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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Enforcement alone is not stopping the bushmeat trade, despite increased patrols, arrests, and seizures. The trade persists because it is driven by strong economic incentives that far outweigh the risks. Corruption, weak penalties, and systemic governance failures undermine enforcement effectiveness. Conservation funding and research are heavily skewed toward short-term, visible enforcement actions. Lasting impact requires combined solutions, especially alternative livelihoods, demand reduction, and supply chain control.
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| CAM_2026_03_The enforcement trap_Patrolling.pdf | 2.22 MB |
One of the key takeaways from the Snare Mitigation Symposium held in Pretoria in September 2024 was the issue of the prosecution and sentencing of snare poachers in South Africa. High-profile cases of rhino horn and elephant ivory trafficking are headline-grabbing, but meat poaching using snares and dogs is probably a more serious issue. The effects of snare poaching are staggering, and while anti-poaching operations are vital, the current laws and enforcement need to be examined.
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| SA_2025_01_The challenges of prosecuting snare poachers in South Africa_Patrol.pdf | 226.94 KB |
In a Daily Maverick webinar on Wednesday, Dr Luthando Dziba, the new CEO of South African National Parks, said there may be fewer than 3,000 rhinos in the Kruger Park for the first time - despite the park authority spending millions on rhino protection.