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Namibian Wildlife Crimes article archive

This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:

  • provide easy public access to published information and statistics
  • enable easy stakeholder access to articles
  • provide a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia

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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Displaying results 1 - 7 of 7
Monday, 1 September 2025
Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) 2025. Safeguarding Namibia's Natural Heritage.

Safeguarding Namibia's Natural Heritage: Minister Indileni Daniel Visits Zambezi's Conservation Frontlines Zambezi Region, Namibia, August 27, 2025 In a show of commitment to Namibia's environmental stewardship, the Hon. Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Indileni Daniel, undertook an official visit to several key conservation sites in the Zambezi Region this week. Accompanied by Executive Director Mr. Sikongo Haihambo and a delegation of ministry officials, the Minister toured Nkasa Rupara, Mudumu, and Bwabwata National Parks, as well as the Kongola Forestry Office…

Tuesday, 26 August 2025
Westerdale J 2025. Notorious South African wildlife criminal's dubious pursuit of hunting permit in Botswana.

Poaching accused Dawie Groenewald is allegedly conducting wildlife operations in one of South Africa's neighbouring countries. Reports from Botswana state that Groenewald had been spotted camping with clients near the Kwando River in Namibia under an alias. He is currently out on bail in two separate cases in Limpopo and Mpumalanga linked to rhino poaching.

Tuesday, 21 June 2022
Ngatjiheue C 2022. Government probes workers for poaching.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism is investigating some of its workers at Etosha National Park for possibly playing a part in the rhino poaching syndicate which recently left 11 of the mammals dead. Addressing the media yesterday environment minister Pohamba Shifeta said they suspect the "act" was an inside job. All the rhinos killed were also dehorned. He said the ministry is broadening investigations to determine whether its workers were complicit in the matter.

Thursday, 16 June 2022
Ngatjiheue C 2022. Shifeta calls to up game against wildlife crime as 11 rhino carcasses discovered.

Environment, Forestry and Tourism Minister Pohamba Shifeta says the recent discoveries of 11 dead rhinos are an indication that the country needs to up its game in curbing wildlife crime. This comes after the rhino carcasses were discovered at Etosha National Park, since the beginning of June to date, with their horns removed.

Tuesday, 14 June 2022
Ngatjiheue C 2022. Eleven rhino carcasses found at Etosha.

The Environment and Tourism Ministry says it has discovered 11 rhino carcasses at the Etosha National Park since the beginning of this month. According to the ministry's spokesperson Romeo Muyunda, investigations indicate the carcasses are at least three weeks old. "This is regrettable and a strong indication that the fight against poaching is not over," he said. To date, 22 rhinos have been poached this year.

Thursday, 9 July 2020
Ngatjiheue C, Shikongo A 2020. Rhino, elephant poaching cases down.

Namibia has recorded a drastic drop in rhino and elephant poaching cases in the past three years because of improved response mechanisms, the government said yesterday. Minister of environment Pohamba Shifeta said the country has seen a reduction in rhino poaching numbers from 78 cases in 2018, 49 in 2019 and 17 so far this year.

Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), Ministry of Safety and Security 2019. Combatting Wildlife Crime in Namibia Annual Report 2019.

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.

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