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Karibib District Watch members arrested four suspects on Wednesday night for poaching an oryx in the Wilhelmstal area. An incident report from the Karibib District Watch stated that at around 21h00, gunshots were heard on a farm in the area, suggesting the presence of poachers. Three teams of the watch group's members were immediately dispatched, with the Karibib, Omaruru and Okahandja police called to assist, together with the Omaruru District Watch.

The charges against a Windhoek man who allegedly helped a Chinese national export abalone from Namibia two years ago were withdrawn in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court yesterday. With Chinese citizen Zhi Geng (38) absent from the court after he jumped bail last year, public prosecutor Tatelo Lusepani informed magistrate Gerrit van Pletzen yesterday that the state was provisionally withdrawing the charges against Geng's co-accused, Windhoek resident James Barron Wallace (49).

Five suspects who were arrested last week for being in possession of four elephant tusks were denied bail in the Katima Mulilo Magisitrate's Court on Monday.

The police in the Zambezi region have arrested four Namibians and one Zambian suspect after they were allegedly found in possession of four elephant tusks on Friday.

Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta yesterday said the Chinese government's ban on trade in ivory will only make the black market for rhino horns and elephant tusks more lucrative.

Ohangwena police on Friday arrested three men found with two fresh rhino horns. The trio were arrested at a temporary roadblock at Omungwelume. According to Ohangwena police spokesperson, sergeant Abner Kaume Itumba, the men were travelling in a seven-seater vehicle when they were arrested.

The suspected poacher who was severely injured by a rhino last week in the Etosha National Park succumbed to his injuries on Saturday.

Fewer cases of poaching have been recorded across the country so far this year, announced environment minister Pohamba Shifeta in Windhoek yesterday. Shifeta said this at a media conference at which he announced that 27 rhinos have been paoched so far this year, compared to 60 in all of 2016 and 95 in 2015. Shifeta also said 20 elephants have been poached this year, compared to 101 in 2016 and 49 in 2015.

The Namibian Chamber of Environment has launched an outreach programme to educate Namibians about the precarious status of the pangolin. The initiative, which involves producing large posters and thousands of business card-sized mini-posters for distribution countrywide, is to raise awareness and appeal to every Namibian to help stop the illegal trade in the animal.

A suspected poacher was severely injured by a rhino in the Etosha National Park on Saturday evening. Warrant officer Simson Shilongo of the police in Kunene told The Namibian yesterday that Luteni Muharukua (age unknown) and other alleged poachers had entered the national park illegally to poach rhinos.

The Namibian Chamber of Environment has launched an outreach programme to educate Namibians about the precarious status of the pangolin. The initiative, which involves producing large posters and thousands of business card-sized mini-posters for distribution countrywide, is to raise awareness and appeal to every Namibian to help stop the illegal trade in the animal.

In the Namibian newspaper of 13 September 2017, under the heading 'N$25m per person killed by wildlife', a participant in one of the consultative meetings held in the Zambezi region by the National Council standing committee on habitat criticised the Ministry of Environment and Tourism for placing more value on an animal's life than on a human's life.

Since 2012, after more than two decades of low numbers of poaching incidents involving elephant and rhino, Namibia has experienced an alarming increase in the poaching of these two species. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism recently reported that a total of 245 elephants were poached between 2014 and 2017, while a total of 241 rhino were poached between 2012 and 2017.

Two rhino carcasses were discovered in the Kunene and Erongo regions, bringing the number of poached rhinos to 26 in 2017, said the environment ministry yesterday.

Two Namibian men were arrested on Saturday afternoon at a roadblock in the Ohangwena region after police found two fresh rhino horns in their luggage. According to Ohangwena police spokesman sergeant Abner Kaume Itumba, the men aged 29 and 32 were arrested at the Onhuno roadblock in the Helao Nafidi town.

Please allow me space in your esteemed newspaper to air my views regarding the latest review of the law that was passed by lawmakers to deal with poachers and would-be poachers.

The High Court here on Tuesday allowed the State to appeal the prison sentences imposed in the case of four Chinese nationals convicted of attempting to smuggle rhino horns out of Namibia in 2014.

Anti-poaching organisation 'Help our Rhinos NOW Namibia' (HoRN.NAM) has called on the public in the Kunene region and across the country to report wildlife crimes.

The N$300 000 that was paid to get a Chinese national bailed out of jail following his arrest on a charge of possession of rhino horns early this year was declared finally forfeited to the state yesterday.

Erongo police are hunting for suspected poachers who killed a pregnant rhino cow on a game lodge near Omaruru over the weekend. The owner of the farm declined to comment, and requested this newspaper not to mention the name of the lodge for fear that it may attract more illegal activity for the rest of the game on the farm.

Seven of the eight rhino carcasses found at the Etosha National Park this week show that the animals had been poached. According to the environment ministry's chief public relations officer, Romeo Muyunda, the eighth animal had died of natural causes. In a statement yesterday, he said no arrests had been made, and reiterated the government's offer of N$60 000 for anyone providing information which could lead to the apprehension of the suspects. The eight rhino carcasses were discovered in the park between 23 and 25 June 2017.

