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.
Explore your search results using the filter checkboxes, or amend your search or start a new search.
Two men, aged 32 and 40, were arrested by members of Namibian police’santi-poaching unit in Etosha. They were found in possession of unlicensed firearms. The police reacted to a tip-off from a member of the public who said the men were planning an incursion into the park.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-07_Two Etosha poachers nabbed_Namibian Sun.pdf | 93.91 KB |
The three men who were arrested on Friday with freshly sawn-off rhino horns at a mobile police roadblock outside Otavi were ordered to remain in custody with their first court appearance yesterday.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-07_Rhino horn suspects remanded in custody_The Namibian.pdf | 484.48 KB |
Bail was denied to three accused rhino poachers who appeared before the Otavi Magistrate’s Court yesterday on charges of rhino poaching and illegal possession of three rhino horns. Tjihange Japyangula, Tjingee Kaukamburua and Tjambira Paulus are each charged with one count of hunting of specially protected game and one count of possession of controlled game products.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-07_Rhino-horn trio remain behind bars_Namibian Sun.pdf | 95.32 KB |
Deputy minister of environment Tommy Nambahu has repeated his stance that the release of suspected rhino poachers is hampering the ministry's efforts to fight the scourge.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-07_Concern over release of poachers as three are arrested with rhino horns_The Namibian.pdf | 576.11 KB |
John Grobler visits Okahao, a sleepy settlement near Etosha National Park at the centre of the poaching plague threatening the world’s last viable population of critically endangered black rhinos.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
Oxpeckers_The epicentre of Namibias rhino poaching.pdf | 1.21 MB |
Three carcasses of black rhinos were discovered in the Uukwaluudhi conservancy situated between Oshakati and Kamanjab last week on Thursday.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2014-06_Black rhino slaughter uncovered_The Namibian.pdf | 248.39 KB |
Two apparently well-connected businessmen accused of smuggling rhino horns have been released on bail.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-06_Questions about bail for rhino suspects_Namibian Sun.pdf | 105.66 KB |
Two businessmen who spent a week in police custody after they were arrested in connection with an alleged attempt to sell four rhino horns, have been released on bail of N$50 000 each. Windhoek resident Tangi Sheefeni Amon Namwandi (32), who is also known as 'Mox', and Jairus Shaalukeni (32), who lives at Ongwediva, were granted bail when they made a second appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court in Katutura on a charge of possessing or dealing in rhino horns on Thursday last week.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-06_Two granted bail in rhino horn case_The Namibian.pdf | 520.79 KB |
Four rhino horns were found in possession of two Namibian suspects arrested during a police operation in Windhoek on Wednesday.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-06_Suspects caught with 4 rhino horns_Namibian Sun.pdf | 92.29 KB |
The second recent court development followed the sensational arrest of a young, up-and-coming Windhoek businessman named “Mox” Namwandi. Who is he? John Grobler tracks his connections.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
Oxpeckers_Bling king accused in Namibian rhino poaching.pdf | 250.11 KB |
The judgement which has been described as Namibia’s biggest rhino horn smuggling case to date, will finally be delivered next month. Four Chinese nationals stand accused of trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns worth more than N$2 million out of Namibia.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-05_Rhino horn smuggling verdict next month_Namibian Sun.pdf | 107.69 KB |
Private conservation group COVER (Conserving our Valuable Rhino and Elephant) has halted its anti-poaching operations, due to an ongoing legal battle against the founder of the organisation. The court case, which is pending in the High Court, stems from an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) into the alleged misuse of funds raised for rhino protection during the so-called Black Tie event last year, which included a wine auction.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-05_Cover halts anti_poaching activities_Namibian Sun.pdf | 129.85 KB |
Four Chinese citizens accused of having attempted to smuggle two suitcases filled with rhino horns and a leopard skin out of Namibia in March 2014, are due to hear the verdict in their trial next month.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-05_Verdict awaited in rhino horn smuggling trial_The Namibian.pdf | 494.25 KB |
Lawyers appearing for a Chinese national and a Namibian man accused of wildlife crimes, say their clients have not received a list of State witnesses, and were in difficult position, as their bail conditions include that they should not contact or interfere with those who will testify against them.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-05_Accused baffled by bail conditions_ Namibian Sun.pdf | 98.25 KB |
More than two years after the biggest rhino horn smuggling case in Namibia was uncovered, the defence rested on Tuesday after the alleged kingpin that was pulling the strings in Namibia took the stand. The case, which involves four Chinese nationals Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing, Pu Xuexin and Wang Hui, was postponed in the Windhoek Regional Court for closing arguments on 20 May. The four men were arrested for trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns worth more than N$2.3 million and a leopard skin valued at N$50 000 out of Namibia.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-04_State hammers Chinese accused_Namibian Sun.pdf | 84.88 KB |
Environment and tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta is concerned about the increasing poaching and illegal trafficking of wildlife products. He told visiting Interpol secretary general Jurgen Stock in Windhoek on Tuesday that Namibia could use more help and support from the international community to end the poaching and trafficking of wildlife products.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-03_Poaching an international concern_The Namibian.pdf | 982.12 KB |
