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Namibian Wildlife Crimes article archive

This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:

  • provide easy public access to published information and statistics
  • enable easy stakeholder access to articles
  • provide a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia

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.

Explore your search results using the filter checkboxes, or amend your search or start a new search.

Displaying results 1701 - 1750 of 2568
Saturday, 3 October 2020
2020. R1.2 million rhino horn bust in PMB.

Pietermaritzburg police intercepted and arrested a man transporting rhino horn worth R1.2 million this morning.

Saturday, 3 October 2020
2020. Wilderness Safaris supports Scorpion Anti-Poaching Unit in Hwangwe.

Despite COVID-19 bringing global travel to a standstill, Wilderness Safaris has rearmed its dedication to conserving and restoring Africa’s wilderness by continuing to support vital conservation projects in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. This included a recent donation from Wilderness Safaris' Sustainability Fund to support the operating costs of the Scorpion Anti-Poaching Unit (SAPU) until end December 2020.

Thursday, 1 October 2020
Denker H 2020. The data is clear: Don't poach rhinos, you will get caught.

Namibia doesn't just do anti-poaching patrols to protect rhinos. A broad suite of initiatives is in place to combat wildlife crime. These include community participation, monitoring and surveillance, security infrastructure, multi-agency partnerships, private sector support, international collaboration and more. Yet foremost among them are superb law-enforcement mechanisms to find, arrest and prosecute perpetrators.

Thursday, 1 October 2020
Smit E 2020. Six arrested for wildlife crimes.

Six suspects have been arrested in connection with wildlife crimes and two new cases were registered last week. Three of the suspects were arrested for elephant poaching and one suspect was arrested for rhino poaching. According to information provided by the intelligence and investigation unit in the environment ministry and the protected resources unit in the safety and security ministry, three illegal wildlife products were confiscated. At Mukwe in the Kavango East Region, three Namibians were arrested on 22 September for being in possession of two elephant tusks.

Wednesday, 30 September 2020
Ncube L 2020. Two Binga villagers arrested for trying to sell pangolin.

Two villagers from Binga who were caught trying to sell a live pangolin in Zambia have been sentenced to a mandatory five years in jail each in the neighbouring country. Ephrain Mugande (35) and Simple Mugande (32) both of Manjolo Village under Chief Sikalenge illegally hunted the pangolin in Chizarira National Park on the boundary of Binga and Gokwe before crossing the Zambezi River with it to Sinazongwe town in Zambia with the intention to sell it.

Wednesday, 30 September 2020
2020. Drie mans vas oor twee olifanttande.

'n Angolese man en twee Namibiërs is verlede week glo met twee olifanttande in hul besit vasgetrek.

An Angolan man and two Namibians were allegedly caught with two elephant tusks in their possession last week.

Wednesday, 30 September 2020
2020. Three arrested with elephant tusks.

Three men were arrested for allegedly possessing elephant tusks on 22 September at Mukwe in the Kavango East Region.

Tuesday, 29 September 2020
Zenda C 2020. COVID-19 sees increase in Wildlife Poaching in Southern Africa.

Six months into COVID-19 lockdown and with most southern African nations not having social safety nets for their citizens, there has been an uptick in wildlife poaching across the region.

Sunday, 20 September 2020
Miyanicwe C 2020. Celebrate World Rhino Day with talent.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, World Rhino Day will be marked with a talent show virtual event this year. "Even though Covid-19 is keeping us from our usual celebrations, this year we hope we can get as many people as possible from here in Namibia and around the world to show their pride and talent by joining us in a virtual campaign," said Clemens Naomab, regional project coordinator for the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF), on Saturday. World Rhino Day is an international event, recognised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),…

Friday, 18 September 2020
Amakali M 2020. 'Prophet' Babi, co-accused get bail hearing date.

The bail hearing of self-proclaimed preacher Jackson Babi and his co-accused Ananias Ananias is scheduled to take place next week in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court. The two are seeking bail in their second case where they face bribery charges for allegedly offering a N$13 000 bribe to investigation officers. Babi and Ananias made an appearance before magistrate Samunzala Samunzala yesterday where they were informed investigations are not yet finalised in their matter. 

Friday, 18 September 2020
Wunderman A 2020. How the pandemic threatens rhino conservation.

Around the world countries are adjusting to what their "new normal" looks like in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. For rhinoceros conservationists in Africa, it means coping with fewer resources while fighting an increase in the risk of poaching. Illegal hunting is nothing new for the dwindling rhino species, but the pandemic has amplified the threat and left their future more uncertain than ever.

Thursday, 17 September 2020
2020. Bisher 22 Nashörner, zwei Elefanten gewildert.

22 Nashörner und zwei Elefanten wurden in diesem Jahr in Namibia von Wilderern getötet. Das ist weniger als in den beiden Jahren zuvor, teilte Romeo Muyunda, Pressesprecher im Ministerium für Umwelt, Forstwirtschaft und Tourismus, jetzt mit.

