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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.

Explore your search results using the filter checkboxes, or amend your search or start a new search.

Displaying results 1 - 17 of 17
Tuesday, 30 January 2024
2024. Katima Mulilo Court trials for elephant tusk possession.

Katima Mulilo - Three individuals, Nyambe Calvin Matomola, John Mwelwa, and Nziye Lusinyize, have been brought before the Katima Mulilo Magistrate's Court for alleged possession of controlled wildlife products. The trio was apprehended with a total of 39 elephant tusks, leading to their court appearance on Tuesday. Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, revealed that Matomola, along with seven Zambian nationals, was caught with 24 tusks after smuggling them into Namibia via the Zambezi Region.

Tuesday, 23 January 2024
2024. No trade, no killing - An evaluation of China's ivory ban on elephant poaching.
The debate on whether legalization or prohibition is more effective in conserving species and curbing illicit black-market trade remains controversial, with insufficient evidence available. Here we investigate the effects of China's ivory ban on elephant poaching. We find that the enaction of the total ivory ban corresponds with a sharp 50% decrease in poaching and a significant reduction of the number of seizure cases.
Friday, 19 January 2024
2024. Mozambican national arrested for wildlife tracking: A global challenge.

In a crucial operation towards wildlife protection, a Mozambican national has been arrested at Namwera, Mangochi, charged with the illegal possession of a protected wildlife species. The arrest, a serious violation of section 110(b) of the National Parks and Wildlife Act, signifies the ongoing fight against wildlife trafficking, a crime increasingly crossing national boundaries and threatening global biodiversity. Caught in the act was 26-year-old Moses Paul Banda, a Mozambican citizen.

Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Mangirazi N 2024. Zimbabwe: Trio arrested for poaching.
Three Hurungwe men who captured themselves on camera killing an elephant using traditional weapons and dogs yesterday appeared before Kariba magistrate accused of hunting or removing any animal or part of the animal in a safari area without a permit. Francis Chigomararwa (30), Simeon Kezias (23) and Arthur Murimbika (24) all from Nyamakate area are also facing another charge of killing a buffalo.The accused were unlucky when a video went viral of them killing an elephant after setting their dogs on it before attacking it using spears and axes.
Tuesday, 16 January 2024
Mangirazi N 2024. Trio arrested for poaching.

Three Hurungwe men who captured themselves on camera killing an elephant using traditional weapons and dogs yesterday appeared before Kariba magistrate accused of hunting or removing any animal or part of the animal in a safari area without a permit. Francis Chigomararwa (30), Simeon Kezias (23) and Arthur Murimbika (24) all from Nyamakate area are also facing another charge of killing a buffalo.The accused were unlucky when a video went viral of them killing an elephant after setting their dogs on it before attacking it using spears and axes.

Tuesday, 16 January 2024
Ombati C 2024. Policeman among two arrested with elephant tusks in Nairobi.

The police constable and a civilian had been arrested in Nairobi West and Eastleigh with the cargo on Sunday. They had tried to sell the trophies to Kenya Wildlife Service ocials who had posed as potential buyers.

Tuesday, 2 January 2024
2024. Botswana, Namibia in joint elephant poaching investigation.

Botswana and Namibia have embarked on a joint investigation into the increased incidents of elephant poaching in the northern part of Botswana. "The country (Botswana) experienced a surge in elephant poaching incidents during November and December 2023," Lesego Kgomanyane, the spokesperson for Botswana's Ministry of Environment and Tourism, told Xinhua over the telephone, noting that the development has shone the light on the apparent increase in poaching of elephants in northern Botswana.

Thursday, 30 September 2021
Hattingh E 2021. Ná virus kan stropers weer toeslaan: Olifantstropery op rekordlaagte.

Sodra die wêreld Covid-19 onder beheer kry, kan stropery - veral die stroping van olifante - weer die hoogte inskiet. Dit sal dan die opgeboude vraag na ivoor in die wêreld se swartmarkte moet inhaal. Mnr. Daniel Stiles, 'n onafhanklike ondersoeker wat dekades reeds spesialiseer in onwettige markte en handel in wild en wildprodukte, waarsku dat 'n onlangse styging in swartmarkprys vir ivoor in Viëtnam en China onrusbarende tekens is. Hy het die opmerkings in 'n verslag gemaak wat deel vorm van 'n reeks deur die Wêreldwye Inisiatief teen Transnasionale, Georganiseerde Misdaad (GI-…

Thursday, 30 September 2021
2021. Elefantenwilderei könnte wieder zunehmen.

