi news.pdf | 882.8 KB |
An illegal abalone dealer has been declared an undesirable person in SA after his conviction on a slew of charges.
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SA_2021_08_Illegal abalone dealer jailed and declared an undesirable person_TimesLive.pdf | 334.71 KB |
Authorities have recovered lion teeth and claws from a suspected illegal wildlife trader. The Vietnamese man was arrested during raids in Bela-Bela and Pretoria after a four-month probe by analysts and wildlife investigators. The suspect was also arrested for illegal possession of a firearm.
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SA_2021_08_Lion teeth and claws seized as wildlife squad swoops on Vietnamese suspect_Times Live.pdf | 346.65 KB |
Two suspected rhino poachers were arrested on a farm in Vierfontein in the Free State on Thursday, provincial police said.
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SA_2021_08_Suspected rhino poachers arrested in the Free State_TimesLive.pdf | 441.7 KB |
They were bust with about R500,000 worth of rhino horn. The regional court in Gqeberha sentenced Jonathan Jeremy Perring, 37, Keanon Terblanche, 28, and Christo Shaun Swartz, 30, on Thursday.
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SA_2021_07_Trio slapped with three_year jail sentences for rhino horn theft_Times Lives.pdf | 478.8 KB |
SA National Parks (SANParks) on Friday welcomed the 23-year prison sentence handed to a rhino poacher by the Skukuza regional court prosecuting team. Alsony Alberto Valoyi, an illegal immigrant from Mozambique, pleaded guilty to six charges related to rhino poaching after being arrested inside the Kruger National Park (KNP) in November 2016.
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SA_2021_06_Kruger National Park rhino poacher gets 23_year sentence_Times Live.pdf | 378.91 KB |
The Hawks have arrested a suspect for possession of ivory in Cape Town. Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said detectives responded to a tipoff and bust the suspect on Friday in the suburb of Table View. Hani said the Hawks had teamed up with the department of agriculture, forestry and fisheries officials.
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SA_2021_05_Hawks swoop on man transporting elephant tusks in Cape Town_Times Live.pdf | 443.3 KB |
Two people have been arrested in Mulanje for being found with pangolin, a protected animal which is trafficked for its scales.
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MAL_2021_05_Two arrested over pangolin possession_Malawi 24_Malawi news.pdf | 876.07 KB |
Two men will appear in the Gqeberha magistrate's court on Monday after allegedly being found in possession of illegal abalone.
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SA_2021_09_Suspected abalone poachers heading to court_Times Live.pdf | 448.33 KB |
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, funded and supported by conservation NGO Wildlife ACT, dehorned the white rhino population in Spioenkop Nature Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal over three days, making it one of the biggest rhino dehorning operations in the province. On Wednesday, Wildlife ACT, a registered non-profit organisation established to save Africa's iconic and endangered species from extinction, explained that dehorning of rhino populations was adopted as an effective tool in the fight to save the species from increasing poaching threats.
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SA_2021_04_White rhino population at KZN nature reserve dehorned_Times Live.pdf | 529.73 KB |
An anti-poaching operation in the Kruger National Park at the weekend netted five suspected poachers. It was described as a "fruitful" weekend in the Pretoriuskop section of the park, where the suspects were found in possession of ammunition, a silencer and two high-calibre hunting rifles. "We are delighted with our anti-poaching teams who were able to arrest suspects before any animal was killed. The actions are a morale booster for our anti-poaching teams and conservation efforts," said Gareth Coleman, managing executive of the park.
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SA_2021_04_Five poaching suspects arrested in Kruger National Park_Times Live.pdf | 391.78 KB |
Benoni K9 officers have foiled an illegal sale of a rhino horn. Two suspects aged 38 and 39 were arrested. They were trying to sell the horn along the roadside on Lionel Street, Benoni, east of Johannesburg. Police seized the horn, valued at R80,000, as well as the Mercedes-Benz vehicle they were using.
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SA_2021_03_Roadside bust Duo caught selling rhino horn in Benoni_Times Live.pdf | 242.09 KB |
The Hawks have arrested two men after they were found in possession of rhino horn and suspected stolen property in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape.
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SA_2021_02_Two men bust with rhino horn in Eastern Cape restaurant_Times Live.pdf | 447.4 KB |
Rhino horns weighing more than 70kg were discovered in chicken food mixture in a warehouse in Kempton Park in December. The Hawks arrested a 36-year-old man in Gauteng at the weekend for being a suspected rhino horn dealer.
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SA_2021_01_Police arrest suspected rhino horn dealer in Gauteng_Times Live.pdf | 372.67 KB |
As international borders reopen, the government has warned game reserves around SA to prepare for a possible resurgence in rhino poaching. Because of this threat, hundreds of rhinos in game reserves in the North West have been dehorned to protect them from poachers. Dehorning involves tracking the animals and darting them before removing their horns while they are sedated. Tracking the rhinos requires two helicopters and teams of people on the ground.
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SA_2020-10_Dehorned is better than dead_rangers race to protect rhinos as borders reopen_Timeslive.pdf | 271.92 KB |
Sixteen suspects who were arrested will appear in the Hofmeyr magistrate's court on Tuesday to face a charge of illegal hunting. The 16 suspects, who range between the ages of 23 and 48 years, were arrested on Sunday for illegal hunting on the farm Gruisheuwel, in the Hofmeyr district.
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SA_2020-05_Sixteen to appear in court for hunting springbok with dogs and knives_TimesLIVE.pdf | 475.91 KB |
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in partnership with the US Department of State, conducted a successful Wildlife Trafficking Cybercrime Training Programme (WTCP) in Windhoek, Namibia.
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NAM_2020-02 Nampol officers trained in cybercrime_wildlife trafficking_Windhoek Observer.pdf | 345.34 KB |
The US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) in partnership with the US Department of State, conducted a successful Wildlife Trafficking Cybercrime Training Programme (WTCP) in Windhoek, Namibia. The purpose of the training, which took place during January 27-31, 2020, was to strengthen global law enforcement relationships through the sharing of information related to the collection-preservation-examinationinvestigation of digital evidence in order to enhance the ability to combat worldwide illegal wildlife trafficking.
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NAM_2020-02_Nampol officers trained in cybercrime_wildlife trafficking_Windhoek Observer.pdf | 307.59 KB |
Environmentalists and conservation groups have expressed their dismay over the decision by the Windhoek High Court to fine two ivory smugglers only N$20,000, saying such a slap on the wrist defeats Government’s efforts to curb poaching.
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NAM_2017-08_Outrage over N20 000 ivory smuggling fine_Windhoek Observer.pdf | 302.69 KB |