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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In an important step in the fight against wildlife crime, the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) and Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF) recently partnered on a project to better understand the current state of knowledge about the illegal wildlife trade (IWT), and the economics of IWT in southern Africa. This critical work was supported by USAID/Southern Africa through its VukaNow Activity. IWT is the world's fourth largest illegal transnational activity, generating between USD $7 and $23 billion every year, and poses a major threat to the iconic wildlife species of southern Africa.
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Counting the costs of wildlife crime.pdf | 90.03 KB |
A summons has been issued and forwarded to the Namibian Police for the return of service, to ensure that Chinese businessman Hou Xue Cheng and his co-accused answer to the criminal charges.
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NAM_2022_09_Probe into chinese businessmans mislaid docket_Namibian Sun.pdf | 548.44 KB |
In recent years, pangolins have become the most trafficked animal in Namibia. According to national wildlife crime reports, 491 pangolins (152 live and 339 carcasses or skins) were confiscated and 640 arrests made in the last seven years (2015-2021, MEFT statistics). Pangolins are poached for their scales, body parts, and meat for traditional beliefs, medicine and food worldwide. In recent years there is rising pressure on the species primarily due to their scales being used in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
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Trafficked pangolins get a second chance_but do they survive.pdf | 696.47 KB |
Drie mans is onlangs op twee verskillende plekke met ses olifanttande vasgetrek. Twee Angolese burgers, mnre. Abraham Mwetupunga en Velema Nghitila, is Sondag op Onandjmba glo met twee olifanttande in hegtenis geneem en 'n Namibiese man, mnr. Philips Kutenda Thikuma, glo met vier olifanttande op 6 Maart by Mukwe. Hulle is deel van die 14 wildmisdaadverdagtes wat volgens die wildmisdaadverslag van 6 tot 14 Maart in sewe wildmisdaadsake in hegtenis geneem is. By Kamanjab is vier Namibiese mans, mnre.
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NAM_2021_03_Drie mans vas oor ses olifanttande_Republikein.pdf | 219.54 KB |
NAM_2021_03_Three men arrested for six elephant tusks_Republikein_Eng.pdf | 219.87 KB |
Rhino crimes accounted for most arrests during the past year, with 145 suspects having been detained. A significant number of these were pre-emptive arrests, where suspects were caught before they could kill a rhino. This is not only a highly commendable law enforcement success, but also a very positive conservation outcome. Pre-emptive arrests have directly saved numerous rhinos and will allow the population to continue to multiply. The number of rhinos known to have been poached in Namibia during 2020 has decreased from the previous year.
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Combatting Wildlife Crime in Namibia_Annual Report 2020.pdf | 3.04 MB |
Collecting accurate, reliable information on illegal markets is no straightforward task. In this issue of the Risk Bulletin, we seek to explain how the GI-TOC has developed methods - working with networks of people who use drugs - to collect up-to-date information on retail drug prices and the shifting dynamics of drug markets. Information on drug prices has real-world impact: in at least three countries in East and southern Africa, the value of drugs involved in an offence has a direct effect on either the offence charged or on sentencing.
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Observatory of illicit economies in eastern and southern Africa.pdf | 3.71 MB |
The environment ministry has condemned the involvement of law enforcement officers in wildlife crimes after a police officer and a member of the Namibian Defence Force were arrested for the possession of rhino horns last week. Four rhinos and one elephant have been poached this year to date. The four rhinos are all white rhinos poached on private farms while the elephant was poached in a conservancy in the Otjozondjupa Region, says Romeo Muyunda, spokesperson of the environment ministry
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NAM_2021_06_Cop_soldier arrested with rhino horns_Namibian Sun.pdf | 401.91 KB |
A total of 33,386 poachers have been arrested in the past five years, thanks to the intensified anti-poaching campaign initiated by the National Anti-Poaching Task Force (NTAP). Mr Nduhiye noted that in the past five years the task force managed to intercept various trophies including 14,741 pieces of ivory tusks, 25 rhinoceros horns, 10 live pangolins and 962 tortoises.
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TAN_2021_06_More Than 33 380 Poachers Arrested in Past 5 Years_allAfrica_com.pdf | 103.41 KB |
A Hwange man and his son have been arrested for poaching after they were allegedly caught trapping animals and birds at the edge of Hwange National Park. Smart Shoko (48) and Ferdinand Shoko (26) both of Number F98 Madumabisa were found in possession of four impala carcasses, a baboon carcass and 79 fowl birds when they were ambushed by an anti-poaching unit in Bumbusi area outside Hwange town on Tuesday.
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ZIM_2021_07_Father and son arrested for poaching_The Chronicle.pdf | 229.79 KB |
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism says intensified efforts against poaching and other wildlife crimes are bearing results as law-enforcement agencies continue to wrangle poaching suspects.
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NAM_2021_07_Intensified anti_poaching efforts bear results_The Namibian.pdf | 1.58 MB |
"Daar gaan nie ‘n aand verby waar daar nie iewers gestroop word nie. Ek kan nie voorbly nie, die ding ruk handuit. Dis ‘n bekommernis." Só sê mnr. Rickus Spangenberg van Windhoek K9 Academy, wat honde oplei om die spoor van vee- en wilddiewe te sny en hulle vas te trek.