22 rhinos and two elephants were killed by poachers in Namibia this year. That is less than in the previous two years, said Romeo Muyunda, press spokesman in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.

Thursday, 17 September 2020
Smit E 2020. Namibia - 22 rhinos poached this year, down from 46 last year.

This year a total of 22 rhinos and two elephants have been poached. During the same period last year, poachers killed46 rhinos and 13 elephants.

Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Smit E 2020. New technology to help monitor rhinos.

After a study on black rhinos in Namibia, new software has been developed by researchers in the United States that could help conservationists keep a watchful eye on the black rhino. The interactive software was jointly developed by researchers at Duke University and analytics software specialist SAS and analyses the footprints left behind by black rhinos. This can be used to monitor their movements and enable conservationists to help keep the animals safe from poachers.

Tuesday, 15 September 2020
2020. Mpumalanga farmer sentenced for dealing in rhino horns without permit. Lowvelder

A well-known Mpumalanga farmer was sentenced in the Middelburg Regional Court yesterday for selling rhino horns without a permit.

Tuesday, 15 September 2020
2020. Twenty-two rhinos and two elephants poached so far this year: MEFT.

Twenty-two rhinos and two elephants have been killed by poachers thus far in 2020, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Environment has said.

Tuesday, 15 September 2020
Steynberg F 2020. 19 vir wildmisdaad aangekla.

Altesaam 19 vermeende wildmisdadigers is verlede week in hegtenis geneem en aangekla.

A total of 19 suspected wildlife criminals were arrested and charged last week.

Monday, 14 September 2020
Terblanché N 2020. Vigilance leads to arrest of a poaching gang.

The vigilance of the farming community around Kamanjab led to the arrest of a gang of poachers that were on their way to hunt rhinos in the Etosha National Park. According to the crime bulletin provided by the Public Relations Division of the Namibian Police, the five suspects were arrested on Farm Marinhohe in the Kamanjab policing area on Thursday evening after members of the community spotted them being dropped off by a suspicious vehicle.

Monday, 14 September 2020
Steynberg F 2020. Renosterstropery: Drie bly in aanhouding.

Drie Namibiese mans wat glo ‘n renoster in die Etosha Nasionale Park wou stroop, bly in aanhouding nadat hulle vandag in die Outjo-landdroshof op vyf klagte verskyn het.

Three Namibian men who allegedly wanted to poach a rhino in the Etosha National Park remain in custody after appearing in the Outjo Magistrate's Court today on five charges.

Sunday, 13 September 2020
Dube M 2020. Botswana parliament rejects call to arm game rangers.

Botswana's National Assembly has rejected a call to rearm its game rangers that was driven by a surge in rhinoceros poaching in recent years. Guns were taken away from the rangers in 201, but an opposition party lawmaker had moved a motion to rearm the wildlife officers.

Sunday, 13 September 2020
2020. Drie mans wou glo renoster in Etosha stroop.

Drie verdagtes wat glo ’n renoster in die Etosha Nasionale Park wou stroop, verskyn môre op verskeie klagte in die landdroshof op Kamanjab. Hulle is Donderdag tussen Kamanjab en die plaas Marinhohe in dié distrik vasgetrek.

Three suspects who allegedly wanted to poach a rhino in the Etosha National Park will appear in the Kamanjab Magistrate's Court tomorrow on various charges. They were caught on Thursday between Kamanjab and the farm Marinhohe in the district.

Sunday, 13 September 2020
Simpson M 2020. Pangolin rescued and three people arrested in North West.

Illegal trade in the endangered animals on the rise again as lockdown decreases. Several pangolins have already been rescued this year.

Sunday, 13 September 2020
2020. Police launch manhunt for rhino poachers.

The police in Lulekani have launched a manhunt for the alleged poachers who shot and killed two rhinos on different locations on one of the game farms near Swelane village.

Friday, 11 September 2020
Ledger E 2020. Inside the courtroom battle against the deadly rhino horn trade.

We are working with conservation charity Space for Giants to protect wildlife at risk from poachers due to the conservation funding crisis caused by Covid-19. Help is desperately needed to support wildlife rangers, local communities and law enforcement personnel to prevent wildlife crime.

Thursday, 10 September 2020
Denker H 2020. Anti-poaching units active amid Covid-19.

COVID-19 has had significant effects in Namibia, as it has in every other country on planet Earth. The Namibian tourism industry has been temporarily disrupted, which has halted the tourism income which usually upports conservation initiatives. One may expect this would result in an immediate surge in wildlife crime. This is not the case. In spite of the massive challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic, Namibia has not experienced a spike in wildlife crime, as the number of registered cases is not higher than the same period last year.

