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South Africa has reported a significant victory against rhino poaching in 2025, with national figures reflecting a 16% decline. Leading the charge is KwaZulu-Natal, where poaching losses at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) dwindled by 68%. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (Ezemvelo) welcomed the encouraging 2025 national rhino poaching statistics, crediting Minister Willie Aucamp’s statement on anti-poaching progress. Rhino losses in the HiP notably dropped by 68% (from 198 in 2024 to 63 in 2025), reflecting a province-wide decrease from 232 to 97 total losses.

Three suspects are expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court in the Free State on charges of possession of endangered species The suspects, aged 31, 35, and 36, are from Kuruman. The provincial police spokesperson, Sergeant Sinah Mpakane, said the suspects were arrested on Tuesday, February 10.

Despite a modest 16% decline in rhino killings countrywide during 2025, the number of these animals poached in Kruger National Park has doubled compared with the previous year. Significantly, the dramatic surge in rhino poaching in Kruger was mirrored by an equally significant drop in killing rates in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in KwaZulu-Natal, which has been a poaching hotspot for several years.

Accused rhino poacher and former regional ranger Rodney Landela - once heralded as the "Crown Prince of the Kruger" - insists he was framed. The former Kruger regional ranger, tipped for a top post at the national park before his arrest, has testified that a wildlife observation mission went disastrously wrong in the Kingfisherspruit section of the Kruger National Park on 27 July 2016. Landela, alongside former state veterinary technician Kenneth Muchocho are accused of killing a white rhino early that morning.

South Africa's anti-poaching and anti-trafficking efforts have yielded a 16% overall decline in rhino poaching last year when compared to 2024. This is according to the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willie Aucamp, who attributes the decline to dedication and tactical, swift coordination. "From January to December 2025, 352 rhinos were poached in South Africa, with 266 being killed on State property and 86 on privately owned parks, reserves or farms. This was a decrease of 68 in comparison to 420 rhinos poached in 2024," the Minister said on Tuesday in a…

Thai wildlife authorities have arrested a Vietnamese man at Suvarnabhumi Airport and seized 11.75 kilograms of rhino horn, disrupting a transnational wildlife trafficking operation that used Thailand as a transit point en route to Laos. Sadudee Phanphakdee, director of the Office of Wildlife and Plant Protection under the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said the arrest followed joint operations with C.I.Q. agencies and the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division police to curb cross-border wildlife trafficking.

The Game Rangers Association of Africa is calling on governments, funders and conservation groups to lend more support to wildlife rangers across the continent following an increasing number of attacks involving armed militia groups. Game rangers in many parts of Africa say they are facing some of the most challenging times in decades, partly due to the increasing presence of armed militias, along with illegal miners, loggers and bushmeat hunters.

On 03 February 2026, SANParks received information regarding the presence of approximately 20 suspected abalone poachers operating within the Tsitsikamma Marine Protected Area along the Otter Trail. SANParks Rangers responded through various operations from 03 to 05 February 2026. On 03 February 2026 fresh abalone shells were found, which confirmed that illegal harvesting had taken place. On 05 February 2026 teams tracked the suspects to an area where they had been residing in Covie. The suspects attempted to flee when approached.

A suspected poacher was fatally wounded and a high-calibre rifle recovered during two separate anti-poaching incidents involving rangers in the Kruger National Park this week. SANParks Head of Communications and spokesperson JP Louw said the incidents underscored the risks faced by rangers in their fight against wildlife crime.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism is facing a funding shortfall of approximately N$165 million, raising concerns about the sustainability of conservation. The funding constraints are outlined in the parliamentary standing committee on natural resources' final report on a capacity-building workshop with stakeholders held at Swakopmund, which was tabled before the eighth National Assembly. For the 2025/26 financial year, the ministry has been allocated a total budget of N$797 million.

