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Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced a man, Shamsudeen Abubakar, arrested by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), to six years' imprisonment for illegally possessing and dealing in pangolin scales and claws weighing 1,014.5 Kilogrammes. Justice Bogoro jailed Abubakar after he pleaded guilty to a three-count charge of illegal possession and trade of pangolin parts, brought against him by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service.

The State closed its case on Tuesday against Anton Ras, the brother of Hugo Ras, the alleged mastermind behind a large-scale rhino poaching syndicate, following a more than a decade-long legal battle over allegations regarding rhino horns that the state claims he obtained in an irregular manner. Ras is facing six charges ranging from fraud, theft, the illegal transport of rhino horns and also that he contravened various provisions of the National Environmental Management and Biodiversity Act (Nemba).

A man found guilty of illegally possessing elephant tusks in Tana River County has been sentenced to five years in prison or an alternative fine of Sh3 million, after a court upheld prosecution evidence linking him to wildlife trafficking. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) secured the conviction against Ahmed Guyo Hiddi, who was found guilty of unlawfully possessing elephant tusks in a case handled at the Garsen Law Courts.

Andre Barnard was found guilty on all six counts of unlawfully killing a leopard and cruelty. The case has been described as a landmark conviction in the history of wildlife crime prosecution in South Africa. The conviction highlights the need for stronger enforcement of biodiversity laws and the importance of addressing wildlife crimes. However, the case also reveals ongoing weaknesses in environmental prosecutions, such as limited charging decisions that can weaken environmental justice.

The multi-million-rand empire of an alleged major rhino poaching syndicate operating in Mpumalanga is reportedly being dismantled. In the wake of an 18-year prison sentence handed down to Francis Kipampa, the Hawks (the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation) and a network of state and private investigators have secured a preservation order over four high-value properties, reportedly worth around R5 860 000.

Wildlife experts are calling for stricter laws around exotic pets after the discovery of two Nile crocodiles at a home in Springs. Experts said the incident has highlighted growing concerns about people keeping dangerous wild animals in residential areas without understanding the risks and responsibilities involved. According to Wendy Wilson from the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, crocodiles are highly specialised reptiles that require complex care and environments most homes cannot provide.

Serious questions are emerging over an alleged plan to secretly release and deport controversial Chinese national and convicted wildlife trafficker Lin Yunhua before the conclusion of his ongoing corruption trial in Malawi. Lin, whose case has long drawn public outrage and international scrutiny, was initially sentenced to 14 years in prison for wildlife trafficking offences but served only four years after receiving a presidential pardon under the administration of former president Lazarus Chakwera.

The long-running rhino poaching trial involving former Kruger National Park (KNP) ranger Rodney Landela and his co-accused, Kenneth Motshotsho, is set to return to the Skukuza Regional Court this week, with proceedings now scheduled for May 28 and 29. The matter, which has been before the court for approximately a decade, was postponed during its most recent appearance as the continuation of the trial remains subject to ongoing procedural matters.

The Phalaborwa Natural Heritage Foundation (PNHF) focuses its anti-poaching efforts in the bushland around the Kruger National Park. Eugene Troskie from PNHF has noticed a disturbing trend in recent years where lions are being targeted for their bones to supply the Asian traditional medicine trade. To kill a lion, the poachers' normal procedure is to lace an animal carcass with poison. Lions attracted to the carcass will eat the poisoned meat and then die shortly afterward, at which time the poachers can recover the body parts that they are looking for.

The Skukuza regional court has sentenced Sifiso Mbuyane to 28 years in prison after he was found guilty on eight charges including killing two rhinos and illegally entering the Kruger National Park. The incident dates back to January 17, 2017, when park rangers heard gunshots while patrolling the Pretoriuskop section of the park, said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa.

Dundo - The acting director of the Provincial Office for the Environment, Waste Management and Community Services, Pascoal Txifuchi, stated this past weekend that combating illegal hunting and other negative actions against the environment is crucial for the preservation of species such as the bush donkey, elephant, Syncerus caffer nanus, lion, jaguar, and fox in the region.

Tiny samples of DNA taken from a wide variety of animal sources can pinpoint hotspots of the illegal wildlife trade, utilizing a new research technique - and eventually lead to dismantling lucrative poaching networks. The study focused on pangolins - with their scales prized for traditional medicine. One of the most poached species, they account for almost a third of recorded international seizures in recent years.