Thursday, 10 September 2020
2020. Vyf vas oor renosterkarkas en horings.

Drie Namibiese mans is verlede week in verband met renosterstropery en twee oor horingsmokkelary in hegtenis geneem. Volgens die weeklikste wildmisdaadverslag van 31 Augustus tot 6 September van die Namibiese polisie en die ministerie van die omgewing, bosbou en toerisme, is altesaam tien vermeende wildmisdadigers in hegtenis geneem en ses nuwe sake aanhangig gemaak.

Thursday, 10 September 2020
Kamati E 2020. Poaching carnage at Randveld farm: Randveld, a farm between Otjiwarongo and Outjo, fell victim to a poaching spree on Sunday morning.

Three poachers brutally killed eight calves and mutilated six more on the farm Randveld of Jacques Swartz at around 02:00 on Sunday. The calves were attacked with spears and axes, and their intestines were ripped out. Swartz said he and a few watchmen were doing their night patrol - something they started doing regularly after a similar incident last month when four cattle were killed in a similar incident.

Wednesday, 9 September 2020
2020. New tracking technology will help fight rhino poaching in Namibia.

Interactive software that 'reads' and analyzes footprints left by black rhinoceroses can be used to monitor the movements of the animals in the wild, giving conservationists a new way to keep watch on the endangered species and help keep it safe from poachers, according to a new study.

Wednesday, 9 September 2020
Steynberg F 2020. Renosterkarkas en -horing gekonfiskeer.

Drie Namibiese mans is verlede week in verband met renosterstropery en twee oor horingsmokkelary in hegtenis geneem.

Three Namibian men were arrested last week in connection with rhino poaching and two for rhino horn smuggling.

Wednesday, 9 September 2020
Smit E 2020. 155 wildlife products seized - At Okahao, a Namibian man was arrested on 31 August for being in possession of 142 pangolin scales.

More than 150 illegal wildlife products were seized last week and 10 suspects were arrested, while six new cases were registered. Five of the suspects were arrested in connection with rhino poaching or trafficking cases.

Monday, 7 September 2020
2020. Top-fit rhino rangers to run in challenge to raise funds for wildlife protection.

Early in October, four ranger from Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) will show the rest of the world what it takes to be out in the wild, day in day out, tracking rhinos, deterring poachers, and earning an income for them and their families.

Monday, 7 September 2020
2020. Rescued pangolin gives birth in Limpopo.

A mature female Temminck's pangolin was retrieved out of the illegal trade by the South African Police Service’s Endangered Species Unit on April 25 in the Alldays region of Limpopo Province. She was transported to a Polokwane veterinarian which is where the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital’s Dr Karin Lourens drove to assist with the stabilising and initial examination. During an abdominal ultrasound, it was discovered that Ally was pregnant!

Friday, 4 September 2020
Chingwere M 2020. Two suspected poachers killed in raid.

Two armed poachers were shot dead at Chirisa Game Park in Gokwe over the weekend in a gun combat with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) rangers. ZimParks is now using drones to patrol its vast estate, and so far this year, 800 poachers have been detected and more than 600 arrested by follow-up patrols.

Thursday, 3 September 2020
Shikongo A 2020. 'Butcher' poacher locked up for 30 years.

Notorious Congolese poacher Mobanza Mobembo Gérard, who is said to have poached some 500 elephants in the Republic of Congo, was last month sentenced to a 30-year jail term in an unprecedented wildlife crime conviction in that country.

Thursday, 3 September 2020
Hyman A 2020. Abalone poachers surrender R100k in proceeds of crime after arrest, court order - Jail time and cash forfeit comes just two months after arrests.

Two abalone smugglers were each sentenced to xve years in prison this week, just over two months after they were arrested in a joint police operation on the N1 near the Huguenot tunnel in the Western Cape in June.

Wednesday, 2 September 2020
2020. 2 black rhino killed for horns near Sesfontein.

Two black rhinos - a cow and calf - were shot and killed in the Sesfontein area in Kunene with an unknown firearm. The animals were dehorned with an unknown sharp object. The incident occurred between 24 and 28 August at Otjomumbonde in the Omatendeka conservancy area.

Tuesday, 1 September 2020
2020. Wilderer töten zwei Nashörner.

Die Behörden ermitteln in einem Fall zweier gewilderter Spitzmaulnashörner, die in der Otjomumbonde-Gegend in dem Hegegebiet Omatendeka gefunden wurden. Das geht aus dem am Sonntag veröffentlichten Polizeibericht hervor.

The authorities are investigating a case of two poached black rhinos that were found in the Otjomumbonde area in the Omatendeka conservation area. This emerges from the police report published on Sunday.

Tuesday, 1 September 2020
Steynberg F 2020. Zambiër vas met ivoor, 81 ietermagôskubbe.