In a relentless fight against illicit wildlife crime including rhino poaching, South African National Parks (SANParks) confirms two recent anti-poaching incidents in the Kruger National Park, underscoring the bravery of our rangers. Rangers came into contact with suspected poachers. on Thursday, 5 February 2026 at the Malelane section of the park, while no arrests were made, a high-caliber rifle and bags were recovered at the scene. The seizure of these items represents a significant disruption to poaching activities.

A total of 40 rhinos were poached last year in Namibia, while four elephants were killed, marking a significant decline compared with previous years. The poaching figures were confirmed by Bennett Kahuure, director of wildlife and national parks. He said that so far this year only one rhino poaching case has been reported, with no elephant poaching incidents recorded. "Overall, there has been a decline in poaching numbers over the past few years," Kahuure said. In 2024, Namibia recorded 81 rhino deaths at the hands of poachers.

Namibia's longstanding prohibition on the export of raw and unprocessed timber is aimed at curbing environmental degradation, creating local jobs and ensuring that the country derives greater economic value from its forest resources, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has confirmed. In an interview with Namibian Sun, the ministry's chief forester, Jonas Mwiikinghi, said the ban is enforced through forest regulations that restrict timber exports unless the products have been processed or semi-processed to prescribed standards and size limits.

The Supreme Court of Appeal has been asked to untangle a complex knot of legal questions that have emerged in a controversial court case about rhino horn trading. The ruling opens the door for South African rhino breeders to sell their horns internationally - despite a 50-year ban on such sales. Northern Cape rhino breeder and hunting lodge owner Hendrick "Wicus" Diedericks will have to delay his plan to sell rhino horns to foreign buyers, despite winning two court cases that pave the pathway towards this goal.

The Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Tom R. Butiime, has warned that Uganda risks losing vital medicinal and aromatic plant species due to overexploitation, habitat destruction and weak regulation, threatening healthcare systems, cultural heritage and rural livelihoods. Butiime made the remarks in Kampala as Uganda prepares to mark United Nations World Wildlife Day on March 3, 2026, amid growing concern over the unsustainable harvesting of medicinal plants from the wild.

Three suspects were arrested in Garies on Monday, 2 February 2026 at approximately 22:00 on the N7 road for being illegally in possession of protected species in Contravention of the Northern Cape Nature Conservation Act 9/2009, Sections 3 and 4. The suspects aged, 21, 29 and 37 were apprehended following a high-speed pursuit after they failed to stop when directed by police officials.

Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF), working in close collaboration with national law enforcement agencies and a partner (Freeland), successfully concluded a coordinated multi-agency operation that resulted in the arrest of suspected wildlife traffickers and the seizure of illegal elephant ivory in Namanga, a border town between Kenya and Tanzania. The operation, conducted on 24th January 2026, forms part of LATF's ongoing efforts to support Member States in dismantling organised transnational wildlife crime networks operating across Africa.

African lions are increasingly targeted for trade in their bones, skin, teeth and claws, according to a newly published study. Without urgent action, the authors warn, poaching may pose an existential threat to Panthera leo, which once numbered in the hundreds of thousands across Africa. Today, about 25,000 are relegated to just 6% of their historic range. They're classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Poaching is especially rising in Mozambique and South Africa, said Peter Lindsey, the study's lead author who directs the Wildlife Conservation Network's Lion Recovery Fund…

In a breakthrough against illegal wildlife trade, a swift undercover operation by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) working in close collaboration with Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF), led to the arrest of three (3) suspects attempting to sell elephants tusks in Kiritiri town, Mbeere South Sub-County, on the evening of 28th May 2025. The arrests were made as part of a wider, ongoing search for criminal ivory traffickers in Kenya and beyond. Acting on actionable intelligence, the suspects were seeking buyers for six pieces of elephant tusks, which they were offering at USD 8500.

Kinshasa, January 26 ICCN , in collaboration with Conserv Congo and the judicial Police of the court of Matete, and has supported a major arrest and seizure operation in central Kinshasa resulting in the confiscation of 1,054 kilograms of pangolin scales and a lion’s skull intended for illegal international trade. Two suspected Congolese traffickers were arrested and placed in detention, while the seized wildlife products have been secured by judicial authorities. The pangolin is currently recognized as the most trafficked mammal in the world.