The Namibian Police is offering a reward of N$60 000 for any reliable information which could lead to the arrest of people suspected to be involved in poaching. Suspected poachers are mainly targeting Namibia's rhino and elephant population for horns and tusks respectively, which fetch lucrative sums, particularly in Asian countries.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-03_Police offer NS60 000 for arrest of poachers_The Namibian.pdf | 232.7 KB |
What was described as excellent cooperation between the Omaruru District Watch and the police resulted in two white rhinos being saved from poaching and four suspected poachers arrested.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-03_Two rhinos saved four suspects arrested_The Namibian.pdf | 288.96 KB |
Depity fisheries minister Chief Samuel Ankama says the only way to combat poaching is by apprehending the end-users, who keep the market alive.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-03_Arrest buyers of poached products_The Namibian.pdf | 208.97 KB |
Oxpeckers Associate Shi Yi set out to investigate Chinese links in Namibia’s poaching crisis, and ended up in the middle of a sting operation that nabbed a former policeman.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
Oxpeckers_Namibias secret ivory business.pdf | 265.83 KB |
The Ministry of Environment and Tourism projects to have spent over a billion dollars in anti-poaching operations by the end of this year since the operation started two years ago.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-03_Poaching war to cost a billion_The Namibian.pdf | 249.89 KB |
Two men arrested by the Namibian Police Force (NamPol)'s Protected Resources Unit for the possession of rhino horns and abalone products at the beginning of this month, have been granted bail.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-02_Men arrested with rhino horns_abalone granted bail_The Namibian.pdf | 544.38 KB |
The prosecutor general has bank accounts and six cars belonging to a Chinese citizen and a Namibian man facing charges of possessing and trying to export the shellfish abalone from Namibia in her sights.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-02_Poca assets order against two abalone accused_The Namibian.pdf | 294.61 KB |
In 1963, the then South African administration proclaimed the entire Western Caprivi as a nature park, by far the earliest nature conservation area in northern Namibia.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-02_A militarised nature park_The Namibian.pdf | 1.14 MB |
The State yesterday painted a picture of the pecking order among the four Chinese men accused of trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns out of Namibia. Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing, Pu Xuexin and Wang Hui yesterday appeared in the Windhoek Regional Court in Katutura for the continuation of their trial. They are charged with trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns worth more than N$2.3 million and a leopard skin valued at N$50 000 out of Namibia. The items were found in two suitcases at Hosea Kutako International Airport on March 24 last year.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-02_State shows hierarchy in rhino case_Namibian Sun.pdf | 79.43 KB |
State prosecutor Simba Nduana yesterday told one of the Chinese men standing trial in Namibia’s largest rhino-horn-smuggling case that he and one of his co-accused had concocted a “cock and goose” story for the court that was filled with inconsistencies. Li Xiaoliang was cross-examined in the Windhoek Regional Court as the trial of Xiaoliang and his co-accused, Li Zinbing, Pu Xuexin and Wang Hui, continued.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-02_Chinese rhino story was concocted_Namibian Sun.pdf | 61.09 KB |
A Chinese national and a Namibian appeared before the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on charges of dealing in protected game products and possession of controlled wildlife products with a combined valued of N$320 000. The two men, Zhi Geng (37) and James Barron Wallace (47), were not asked to plead to the charges Geng was arrested in Windhoek on February 1 for dealing in 1.5kg rhino horn valued at N$232 000 and abalone valued at N$91 000. Wallace is charged only with the possession of abalone.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-02_Chinese and Namibian in court for rhino horn_Namibian Sun.pdf | 91.03 KB |
The discovery of close to 100 kilogrammes of dried abalone and more than a kilogramme of rhino horn pieces in Windhoek this week landed a Chinese citizen and a Namibian man in the dock in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court yesterday.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-02_Two charged over rhino horn and abalone_The Namibian.pdf | 508.19 KB |
South Africa last week announced that the number of rhinos poached during 2015 had gone down from the 1 215 record total in 2014 to 1 175 in 2015. The wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC’s Director of Policy Sabri Zain said in a statement that although there was a slight decrease in rhino poaching in South Africa and the authorities are having some impact on the ground, the numbers are hardly cause for celebration or complacency.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-01_Poaching networks infiltrate Africa_Namibian Sun.pdf | 120.2 KB |
THE Namibian government has made great strides in combating the poaching of endangered animals in recent months, the minister of environment and tourism (MET), Pohamba Shifeta, has said.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-01_Nam makes big strides in combating poaching Shifeta_The Namibian.pdf | 746.42 KB |
The Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, was in the Etosha National Park last week and unearthed a range of irregularities. He says the park regulations are not being obeyed. Shifeta stressed that action will be taken against those who do not comply with the rules of the park, but that this action will depend on what rules are broken. He said it is a privilege for anyone to visit or stay at Etosha and the park must be respected. "It is our national heritage."