Goodwill Sibongiseni Mathebula (45) was sentenced to an effective 20 years' direct imprisonment in the Skukuza Regional Court today, May 22, for rhino poaching and related offences committed in the Kruger National Park (KNP). He was convicted of trespassing in the KNP, killing a rhino, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, possession of a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit an offence, and possession of a firearm for the purpose of committing an offence.

Southeast Asia is a hotspot for illegal wildlife trade. Nonprofits with hotlines to report trafficking produce an outsized impact in saving animals.

Thai authorities seized more than 150 kilograms of ivory and animal remains along the Mekong River in Nong Khai province and are co-operating with Laos to expand an investigation into a suspected transnational wildlife trafficking network, officials said on Sunday.

A well-known suspected rhino poaching kingpin in Mkhuhlu, near Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, Joseph "Big Joe" Nyalungu, has been shot dead in an apparent assassination. The incident took place on Saturday at the crossroad next to his business premises, said Mpumalanga police spokesperson Col Mavela Masondo. "Yes, I can confirm a prominent rhino poaching kingpin was shot today. I am going to the scene, and I will issue a statement in 30 minutes," said Masondo. It is alleged that Nyalungu was hit by multiple bullets fired by unknown gunmen.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Africa Travel Indaba on Tuesday, SANParks CEO Hapiloe Sello said that while progress has been made in protecting rhinos in other national parks, the Kruger's vast terrain and geographic position continue to expose it to persistent threats. Sello described rhino poaching as a highly organised, demand-driven crime with strong international links, noting that syndicates are drawn to Kruger due to its proximity to cross-border trafficking routes. "Rhino poaching is a complex crime.

A 38-year-old man has been arrested in the Katutura policing area of the Khomas Region after he was allegedly found in possession of pangolin skin. According to the police weekend crime report, the suspect was apprehended on the B1 main road on Friday morning. Possession of a pangolin or its parts, including scales and skin, is illegal in Namibia, as they are protected species, similar to rhinos and elephants. Multiple arrests have been made in recent years, with suspects found in possession of live pangolins or scales in the northern and central regions of the country.

South Africans have grown used to grim headlines about rhino poaching. Yet the latest numbers suggest the fight may finally be turning a corner, even as fresh violence exposes how dangerous and complex this war remains. Government figures released earlier this year showed a 16% drop in rhino killings during 2025. A total of 352 rhinos were poached, down from 420 in 2024. That decline gave hope because conservation teams have spent years trying to outpace syndicates that adapt faster than fences or patrols.

The use of charms from Angola to enhance poaching activities in Namibia has been a significant concern. Security forces in Namibia report that illegal hunting inside the Etosha National Park has become notorious, with poachers relying on charms sourced from Angola to boost their trade. These charms are said to assist illegal trekkers in stealthily encroaching into the Namibian national reserves and killing wildlife, without being detected or caught.

The country has has lostt eight rhinos to poaching syndicates between January and April, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism revealed this week. According to the Ministry, seven rhinos were poached in the country's flagship Etosha National Park, while one poaching case occurred on a private farm. In a direct response to the continual poaching cases, the Ministry said last year it immobilized and dehorned 147 rhinos as part of a broader strategy to combat poaching.

Two pensioners are among the 14 men arrested in connection with the poaching of seven rhinos in the Etosha National Park, and one at a nearby farm.

Authorities have recovered 295 protected 'elephant's foot' plants after two suspects were arrested near Arandis. The case relates to alleged plant poaching in the vicinity of Arandis after intelligence was received on 25 April about the possible illegal harvesting of succulent plants near a mine. According to the incident report, a law enforcement team operating along the road between Usakos and Arandis spotted a white pick-up driving at high speed in the Valencia area.

Police in Indonesia have announced the dismantling of what they say is a major wildlife trafficking network largely targeting the world’s largest lizard species. Authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the alleged syndicate, which was involved in trafficking endemic Indonesian species, particularly juvenile Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis), an endangered and protected species, to Thailand, police said in their April 16 announcement.

Intensified safety and enforcement operations in Table Mountain National Park, in Cape Town, over the long weekend have resulted in seven arrests, as authorities clamp down on illegal activities in the protected area. South African National Parks said its rangers, working alongside K9 and specialised units, carried out coordinated operations across key hotspots within the park. SANParks spokesperson Peter Mbelengwa said the operations yielded "significant successes" through intelligence-driven interventions.

A 62-year-old pensioner is expected to appear before the Katima Mulilo Magistrate's Court on Monday after he allegedly transgressed the Nature Conservation Act of 1975, as amended, for hunting of specially protected game without a permit. It is reported that the pensioner "accidentally put down an elephant from a herd of four elephants" that reportedly entered his crop field on Saturday night at Makwatare cattle post in the Makanga area.