Two people have been arrested for suspected wildlife trafficking following a multi-agency operation that led to the seizure of elephant tusks valued at about Sh11 million in Namanga. According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the suspects, Imani Manasi Msumbwa and Justin Mwalima, both Tanzanian nationals, in the company of a Kenyan suspect, Alton Jilaoneka, were caught off guard at a hotel where they were reportedly negotiating a sale.

The 18-year prison sentence handed to Chinese national Cong Yangzhong in late 2025 cast fresh light and exposed the scale of illicit financial flows fueling wildlife crime in Zimbabwe. Arrested in Harare on July 16, 2025, the 47-year-old was found in possession of three rhino horns and four pieces of raw ivory with a combined street value exceeding US$246 000. While Cong's case stood out because of the quantities of ivory involved, conservationists said such matters are becoming a permanent feature in courts around Zimbabwe.

From vaults holding rhino horn stockpiles to pens of captive-bred lions, and from the elusive pangolin to plundered seas, an expanding illicit wildlife economy is eroding biodiversity, undermining sustainable livelihoods and fuelling transnational criminal networks. Legal loopholes, under-resourced enforcement agencies and the high value of wildlife products have created fertile ground for trafficking syndicates, allowing them to move endangered animals and derivatives across borders with alarming efficiency.

Claude Hakorimana, 32, a former poacher from a community bordering Volcanoes National Park, says he was drawn into illegal hunting at a very young age because it was all he knew growing up. He recalls starting at just 14, watching his parents rely on poaching for food and income. "I grew up seeing my parents hunt for a living. To me, it felt normal," Hakorimana said. "The meat fed the family, and whatever was left was sold for income. Poaching seemed like a reliable way to survive." Over time, his activities expanded in scale and distance.

Illegal wildlife trade is a growing global crisis and the largest direct threat to the future of many of the worl's most threatened species. Recent UN data (2015-2021) shows around 4,000 species impacted, including 3,250 listed under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). With an estimated annual value of up to $20 billion, it is the fourth most lucrative criminal enterprise in the world.

South Africa's newly released professional hunting statistics tell a story that is rarely stated plainly: trophy hunting is not a conservation tool, nor a reluctant compromise at the edges of wildlife management. It is a large, industrialised system of wildlife extraction, normalised through regulation, sanitised by conservation language and sustained by political accommodation.

During the early hours of this morning, members of the Ficksburg Visible Policing Unit carried out crime prevention operational concepts in the Ficksburg policing precinct. Police pulled over a white Toyota Alphard in Einde Street near a filling station at about 02:15. A search was conducted, and members found a parcel wrapped with brown sticky packaging tape inside the boot of the vehicle. The 39-year-old driver was asked to account for the parcel, and he informed the police that he had been requested to transport it from Johannesburg to Maseru.

Africa's lions have always lived on the edge of human worlds. They roam landscapes shaped by farms, roads, villages and borders - admired, feared and contested in equal measure. They face shrinking habitats, declining prey and conflict with people living alongside them. But a new danger is emerging - one that could undo hard-won conservation gains if it is not confronted quickly.

Poaching endangers the populations of endangered species worldwide, and species native to Namibia also suffer from illegal hunting. A key problem that keeps poaching persistent and growing is the continued demand for wildlife products from wildlife crime. And this demand is being fed - among other things by TikTok. TikTok is booming - and the platform is also being misused for the illegal sale of bushmeat. A recent study shows that public TikTok accounts in Africa advertise meat from wild animals, even from highly endangered species such as pangolins.

Police in Okahandja have arrested a 39-year-old Namibian man for the illegal possession and sale of a protected wildlife product, after he was found attempting to sell a leopard skin valued at N$80 000. The arrest followed an intelligence-led covert operation conducted on Saturday, 17 January 2026, at a service station along the main road, where undercover law-enforcement officers posed as buyers. According to the weekend crime report, the suspect was apprehended at the scene and charged with unlawful possession and dealing in controlled wildlife products without a valid permit…

The Minister of Environment, Indileni Daniel, has raised alarm over the growing incidence of illegal sand and gravel mining nationwide, warning that unregulated activities pose serious risks to both the environment and local communities. "The Ministry has noted with serious concern the continued increase in illegal sand and gravel mining activities across various parts of Namibia.

