Search results

Two Zimbabwean men have earned themselves jail time after being caught in possession of a pangolin, a specially protected species, without a permit. The pair were arrested on 10 July in a joint operation conducted by the police's Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit in Musina and private security. Abednego Nyathi (51) and Personal Sibanda (41), both from the Mangwe District in Zimbabwe, were arrested and charged on two counts. Count 1 was for contravening the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, Act 10 of 2004, by being in possession of a specially protected…

A large part of his work involves removing snares from wildlife, and "sadly, incidents of snaring have been increasing across Kruger in recent years, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic", he wrote in South African National Parks (SANParks) 2023/2024 research report. The use of tracking collars - which send alerts either when animals enter identified snaring hotspot areas or have been stationary for a certain period - has recently become an important tool in managing endangered species such as wild dogs.

Lyon, France - Nearly 20,000 live animals, all endangered or protected species, have been seized in a global operation against wildlife and forestry trafficking networks, jointly coordinated by INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization (WCO). Operation Thunder 2024 (11 November - 6 December) brought together police, customs, border control, forestry and wildlife officials from 138 countries and regions, marking the widest participation since the first edition in 2017.

Berlin, Germany - The Federal Environment Ministry of Germany, INTERPOL and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) are joining forces to combat the devastating impact of environmental crime. With a EUR 5 million investment from the German government's International Climate Initiative (IKI), the three-year project aims to identify and prevent transnational crimes impacting the climate, biodiversity and the environment across five key areas: fisheries crime, forestry crime, illegal mining, pollution crime, and wildlife crime.

Wildlife officials have hailed the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) recent decision to appeal what it called the lenient sentences handed to two rhino poachers in May, as well as the jailing this week of one of the men in a separate case.

The national prosecuting authority (NPA) has reinstated charges and re-enrolled an eight-year-old case against known rhino poacher Gideon (aka Deon) van Deventer, after it emerged the original case had been quashed and struck from the roll under dubious circumstances. The state’s 2014 Bronkhorstspruit firearms case against Van Deventer was re-opened in June this year after a whistle-blower tipped off law enforcement authorities and court officials about a miscarriage of justice that occurred at the Bronkorstspruit magistrate’s court on 24 July 2015.

Four succulent poachers have been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for trying to steal 14 endangered Halfmens (Pachypodium namaquanum) succulent plants within the |Ai|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park in the Northern Cape.

Singapore - An eight-week INTERPOL operation against wildlife crime and trafficking resulted in arrests and seizures across Asia and Africa. Codenamed Golden Strike, the operation - which ended late last year - targeted the criminals and networks smuggling wildlife protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) from Africa to Asia.

South Africa's diverse wildlife means it plays a "devastating role" as both source and transit country for wildlife trafficking. The most popular animal parts include rhino horn, abalone, pangolin and ivory, which is moved through South Africa to the East.