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A total of 11 rhinos have been killed by poachers in the past six years with eight animals poached in the past two years, a further two in 2021 and one in 2011 and 28 horns recovered during that period, a workshop on wildlife that was held in Windhoek was told.

The 14 rhino horns, valued at N$2.3 million and which were confiscated from three Chinese nationals recently, were poached in Namibia. This was confirmed at the bail hearing Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing and Pu Xuexin last week, when they appeared on charges of possessing and attempting to export controlled wildlife products. They were allegedly caught with the rhino horns, as well as a leopard skin valued at N$50 000, in their luggage on 23 March at Hosea Kutako International Airport.

The bail hearing of the three Chinese men who were arrested at the Hosea Kutako International Airport for trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns out of the country has been postponed until May 8. Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing and Pu Xuexin appeared on charges of possession and the export of controlled wildlife products.

Poachers ruthlessly gunned down a black rhino last week Tuesday in Namibia's northwest region.

Another rhino has been poached, this time in the Kunene Region. According to Nampol spokesperson Edwin Kanguatjivi, members of Save the Rhino Trust discovered the carcass of a black rhino near Palmwag Lodge last week Monday. He said that the carcass was discovered with both horns removed, and on closer inspection it was found that the rhino had been shot. According to him the carcass of the rhino had been lying there for approximately three to four weeks before it was found. No arrests or recovery of the horns have been made.

The deafening silence by government and prominent conservation organisations in Namibia on the issue of rhino poaching that has reared its ugly head during the past few months has left many shaking their heads in frustration.

At least 10 rhinos were killed by poachers in Namibia in the last five years.

The arrest of three Chinese men found in possession of rhino horns and the killing of two hand-reared white rhinos on a farm close to Windhoek - in a space of a week - has cast the spotlight on the increase in rhino poaching in Namibia.

The Bank of Namibia received 96 intelligence reports of suspected money laundering and terrorism financing in Namibia in 2013, which were passed on to law enforcement agencies for further investigation.

While the number of cases of rhino poaching in Namibia seem to be escalating, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism chooses to stay mum on the situation. Another two cases of rhino poaching were discovered on a farm just outside Windhoek on Tuesday. Yesterday, in another poaching case, three Chinese men made another court appearance in Windhoek for allegedly trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns out of Namibia.

A team has recovered the last of the four rhino that escaped from a truck that overturned in the //Karas Region this past Saturday The truck was transporting five rhino from South Africa to Namibia, destined for a farm near Outjo. According to Deputy Commissioner Johannes Tsuseb, the truck overturned at 06:50 on Saturday about 60 km from Keetmanshoop to Tses. He said the right front wheel of the truck had burst. The driver then lost control, because he could not handle the heavy load.

The three Chinese nationals who were arrested at the Hosea Kutako National Airport for trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns out of the country have been refused bail. The Chinese men appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court just before 17:00 on Tuesday. One of the men claimed that he had nothing to do with the crime and should be allowed out on bail. Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing and Pu Xuexin are charged with the possession and export of controlled wildlife products. The three were caught at the Hosea Kutako Airport on Monday morning with 14 rhino horns and a leopard skin in their…

Three Chinese men appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court yesterday in connection with the discovery of 14 rhino horns in luggage at the Hosea Kutako International Airport on Monday.

Three Chinese men appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court yesterday in connection with the discovery of 14 rhino horns in luggage at the Hosea Kutako International Airport on Monday.

The three Chinese nationals who were arrested at the Hosea Kutako National Airport for trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns out of the country have been refused bail. The Chinese men appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court just before 17:00 on Tuesday. One of the men claimed that he had nothing to do with the crime and should be allowed out on bail. Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing and Pu Xuexin are charged with the possession and export of controlled wildlife products. The three were caught at the Hosea Kutako Airport on Monday morning with 14 rhino horns and a leopard skin in their…

Namibia has enjoyed a good reputation for its nature conservation, but there is evidence the illegal trade in wildlife products is thriving. The smuggling hotspot is the Zambezi border region, where five Southern Africa countries intersect. Hongxiang Huang travelled to Zambezi to investigate.

It is not just the stock theft figures for 2013 that are staggering, but the poaching of wildlife is just as worrisome and one beleaguered farmer from Omaruru can vouch for that.

I have read Rob Moffett's opinion piece (The Namibian, 1 November 2013) on turning rhinos into a commodity with interest. I have also seen some other press coverage of this issue.