Rather than operating on the fringes, organised wildlife crime networks are embedding themselves within lawful supply chains and financial channels - making wildlife trafficking not just an environmental crime, but a serious financial one. Global experts are calling for financial institutions and regulators to treat wildlife trafficking as a serious financial crime and to "follow the money" to reach the people organising and profiting from these networks.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism will undertake regional stakeholder engagements on the draft sand and gravel mining regulations from 26 January to the end of February. Environmental Commissioner Timoteus Mufeti said the Ministry has been working on the regulations to improve coordination and oversight of sand mining. In 2021, the ministry drafted new regulations following national outcry over how sand and gravel extraction activities were conducted. "We are talking about carbon markets and carbon trading.

According to Otjozondjupa Police spokesperson and Community Liaison Officer Senior Inspector Maureen Mbeha, the deceased was allegedly one of two suspects involved in the illegal hunting and killing of an oryx when anti-poaching security guards confronted them. During the pursuit, the man was shot with a 12-gauge shotgun while the second suspect escaped. The deceased sustained gunshot wounds to the chest and abdominal area and allegedly died instantly. His body was transported to the Okahandja State Hospital mortuary for preservation.

Two anti-poaching security guards (23 and 34) were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly shooting and killing a suspected poacher on a private commercial farm near Okahandja. Otjozondjupa head of community policing affairs senior inspector Maureen Mbeha confirmed the incident on Wednesday. She said the deceased has not been identified yet. The shooting occurred around 08h00 on Tuesday at farm Otjisazu. Mbeha said the guards reportedly encountered two suspects involved in the hunting and killing of an oryx.

More than 10,000 Tanzanian student police officers have been trained in how to stop illegal wildlife trade, as part of efforts to protect the country’s unique nature and ecosystems. As a result of this training, which has taken place over five years, police officers report that they are able to detect and investigate wildlife and forest crime more effectively. For example in Morogoro, Tanzanian police worked with wildlife officers in national parks to successfully arrested multiple individuals suspected of illegal wildlife activities.

Forty-six Zambian and 36 Namibian nationals have been arrested on Wednesday in Katima Mulilo's Cowboy location for smuggling timber into the country. Katima Mulilo Police Station Commander Charles Mayumbelo said the consignment of timber was discovered during the police inspection. "Those were items that were smuggled into the country and were supposed to be declared at the Katima Mulilo border, but they failed to do so.

Chinese national Lin Yunhua, the notorious kingpin of a wildlife trafficking syndicate convicted in 2021 for smuggling 2.6 tons of ivory, rhino horns, and pangolin scales worth millions, entered a not-guilty plea Monday to seven corruption-related counts before High Court Judge Redson Kapindu, capping a saga marked by a controversial presidential pardon, international outcry from conservation groups, and allegations of deep-rooted bribery within Malawi's justice and prison systems, writes Winston Mwale.

South Africa's natural heritage is under siege from organised crime, weak regulation and murky legal markets. From vaults holding rhino horn stockpiles to pens of captive-bred lions, and from the elusive pangolin to plundered seas, an expanding illicit wildlife economy is eroding biodiversity, undermining sustainable livelihoods and fuelling transnational criminal networks.

It started with a man from Maua Town in Meru County in possession of an extremely rare item and ended a few weeks ago in the Kajiado Town jail. How he found it is a mystery, but the tiny, palm-sized keratin pyramid came from a rhino. The man thought he could make considerable cash from selling this rhino horn, but he needed a buyer. He started asking around in Malili, a town along the Mombasa Road, where he thought he’d fly under the radar. Instead, our informer network was tipped off. He needed to be caught trying to sell the rhino horn to be arrested, but there were no takers…

A cross-border investigation is underway following a devastating wildlife poisoning incident near Amboseli National Park that has left at least six lions and 34 vultures dead. The animals are believed to have died after feeding on a cow carcass deliberately laced with poison in the Kitenden area along the Kenya–Tanzania border. The incident, which occurred two days ago, has shocked conservationists and authorities, who describe it as one of the most serious poisoning cases ever recorded in the Amboseli ecosystem.

