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In its 2024 annual report, the Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA) organisation says last year was marked by both hardship and meaningful progress in desert-adapted elephant conservation. "It was a year of learning and growth that reinforced our motivation to create lasting impact for elephants and communities we work with,” EHRA's managing director, Rachel Harris, notes in the foreword of the report. She added that the prolonged drought brought new challenges for EHRA: "In response to the drought, the government announced a controversial wildlife cull.

Another rhino was sadly killed at a private game reserve in the Pongola area on Thursday evening. The rhino bull was found dead, but this time around, the horns were still intact. Police suspect that the poachers may have only wounded the animal and it ran away to die somewhere else. Rangers found the rhino on Friday morning and contacted the police. Last week was full moon, oddly enough known as 'Poacher’s Moon'. There is also a known link between rhino poaching and the full moon, which is that anti-poaching teams actively monitor on these nights.

There were 698 lions killed by humans between 1980 and 2018 in the areas surrounding Etosha National Park - an average of 22 lions per year, although researchers say this number is likely an underestimate. A new study found there was no single reason behind the killings.

The National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) has warned that little to no progress has been made in shutting down South Africa's captive lion breeding industry, despite a series of government commitments and legal recommendations. During a briefing to the portfolio committee on environment, forestry and fisheries on Tuesday, National Chief Inspector Douglas Wolhuter said that "nothing has changed" - highlighting ongoing welfare violations and a continued lack of enforcement, despite a government-backed plan to phase out lion farming.

The police in Skukuza have arrested two male Mozambican nationals, aged 29 and 38, for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, as well as for trespassing in the Houtboschrand Ranger area in the Kruger National Park (KNP). The men were arrested on Thursday, May 8.

An anti-poaching K9 Camp was officially opened at the Mdluli Safari Lodge in the Kruger National Park (KNP) on Tuesday, April 23.The camp, whose opening coincided with International Earth Day 2025, will be a base of operations for rangers and their well-trained dogs, working together in the fight against poaching in the KNP. The executive manager of Mdluli Safari Lodge, Chris Schalkwyk, said the establishment of the special K9 Camp proves that with good relationships and local and international co-operation, a huge difference can be made in conservation.

Fifteen people accused of financial crimes related to rhino poaching briefly appeared in the Nelspruit Commercial Crimes Court on Monday. Among the accused were two former field rangers and some of their relatives. While the majority of the respondents appear to be from a humble background, almost all of them are represented by private advocates. Although the State was ready to commence with trial proceedings, the matter was provisionally postponed to February 27 for possible pretrial conference.

In the latest case, people living around the arid northern community of Khorixas looked out one morning last month to find a new road being bulldozed through an area they had been managing, together with the tourism company Ultimate Safaris and the nonprofit Save The Rhinos Trust, as habitat for black rhinos, an endangered species. The conservancies, together with the tourism company, went to court, alleging that the road, and mining project it will serve, showed up on the scene "without any consultation" with them.

Rangers from across the southern African region, including Namibia, have established a new community of practice for monitoring and reporting on elephant mortality. Accurate and consistent data on elephant deaths is crucial for understanding and effectively addressing the threats faced by 'nature's gardeners', which include human-elephant conflict, habitat loss and the illegal killing for ivory. Reliable data allows for informed decision-making and effective conservation measures to ensure the long-term survival of African elephants in their natural habitats.

The Rhino Sanctuary Namibia, located about 60km from Windhoek will officially open its doors this September. Although they have already had guests at the lodge to experience the magnificent surroundings and to pay a visit to the white rhinos roaming the area, they are still busy with some final touches. Manager Stefanus Prinsloo explained that the idea for Rhino Sanctuary Namibia came from the lodge owner, Tom Kjær who wanted to assist in protecting the rhinos against increasing poaching in Namibia.

Environment and tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta has come out strongly against CITES' decision to ban ivory from being sold on international markets. In an interview with New Era on the sidelines of the just-ended KAZA summit in Livingstone, he said if the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) refuses member states to sell off ivory stockpiles, they will withdraw their membership. "If CITES refuses, we have some alternatives and plans. We can go for arbitration.

In early May, the environment ministry's forestry directorate raided farms in the Kunene Region where protected mopane trees are being harvested and exported for charcoal and firewood. Trucks carrying loads of wood and charcoal - without permits to do so - have already been seized, the directorate confirmed. An outraged charcoal producer in the Outjo district, who preferred to remain anonymous, claimed a forestry official threatened him and demanded a bribe from him to not stop his charcoal business.

The Bank of Namibia (BoN) joined the fight to preserve Namibian rhinos by supporting the Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) Namibia through a donation of N$480 000.

During a first of its kind cooperation between US Law Enforcement and the Namibian Police (Nampol), four suspected pangolin traffickers were arrested in Namibia on 21 July. Time-sensitive information received by the Homeland Security Investigations office in Pretoria relating to an imminent dealing by criminals in the illegal sale of a live pangolin was passed to the US Embassy Windhoek's Regional Security Officer, which was shared with Nampol. Based on the information, the Blue Rhino Task Team was able to successfully arrest four suspects.

The Daan Viljoen game park is under constant threat from communities living in the informal settlements of Windhoek who enter the park illegally for poaching. Daan Viljoen is situated 25km west of Windhoek and informal settlements such as Agste Laan and Goreangab are situated near the game park. Khomas Governor Laura McLeod-Katjirua, made this statement during the State of the Region Address (SoRA) on Tuesday.

What should a farmer, lodge manager, landowner or a farm worker do when he stumbles across a poaching scene? Participants of the Animal Crime Scene and Evidence Handling Course received detailed answers to this question while gaining insight into the complexity of gathering evidence. During the course, participants were reminded that they are neither police officers nor experts in collecting evidence.