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-01_Wildlife staff run amok in Etosha_Namibian Sun.pdf | 103.36 KB |
Four more rhino carcasses were found at Grootberg Lodge in Kunene region in late December last year.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-01_Rhino poaching toll at 80_The Namibian.pdf | 974.5 KB |
The Namibian community reeled when the executive director of Namrights Phil ya Nangoloh made public that high-level officials and politicians were involved in the scourge of rhino poaching in the country. The public demanded to know the names, saying that if it is indeed so, wealthy Namibians, part of the so-called elite, are plundering the natural resources of the country.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2016-01_We call on President Geingob_Namibian Sun.pdf | 61.65 KB |
A Chinese businessman was sentenced to 10 years in prison or alternatively pay N$100 000 for the illegal possession of protected wildlife specimen in the Opuwo magistrate court on Monday.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-12_Chinese man gets 10_year prison sentence for rhino horn possession_The Namibian.pdf | 1003.14 KB |
The head of the Namibian Police, Inspector-General Sebastian Ndeitunga, said he would dismiss with contempt any claim that the government does not have a real commitment to root out the poaching of Namibia’s wildlife. “Cabinet has allocated a lot of resources to combat and eradicate poaching. It is a costly exercise. This is an indication of how serious government is,” he stressed. Ndeitunga said it is clear that the poaching of rhinos and elephants in Namibian national parks is a well-orchestrated and well-funded transnational organised crime.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-12_Poaching smells like an inside job_Namibian Sun.pdf | 131.84 KB |
The Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Namibian Police have requested evidence from Namibia Media Holdings (NMH) as well as the executive director of Namrights, Phil ya Nangoloh, to substantiate allegations of political leaders’ involvement in rhino and elephant poaching. At a joint press briefing on Wednesday, Minister Pohamba Shifeta and police chief Inspector-General Sebastian Ndeitunga requested ya Nangoloh to submit the said evidence before the end of December.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-12_Ya Nangoloh dared to give evidence_Namibian Sun.pdf | 63.71 KB |
Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta says he is not aware of any ministers or former members of parliament involved in poaching. Meanwhile, police Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga says he cannot deny that ministers or members of parliament were involved in poaching, but he wanted to know who they are so he can lay his hands on them. The minister and the police chief were reacting to reports in the Namibian Sun that NamRights executive director Phil ya Nangoloh had allegedly submitted a report to Ndeitunga in which political leaders are accused of involvement in…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-12_Shifeta unaware of ministers who poach_The Namibian.pdf | 462.12 KB |
The trial of four Chinese citizens accused of having tried to smuggle two suitcases containing rhino horns out of Namibia in March last year is scheduled to continue in the Windhoek Regional Court next month.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-12_Rhino horn trial moves on to defence case_The Namibian.pdf | 576.98 KB |
The State has closed its case in Namibia’s biggest rhino horn smuggling trial to date, in which four Chinese nationals stand accused of trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns out of the country. Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing, Pu Xuexin and Wang Hui appeared in the Windhoek Regional Court in Katutura last week for the continuation of their trial. They were arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle rhino horns worth more than N$2.3 million and a leopard skin valued at N$50 000 out of Namibia. The items were found in two luggage bags at the Hosea Kutako International Airport on March 24 last…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-12_State closes in landmark rhino horn trial_Namibian Sun.pdf | 81.2 KB |
The State has suffered a huge blow in a rhino smuggling case, after the Windhoek Regional Court in Katutura ruled that the evidence three of the four accused gave in their bail hearings cannot be used in their trial. Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing, Pu Xuexin, whose bail evidence was ruled on, appeared with Wang Hui yesterday. They were arrested for trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns worth more than N$2.3 million and a leopard skin worth N$50 000 out of Namibia last year.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-12_State suffers huge blow in rhino case _Namibian Sun.pdf | 86.5 KB |