In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's Maiko National Park, a few committed rangers have succeeded in protecting gorillas, elephants and other animals from the surrounding fighting. RFI spoke to the park's assistant director, Alain Mukiranya, about guarding wildlife in the middle of a war zone. The Democratic Republic of Congo's mineral-rich east has been ravaged by three decades of conflict. Since taking up arms again in 2021, the M23 rebel group, backed by Rwanda, has seized swathes of territory, leading to a spiralling humanitarian crisis.

Namibia is endowed with an extraordinary assemblage of wildlife, magnificently adapted to survive and flourish under the country's harsh arid and semi-arid climatic regimes, including a remarkable diversity of amphibian species. Among these are notable frog species such as the Giant African Bullfrog, the Common Platanna, and the Mapacha Grass Frog, among others. The Giant African Bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus), in particular, is predominantly distributed across the central and northern regions of Namibia and has been subjected to intense exploitation for human…

Two Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF) officers and three civilians appeared before the Moshi Resident Magistrate's Court, charged with economic sabotage after allegedly possessing government trophies valued at Sh591.3 million. The criminal case, before Senior Resident Magistrate Ally Mkama, is scheduled for mention at the preliminary stage on January 9, 2025. The first count involves two TPDF officers, Sergeant Andrew Ndaga (Number MT.76601) and Staff Sergeant Chumu Rajabu (Number 76764), along with a civilian identified as Mzee Ally Mzee.

A new report finds thousands of African primates, including chimpanzees and gorillas, are being traded both legally and illegally. Most of the legal trade in great apes is for scientific and zoo purposes, but the report raises some concerns on the legality of recent trade instances for zoos. Chimpanzees topped the list of the most illegally traded African primates, as the exotic pet trade drives the demand for juveniles and infants.

Two suspects, aged 24 and 75, have been arrested in the Tsandi policing area of the Omusati Region after they were allegedly found in possession of protected game without a permit. According to the police, the suspects were found in possession of two live tortoises at the Okapundja cattle post on Saturday. The tortoises were seized by officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) and are together valued at N$10,000. The suspects are due to appear before the Okahao Magistrate's Court on Monday.

Insiders describe why, and how, rangers sworn to protect wildlife collude with poaching syndicates slaughtering rhinos. Tulani Ngwenya investigates On guard: Former ranger trainer Hendrick Sithembiso carves through dry wood with twin tactical knives, demonstrating 'bushcraft' to students during an advanced training programme in Kruger in 2024.

African wildlife will not be protected through Western conservation approaches but through the involvement of local communities, says conservationist Margaret Jacobsohn. She said this last week following the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora's (Cites) recent rejection of Namibia's proposal to be allowed to trade in ivory. "The only way to conserve is by letting all African countries care for our wildlife," said Jacobsohn.

The first authoritative population assessment for African forest elephants estimates there are more than 145,000 individuals. Researchers say new survey techniques relying on sampling DNA from elephant dung provide the most accurate estimate of a species that's difficult to count in its rainforest habitat. Central Africa remains the species' stronghold, home to nearly 96% of forest elephants, with densely forested Gabon hosting 95,000 individuals. Conservationists say the findings can help inform the design of targeted conservation actions and national plans for forest elephants…

The operatives of the Federal Operations Unit, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), in Zone 'D', Bauchi State, have intercepted 718 pieces of donkey skins with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over ₦24 million in Mubi, Adamawa State. The Comptroller of the Unit, Abdullahi Ka'ila, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing in Bauchi, stating that the seizure was made on 26 December following credible intelligence and coordinated enforcement operations by officers of the unit.