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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New research identifies 10,443 critically endangered species worldwide, with effective protection strategies available if funding and political will follow. More than 1,500 species, or 15% of the critically endangered species, are estimated to have fewer than 50 mature individuals remaining in the wild. Just 16 countries hold more than half of all critically endangered species, with concentrations across the Caribbean islands, Atlantic coastal regions of South America, the Mediterranean, Cameroon, Lake Victoria, Madagascar and Southeast Asia.
In the Eastern Cape, Justin Terblanche is known for his love of rhinos. The anti-poacher shares that he's known as the 'Rhino Whisperer' in the area and that his life's mission lies in protecting the gentle giants who once roamed the Earth with far more freedom and in far greater numbers. "Losing [rhinos] would leave an irreplaceable void in the natural world," says Justin. "If we don’t act now, future generations may never see a rhino roaming wild." Working at Lombardini Game Farm, Justin has seen first-hand the impact of poaching. The land was once home to 19 rhinos.
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SA_2025_05_Anti_poacher on a mission to ramp up rhino protection_Good Things Guy.pdf | 116.56 KB |
The Congo rainforest is home to one of Africa's least-known and most threatened monkeys: the golden-bellied mangabey. Golden-bellied mangabeys form extraordinarily large troops of dozens of individuals, and field observations reveal a complex social structure reminiscent of that of humans. The species faces significant threats from habitat loss, hunting and illegal trade, with experts pushing for stronger legal protections, including an upgrade from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I listing.
Bulk shipments by sea accounted for most of the illegal wildlife parts seized by authorities around the world in 2022. The data, from U.S.-based nonprofit C4ADS, also show that seizures of elephant ivory, rhino horn and pangolin scales haven’t yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. However, the decline isn’t uniform across all countries, with China's late reopening from the pandemic this year indicating there might be an increase in trafficking in 2023, especially of ivory. C4ADS has called on law enforcement officials to focus on investigating…
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WORLD_2023_03_Wildlife trafficking gradually returns after pandemic lull_mostly by sea_Mongaby.pdf | 868.66 KB |
The police in the Khomas region are investigating three cases of murder in which three male persons aged between 24 and 30 were shot dead on Sunday and yesterday. According to the brief reports shared by the police regional community affairs Silas Shipandeni, the police are investigating the matter in which two suspected poachers were shot at Farm Hoffnung No 66, in the Windhoek District on Sunday around 17h00. Shipandeni indicated that an unknown man was fatally wounded and died on the spot while the other one was injured on the left thigh.
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NAM_2022_10_Suspected poacher shot dead_New Era.pdf | 266.33 KB |
A 41-year-old South African national has appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court on Monday after a dead python was found in the truck he was driving. According to the Khomas police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Silas Shipandeni, Ayanda Gxoyiyana was arrested at the Windhoek-Okahandja roadblock after the police pulled him over for a routine search and found a freshly killed python in his truck's toolbox.
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NAM_2022_03_Police discover python carcass in SA truck_New Era.pdf | 366.57 KB |
At farm Otjirukaku on the B8 road, a 23-year-old male was shot and wounded allegedly by a farmer while attempting to poach wildlife on the property. The victim’s friend managed to flee the scene unharmed. The victim is currently hospitalised in a local hospital and his condition is stable, according to the authorities.
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NAM_2021_11_Katima man raped_suspected poacher shot_New Era.pdf | 468.46 KB |
The police in the Omusati region have arrested two men for allegedly illegally hunting protected game. According to the regional crime investigations coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Moses Simaho, the offences were committed on 17 October 2020 around 18h00 at Omutambowomawe and Okaonde areas in the Ruacana constituency. He said the suspects used their private vehicle to transport illegally hunted game meat, of which the police recovered one carcass of eland, three duikers, a dik-dik, a rabbit and a bow white bird.
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NAM_2020-10_Two nabbed for hunting game_New Era.pdf | 296.96 KB |