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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.

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.

"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.

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.

Nine men were arrested within six days in connection with the possession of the carcasses of wild animals, live pangolins, and a python skin.

Rothesay's Chris Morris lives in the East African country and follows poaching cases through the courts.

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.

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.

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).

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.