More than 30 wild animals were trapped in wire snares before either being left to rot, chopped up and the meat hung to dry on farm Okapekaha, which belongs to Adrian Lang, near Omaruru last week.

An Omaruru farmer sent to prison in April for killing a suspected poacher on his property has been released on bail pending the hearing of an appeal in the High Court.

An Omaruru farmer sent to prison in April for killing a suspected poacher on his property has been released on bail pending the hearing of an appeal in the High Court.

The Protective Resources Unit (PRU) of the Erongo Police are investigating two incidents of alleged elephant poaching near Khorixas after two carcasses were discovered in the area – one of which the tusks have been removed.

Over 72 elephants were poached in the Caprivi Region last year alone while six cases have been reported so far this year.

Two men on trial for allegedly selling a rhino horn to an undercover police officer have applied to have their bail conditions relaxed. Arvo Johannes Mutefi, 40, and Andreas Panduleni Naholo are out on bail of N$7 000 each. One of their bail conditions is that they must report to the Windhoek or Oshakati police stations every Monday and Friday. They want this condition removed.

In March, life was looking rather bleak for Victor, the Cape pangolin.

International Pangolin Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of February every year and it falls on the 16th of February this year.

While there is no conclusive evidence of illegal poaching, members of the Tsiseb constituency in the Erongo Region say wildlife in the area is being decimated by unscrupulous elements.

The trial of two men accused of selling a rhino horn to an undercover police informer has been interrupted after both of them got new defence lawyers to represent them.

Faced with poachers who are ravaging elephant and rhino populations, African nations could do worse than look to Namibia for a game plan to combat the scourge.

A Namibian man, Tjetuura Tjiumbua (42), is alleged to have killed a black rhino in the Kunene region close to Khorixas, confirmed deputy commissioner, Edwin Kanguatjivi, head of Nampol's public relations division in Windhoek.

Four police officers arrested for allegedly poaching springbok in a conservancy in the Erongo Region appeared in the Khorixas Magistrate's   Court yesterday morning and were granted bail of N$300 each.

Cape Town - Rhino poaching statistics released yesterday by the South African authorities show that a record 455 rhinos have been lost to poaching already in 2012. The number exceeds the 448 rhinos killed for their horns during the whole of 2011.

While South Africa battles with increasing rhino poaching, Namibia has been rocked by the discovery of 18 elephants killed for their ivory in the Caprivi Region.

A man found in possession of a rhino horn was arrested in Namakgale, Limpopo, police said yesterday.

Environmental crime has exploded worldwide in recent years. According to a report by INTERPOL and UNEP, environmental crime has increased at 2 to 3 times the rate of the global economy and is now the fourth-largest criminal sector after drug trafficking, counterfeit crimes and human trafficking. It is a massive problem, receiving massive attention. Similar trends are true for Namibia. Over the past decade, cases have skyrocketed from negligible to crisis levels - but over the past five years crime rates have been curbed through increasingly effective law enforcement.

For the past three decades Namibia has adopted conservation approaches that have expanded the range and increased the population sizes of many wildlife species, including black rhinoceros, elephants, and large carnivores. Wildlife recoveries have been particularly noteworthy within the communal areas of Namibia, attributed to the emergence of communal conservancies since 1996. Namibia's progressive legislation has allowed people living with wildlife to benefit from these natural resources, resulting in community stewardship, goodwill, and support for nature conservation.

This report covers the period 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022. The production of this report was coordinated by the Rooikat Trust and funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, USA, May 2023.

South Africa, despite being considered a low-risk area for illegal logging, is grappling with a surge in environmental crimes, the Global Crime Index has shown. The country is not just a consumer of illegal timber and other flora products from neighbouring southern African countries, but is also a significant source country for wildlife crime, involving high-value species such as rhinos, lions, and elephants. Illegal trade of cycads is generating substantial profits, with some specimens fetching up to millions on the international market.

Pangolins are trafficked in high numbers. Estimates suggest that in the period 2000–2019 the equivalent of approximately 900,000 pangolins were illegally traded globally. This primarily occurs within Asia and Africa, and from Africa to Asia2 , but also involves Europe, North America, and other parts of the world. Trade can involve live and dead pangolins, their scales, and other body parts (e.g., skins).

Namibia has a long history of protecting its environment and its wildlife.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.