"Not a night goes by where there is no poaching anywhere. I can not keep up, the thing gets out of hand. It's a concern." So says Mr. Rickus Spangenberg of Windhoek K9 Academy, who trains dogs to follow the tracks of livestock and game thieves and catch them.
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NAM_2021_07_Teenstropingseenhede kan nie voorbly_Republikein.pdf | 474.63 KB |
NAM_2021-07_Anti_poaching units can not stay ahead_Republikein_Eng.pdf | 398.88 KB |
Less than 8% of suspects arrested in connection with wildlife crimes of high-valued species last year have been convicted. Only 23 suspects out of 304 arrested last year for rhino, elephant and pangolin wildlife crimes have been convicted thus far. A total of 1 055 suspects have been arrested in connection with wildlife crime cases since the beginning of last year to 31 July.
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NAM_2021_08_Less than 8 percent of wildlife crimes convicted_Namibian Sun.pdf | 304.86 KB |
Nine men were arrested within six days in connection with the possession of the carcasses of wild animals, live pangolins, and a python skin.
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NAM_2021_10_Nine men arrested for wildlife crime in one week_The Namibian.pdf | 275.97 KB |
Rothesay's Chris Morris lives in the East African country and follows poaching cases through the courts.
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KEN_2021_11_Retired NM police officer now covers the war against poaching in Kenya_CBC News.pdf | 8.67 MB |
At Oshikango, two Namibians and two Angolans were arrested on 9 November when they were found with three pangolin skins. In another incident at Nkurenkuru, four Namibians were arrested on 9 November when they were found in possession a cane rat carcass. At Witvlei, an Angolan national and a Namibian were arrested on 9 November with an oryx carcass. Meanwhile at Kahenge, two Namibians were arrested on 12 November with three python skins. Hausiku Haimbangu and Karupa Mukwambi were charged with illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products.
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NAM_2021_11_12 arrested for wildlife crimes_Namibian Sun_0.pdf | 292.13 KB |
At Nkurenkuru three Namibians were arrested on 21 November for being in possession of a leopard skin and a python skin. Claudia Kambinda, Shikerete Shinyemba and Michael Domingo were all charged with illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products. In another incident at Kongola, three Zambian nationals and one Angolan were arrested on 22 November when they were found in possession of eland meat.
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NAM_2021_12_Eight arrested for wildlife crimes_Namibian Sun.pdf | 282.22 KB |
Since 2014, Namibia has seen a surge in wildlife poaching as a result of increasing international demand and depleting wildlife populations in other areas of the world. This has led to the loss of high-value species (such as elephants, rhinos, and pangolins) and concern about ecosystem impacts and associated economic losses. For instance, Namibia has become a key country for illegally sourced rhino horn, with a total of 416 rhino poached between 2013 and 2019, compared to only 13 rhinos poached between 2005 and 2013 (MEFT; 2020b, Milliken, 2014).
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Namibia Case Study_Cost-Benefit Analysis of Curbing Illegal Wildlife Trade.pdf | 733.77 KB |
"We provide free air support for the reserves up here," explains Rob over the headphones. "The more we’re doing surveillance up in the air, the safer the rhino below. In some cases, our surveillance has seen a 97 per cent drop in rhino poaching." Rob scans the bush constantly and, when he spots two waterbuck at a canter, he swoops down to take a closer look.
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SA_2020-05_Conservation planes_Flying to save our wilderness _SA Country Life.pdf | 1.9 MB |
Operation Blue Rhino is a formal cooperation between the Protected Resources Division of the Namibian Police Force within the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security and the Intelligence and Investigation Unit within the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.
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Operation Blue Rhino_2020.pdf | 1.82 MB |
This highly lucrative illicit business is managed by organised criminal groups through a variety of payment mechanisms. These mechanisms, including cash transactions and bulk cash smuggling, trade-based money-laundering, international bank transfers through legal businesses and nominee bank account holders, are key to advancing the objectives of criminal organisations.
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Initial analysis of the financial flows and payment mechanisms behind wildlife and forest crime.pdf | 17.76 MB |
The illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products globally is estimated to be worth more than USD72 billion annually, ranking alongside the illegal trafficking of narcotics, arms, and humans. This illegal trade, like other transnational crimes, involves a complex network of various individuals with the ultimate goal of moving the commodities from source to consumer.
The most comprehensive data on poaching of African elephants comes from the Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) program, which reports numbers of illegally killed carcasses encountered by rangers. Recent studies utilizing MIKE data have reported that poaching of African elephants peaked in 2011 and has been decreasing through 2018. Closer examination of these studies, however, raises questions about the conclusion that poaching is decreasing throughout the continent.
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State_space models reveal a continuing elephant poaching problem in most of Africa.pdf | 382.92 KB |
This report covers the period 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019.
The first annual report on combatting wildlife crime in Namibia is a noteworthy milestone. Wildlife crime has become one of the central conservation challenges of our time. Namibia’s response to this, since the current wave of crime began, has been underpinned by one central factor – strong partnerships.
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MET_Combatting Wildlife Crime in Namibia Annual Report 2019.pdf | 2.03 MB |
Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) has increased in profile in recent years as a global policy issue, largely because of its association with declines in prominent internationally trafficked species. In this review, we explore the scale of IWT, associated threats to biodiversity, and appropriate responses to these threats.
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Illegal wildlife trade Scale_processes_and governance.pdf | 515.96 KB |