A Chinese man who was arrested and charged after the police found two rhinoceros horns at a rented flat in Windhoek early this year is now a fugitive from justice, having failed to attend a scheduled court appearance last week. With the 29-year-old Chen Nan absent from the Windhoek Magistrate's Court, where he was supposed to appear for the first time since being granted bail in April, magistrate Vanessa Stanley on Wednesday issued a warrant for his arrest, provisionally cancelled his bail and provisionally declared his bail deposit of N$300 000 forfeited to…

The four suspected poachers who were arrested on Saturday following a shoot-out with the police at Khorixas will remain in custody after the court denied them bail.

Police are investigating an employee of a multinational courier company for attempting to smuggle rhino  horns through Eros airport, police spokesperson, commissioner Edwin Kanguatjivi said yesterday.

A defence force member and two other men from Okahandja appeared in the Walvis Bay Magistrate's Court yesterday on charges of possessing two rhino horns. The soldier, Petrus Mutako Damaseb (49), who is based at Okahandja, and Steven Omeb (29), appeared in court yesterday and were denied bail, while the third man was released due to lack of evidence linking him to the alleged crime.

Anyone found illegally selling controlled wildlife will be fined N$25 million instead of the current N$20 000, while jail time which is five now goes up to 20 years.

Anyone found illegally selling controlled wildlife will be fined N$25 million instead of the current N$20 000, while jail time which is five now goes up to 20 years.

The police this week arrested two Zambians and two Namibians in the Zambezi region after they were found with elephant tusks and rhino horns.

A man suspected of having travelled from Namibia was arrested at the Hong Kong International Airport on Friday in connection with 12 rhino horns found in express air parcels.

Tomorrow is the United Nations world wildlife day and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism has dedicated it to the protection of rhinos and elephants whose survival is threatened by poachers.

Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) has thrown its weight behind efforts to fight rhino poaching in the country, particularly inside the Etosha National Park.

Namibia has so far dehorned 451 black rhinos at a cost of over N$14,5 million in an effort to discourage poaching in the country. Government has been dehorning rhinos since 2014. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism makes use of experts contracted to dehorn black rhinos in the country's national game parks, including Etosha, Namib-Naukluft, Mamili, and the Waterberg Plateau Park.

Three suspects were arrested on Tuesday evening at Tjova village in Kavango East after being found in possession of 13 elephant tusks by a joint police and ministry of environment patrol. Police spokesperson Kauna Shikwambi yesterday said police arrested a Namibian and two Angolans, aged 27, 42 and 50, respectively, during an intelligence-led investigation.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism has doubts whether a rhinoceros cow that was found dead at a game farm in the Otjiwarongo area on Monday was poached as initially thought.

A rhinoceros cow was found poached at a game farm south of Otjiwarongo on Monday. The white rhino cow, named Maria, was found dead with a gunshot wound to her neck, game farm owner WP Barnard told The Namibian yesterday.

Another two Chinese nationals caught in possession of rhino horns last Thursday will appear in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court today.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the police have expressed doubts that a rhinoceros cow found dead at a game farm in the Otjiwarongo area on Monday was poached as initially thought.

Former national football team chiropractor accused of rhino poaching, Gerson Uakaerera Kandjii was denied bail in the Gobabis Magistrate's Court yesterday.

He was tending to his employer's cattle and not poaching, the suspected poacher shot and wounded by police on Wednesday at a farm in the Outjo district said yesterday.

A suspected poacher was shot and wounded by police yesterday at Farm Harrisy near Etosha National Park, bringing the number of those injured to two since December last year. Three others were shot dead at Bwabwata National Park last week following the invocation of the Criminal Procedure Act where police are instructed to shoot poachers in self-defence.

Former Brave Warriors football team medic Gerson Kandjii and two other men arrested over the killing of two rhinoceroses at a farm in the Gobabis district shortly before Christmas are due to make a first appearance in the Gobabis Magistrate's Court early next week.

The names of two alleged poachers who died in a skirmish between them and police and Anti-Poaching Unit (APU) members within the Bwabwata National Park on Wednesday, were disclosed by the deputy inspector-general.

Police Chief Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga says poaching activities in the country should not be downplayed as it is costing the country millions per day. Ndeitunga was addressing the Chinese business community in Windhoek on Thursday following the recent arrests of several Chinese nationals carrying various illegal wildlife products.

The poaching of rhinos and elephants in Namibia is not a crisis because only about 1,2% are poached per year, said environment minister Pohamba Shifeta.

The Chinese embassy in Namibia said it will not allow a few of its nationals who have been arrested in connection with poaching to tarnish their country's image.

Namibians should unite against organised and serious environmental crimes such as poaching which involve foreign nationals cooperating with locals for the illicit operations to be successful, police Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga said at the Force's Christmas carols' event for the Kavango East region on Friday.

Six people found carrying rifles in the Etosha National Park last week were arrested after a wounded rhino was found in the area.

The recent arrest of a police officer who allowed a Chinese man to pass through our airport security system with a suitcase of rhino horns once again brings to the fore the mischief and illicit dealings between poachers and law enforcement agents.

The arrest of a Chinese citizen who allegedly managed to smuggle 18 rhinoceros horns out of Namibia last week landed a member of the Namibian Police in the dock in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court in Katutura yesterday.

Police inspector general Sebastian Ndeitunga yesterday said he will take stiff measures on officers who were on duty at Hosea Kutako International Airport when the Chinese national smuggled 18 rhino horns out of Namibia.