The State and the defence have locked horns over the constitutional right of the accused not to incriminate themselves, in a landmark rhino horn smuggling trial involving Chinese nationals, whose families are reportedly blissfully unaware of their legal troubles in Namibia. Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing, Pu Xuexin and Wang Hui appeared yesterday in the Windhoek Regional Court in Katutura. They have been arrested for trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns worth more than N$2.3 million and a leopard skin of N$50 000 out of Namibia last year.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-12_Vicious legal battles in landmark smuggling case_Namibian Sun.pdf | 88.31 KB |
Chinese journalist Shi Yi has been following the trial of four alleged rhino horn traffickers in Namibia. She paid a visit to their home villages in China to investigate their backgrounds
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
Oxpeckers_Who are Namibias Chinese smugglers.pdf | 244.36 KB |
The killing of rhinoceroses in the supposed safety of Etosha National Park is continuing, despite intensified efforts to clamp down on poaching in Namibia. The carcasses of another two black rhinos that had been killed for their horns were found in the south-western part of Etosha National Park early last week, a police spokesperson, chief inspector Kauna Shikwambi, confirmed on Friday. Shikwambi said both carcasses were found in the area between the Otjovasando air strip and Renostervlei in the far western part of Etosha. The horns of both animals had been removed.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-11_Rhino slaughter continues_The Namibian.pdf | 209.33 KB |
Another two black rhinos have been found poached in the Etosha National Park, and a rhino calf is still missing, after poachers struck again this week. This brings the total number of rhinos that have been killed in the country to 79 for the year so far. Police spokesperson Inspector Slogan Matheus confirmed that two black rhinos had been found dead at Etosha with their horns hacked off.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-11_Rhino poaching toll hits 79_Namibian Sun.pdf | 93.15 KB |
At one of Hanoi's priciest restaurants, a group of Vietnamese businessmen meet their new American partners to celebrate their latest venture. “A toast!” someone exclaims.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-11_Pressuring the Poachers_The Namibian.pdf | 363.91 KB |
Namibia has already lost three times the number of rhinos in 2015 compared to that of last year. A total of 77 rhinos and 37 elephants have been poached so far this year. This was confirmed by the Director of Parks and Wildlife Management in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Colgar Sikopo on Friday. Namibia has experienced a sharp increase in cases of rhino poaching over the past five years. Namibia lost one rhino to poaching in 2009 and 2010 respectively; two rhinos were illegally killed in 2012, four in 2013 and 25 last year.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-10_Poaching rate triples_Namibian Sun.pdf | 92.32 KB |
Court evidence reveals the typical methdology deployed by one of five organised crime syndicates believed to be active in Namibian wildlife trafficking, reports John Grobler.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
Oxpeckers_Inner workings of a Chinese poaching syndicate.pdf | 1.68 MB |
Chief Inspector Barry de Klerk of the Namibian Police’s Protective Resources Unit delivered explosive evidence in his testimony in the trail of four Chinese nationals accused in Namibia’s biggest rhino-horn smuggling case. De Klerk described the hierarchy of an organised Chinese Triad. He revealed that Wang Hui was the kingpin in the group and said he was offered a bribe to ensure that Wang escaped justice. De Klerk said the bribery attempt is still being investigated.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-10_Rhino kingpin offered police a bribe_Namibian Sun.pdf | 102.87 KB |
The Chinese national who is suspected of being the kingpin in one of Namibia’s biggest rhino-horn smuggling cases was found with gold, bank cards, bank books as well as other suspect items when he was arrested. Wang Huii, who operates an import and export company in Otjiwarongo, stands accused along with three other Chinese nationals Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing, Pu Xuexin who all appeared in the Windhoek Regional Court in Katutura yesterday for the continuation of their trial.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-10_Chinese rhino kingpin found with gold_Namibian Sun.pdf | 107.71 KB |
Police chief Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga told Namibian Sun that he “did not start the rumour,” referring to a probe into a senior City Police officer in respect of a rhino poaching incident. Ndeitunga, however, did not deny that the investigation was ongoing. It is the second time this week that he has washed his hands on issues in which his force is implicated. Earlier in the week, he denied any knowledge of the involvement of the police implicated in the case of the missing Khoi San in the former Caprivi, now Zambezi Region.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2015-10_Ndeitunga passes the buck, again_Namibian Sun.pdf | 97.3 KB |