’n Zambiese man, mnr. Tumone Biemba, is verlede week op Katima Mulilo glo met een olifanttand en 81 ietermagôskubbe vasgetrek.

A Zambian man, mr. Tumone Biemba, was allegedly caught on Katima Mulilo last week with one elephant tooth and 81 pangolin scales.

Saturday, 29 August 2020
2020. Renosterkarkasse by Etendeka gevind.

Twee renosterkarkasse is gister in die Etendeka-toerismekonsessie in die Kunenestreek gevind.

Two rhino carcasses were found in the Etendeka tourism concession in the Kunene region yesterday.

Friday, 28 August 2020
Steynberg F 2020. Renosterstropers’ bly in aanhouding.

89 ietermagôskubbe gekonfiskeer. Vier vermeende renosterstropers bly in aanhouding nadat hulle glo ’n witrenosterbul gestroop en ’n witrenosterkoei in die Grootfontein-distrik gekwes het.

89 pangolin scales confiscated. Four suspected rhino poachers remain in custody after they allegedly poached a white rhino bull and injured a white rhino cow in the Grootfontein district.

Friday, 28 August 2020
2020. Mutmaßliche Wilderer bleiben vorerst in Haft.

Vier mutmaßliche Nashornwilderer, die vergangene Woche in Grootfontein verhaftet wurden, bleiben vorerst in Untersuchungshaft. Die Tatverdächtigen, Dave Uatenguainja Ngumbi (35), Alfred Rukee Katupao (49), Lucas Hidinwa Kautpao (38) und Hengua Kaipi Ngange (40), sind zu Beginn der Woche im Magistratsgericht von Otjiwarongo erschienen. Bei dem Hafttermin wurde der Fall zwecks weiterer Untersuchungen auf den 24. November dieses Jahres vertagt.

Wednesday, 26 August 2020
Ncube L 2020. 2 Binga folks arrested for possessing live pangolin.

Two villagers from Binga have been arrested in Zambia after they were found in possession of a live pangolin they allegedly intended to sell in the neighbouring country.

Tuesday, 25 August 2020
Steynberg F 2020. Vier vas oor renosterstropery.

Vier vermeende renosterstropers is verlede week by Grootfontein in hegtenis geneem nadat hulle glo ’n witrenosterbul gestroop en ’n witrenosterkoei gekwes het.

Four suspected rhino poachers were arrested at Grootfontein last week after they allegedly poached a white rhino bull and injured a white rhino cow.

Tuesday, 25 August 2020
2020. Nashorn tot: Vier Personen in Haft.

Die Polizei hat vier mutmaßliche Wilderer verhaftet, die auf einer privaten Farm im Grootfontein-Distrikt Breitmaulnashörner gejagt und eines der Tiere erlegt haben sollen. Das berichtete die Polizeisprecherin der Otjozondjupa-Region, Inspector Maureen Mbeha, gestern in Otjiwarongo.

Police have arrested four suspected poachers who are believed to have hunted and killed white rhinos on a private farm in Grootfontein district. This was reported by the police spokeswoman for the Otjozondjupa region, Inspector Maureen Mbeha, yesterday in Otjiwarongo.

Tuesday, 25 August 2020
2020. Rhino poaching accused at Grootfontein remanded in custody.
Tuesday, 25 August 2020
Kooper L 2020. Zambian nabbed for ivory, pangolin scales.

A twenty-year-old Zambian man was arrested on Sunday in the Zambezi region after he was found in possession of one elephant tusk and 81 pangolin scales.

Tuesday, 25 August 2020
Maponga G 2020. Poachers poison park lions.

Three carcasses of lions were recently recovered in the wildlife-rich Gonarezhou National Park, south-east of the Lowveld amid fears that poachers from Mozambique were using cyanide to poison animals.

Monday, 24 August 2020
2020. Poachers threaten viability of safari hunting industry in Hwange.

Rampant poaching activities in Matetsi area of Hwange District are threatening the viability of safari hunting industry, a leading safari operator has said. In an interview with Business Chronicle safari operator, Mr Wisdom Bushe Neshavi, said the upsurge in poaching case is crippling safari hunting, which is already reeling under the effects of the novel Covid-19) pandemic.

Monday, 24 August 2020
Guchu W 2020. 4 arrested for rhino poaching.

Four (4) suspects were arrested on 21 August 2020 after they illegally hunted a specially protected game (rhino). The suspects conspired and entered a private Farm to hunt rhinos, they shot and injured a female white Rhino and killed one male White Rhino. The horns were removed. The cow managed to escape with a gunshot wound. It survived.

Sunday, 23 August 2020
Simpson M 2020. Police sting operation leads to abalone seizure and arrest.

Large abalone consignment was kept under surveillance as it travelled from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Police have seized abalone worth an estimated R3-million at a home in the Johannesburg suburb of Mayfair and arrested a 46-year-old man.

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