Namibia hat einen starken Rückgang der Elefantenwilderei verzeichnet, insbesondere in den letzten acht Jahren. Nach Angaben des Umweltministeriums scheint die Elefantenwilderei jährlich zurückzugehen. 2014 wurden 78 Elefanten gewildert, 2017 wiederum 50. Während im Jahr 2016 bis zu 101 Elefanten gewildert wurden, waren es 2019 und 2020 nur noch 13 bzw. zwölf Elefanten. Der Sprecher des Ministeriums, Romeo Muyunda, erklärt, dass der Rückgang darauf zurückzuführen ist, dass die Strafverfolgungsbehörden strengere Maßnahmen gegen Wildtierkriminalität ergreifen.

Sunday, 26 September 2021
2021. Zim man jailed 2 years in Botswana for ivory possession.

A Zimbabwean man, who managed to get his lover off the hook after the pair was caught with two elephant tusks, has been jailed for two years in Botswana.

Sunday, 26 September 2021
2021. Zimbabwe - Hwange man arrested in possession of ivory worth US$2000.

Zimbabwe Republic Police in Hwange arrested Bokisi Augustine (33) at St Mary's Village for illegally possessing an elephant tusk weighing 11.79 kgs and valued at US$2000.

Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Motlhabane C 2021. Busted in the bush.

A man caught with a single elephant tusk during an unexpected run-in with the police in the bush two years ago will learn his fate next Thursday. Although he tried to hide the offending item beneath his jacket during his unplanned encounter with the cops, the big bulge gave Gaosego Emang Seipato away. The 35-year-old met his downfall on 3 May 2019, when he was rumbled by a police patrol who were actually on the lookout for illegal gold miners in the bushes between Matshelagabedi and BDF training centre on the outskirts of Francistown.

Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Motlhabane C 2021. 'Big-hearted' boyfriend jailed in elephant tusk takedown.

A big-hearted boyfriend who managed to get his lover off the hook after the pair were caught with two elephant tusks has been taken to task over the matter and jailed for two years. Zimbabwean native, Brian Ndlovu admitted to being in possession of the ivory, claiming he had been given the tusks by another man with the instruction to sell them. He was busted when police received a tip-off of a man trying to sell tusks at Tonota lands. Swooping into action on 22 January, the cops pounced to find Ndlovu in the presence of his girlfriend and home-girl, Mary Sibanda.

Friday, 17 September 2021
Mounombou S 2021. Gabon - four nationals caught with ivory.

Alain Moukombou, Romuald Kassa, Gervais Bamdjogo and Ralph Ngayïkoukoudié, all Gabonese nationals, were arrested on 14 September to Mulundu in Ogooué-Lolo, in possession of six ivory tusks. Placed in custody to view the premises of the Judicial Police (PJ) Koula-moutou, suspected traffickers face up to 10 years in prison.

Wednesday, 15 September 2021
Mosikare L 2021. Tenderpreneur pleads guilty to illegal ivory possession.

Franzistown: A tenderpreneur has pleaded with the court to be lenient when sentencing him after pleading guilty to illegal possession of an elephant tusk.

Saturday, 4 September 2021
2021. Malawi court set to sentence Chinese member in notorious wildlife criminal syndicate.

The Chief Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe has set 27 September, 2021, as the day for delivering judgement against a Chinese national, Yunhua Lin, who is answering charges of money laundering and rhino horn trafficking. Lin came to Malawi as an investor like many do but without proper screening and vetting, the country let in a criminal who is destroying our current and future economy. Lin is a member of one of Southern Africa’s most prolific wildlife trafficking syndicates, which has been operating out of Malawi for at least a decade.

Wednesday, 1 September 2021
2021. Kenya praises fight against poaching after animal census shows improvement.

Kenyan authorities have welcomed the progress made in the fight against poaching, after the publication Monday night of the first animal census conducted in the country, which should serve as a basis for improving environmental conservation. According to the data, Kenya has 36,280 elephants, among other things, a population that is up 21 percent from 2014, when poaching peaked.

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