Authorities in Nigeria have arrested the suspected kingpin of a transnational pangolin trafficking network, the latest in a series of high-profile wildlife busts in the country. Shamsideen Abubakar was linked to a September 2021 case in which authorities seized 1,009.5 kilograms (2,226 pounds) of scales in Lagos, estimated to have come from at least 5,451 pangolins. Two of his associates, Sunday Ebenyi and Salif Sandwidi, were arrested at the time, but Abubakar himself remained on the run until now.

Customs officers in Jakarta planned to conduct interviews this month in connection with the seizure of more than 3 metric tons of pangolin scales, which inspectors found in a shipping container bound for Cambodia in late February. Mongabay Indonesia visited the address registered to the company exporting the container, but it appeared to be a shopfront, while its contact numbers registered in a government database were inactive.

In late January, Kenyan authorities arrested two men in possession of more than a hundred kilos of ivory in the town of Namanga, on the border with Tanzania. According to Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), police and wildlife officers were on a covert operation at a hotel when they caught three men - identified as Imani Manasi Msumbwa and Justin Mwalima, both Tanzanian, and Alton Jilaoneka, a Kenyan - likely negotiating a deal. Mwalima escaped; the remaining two led investigators to a car with 20 pieces of elephant tusks, weighing a total 110 kilograms (243…

The Federal Government has arrested a suspected wildlife trafficking kingpin, Shamsideen Abubakar, in a joint enforcement operation involving the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC). Abubakar, who had been declared wanted by the Federal High Court in Lagos, was apprehended after years on the run over his alleged role in large-scale wildlife trafficking.

A new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency analyzed more than 250 rhino horn trafficking cases prosecuted in China between 2013 and 2025 to understand smuggling routes and trends within the country. Chinese courts have convicted more than 500 traffickers, who received an average of 4.5 years in prison and fines of about 92,322 yuan ($13,540). Most rhino horns smuggled into China came from South Africa and Mozambique, entering by land across the border from Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos.

Two suspects, aged 35 and 46, were arrested at the Tsumeb-Tsintsabis road block in the Oshikoto region on Friday after a police search discovered game meat and firewood in their vehicle. National police spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi on Sunday said the arrest took place 2km from Tsumeb at 10h50.

A young female giraffe that had been suffering for weeks with a snare embedded deep in her leg has been humanely euthanised at Bisley Nature Reserve, reports The Witness. The operation was carried out this morning (April 18) by conservation teams, following days of searching and a co-ordinated effort to secure aerial support.

A Chinese national, Zhang Kequn, has been sentenced to a year in prison for attempting to smuggle thousands of live queen garden ants out of Kenya. He was charged with illegally dealing in wildlife species after being arrested at Nairobi's main airport while attempting to travel to China with more than 2,000 ants in his luggage. He was initially charged with wildlife trafficking without a permit and conspiracy, which carries a seven-year sentence. He pleaded guilty after the latter charge was dismissed.

Two Namibian male suspects, aged 40 and 44, were arrested in the Okongo policing area of the Ohangwena Region after they were allegedly found in possession of a hunting rifle and its respective ammunition. The police allege that the .306 hunting rifle - with its serial number scratched off - was used in rhino poaching excursions at a private farm in the Kamanjab area. Six rounds of live ammunition were also discovered.

A disturbing new global report has pulled back the curtain on a booming illegal wildlife trade that is no longer confined to remote markets or hidden backrooms, but operating openly on Facebook. South Africa has been flagged as one of the countries caught in this growing digital trafficking network, where endangered animals and wildlife products are being advertised, bought, and sold with alarming ease.

A man accused of dealing in rhino horns and money laundering made his first court appearance before Magistrate Nelao Ya France, where he indicated that he will conduct his own defence. The accused, Paulus Panduleni Nikodemus, appeared in the Ondangwa Magistrate’s Court this morning on charges of contravening the Controlled Wildlife Products and Trade Act and the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. According to the charge sheet, he allegedly dealt in two rhino horns valued at N$165 000 near Etosha National Park in November 2025.

Hugo Ras, according to the state the mastermind behind a large-scale rhino poaching syndicate, appeared briefly in the High Court in Pretoria on Monday on more than 130 charges that include extortion, theft, money laundering, the illegal transport, possession and sale of rhino horns, the illegal possession and sale of elephant tusks and the illegal possession of a firearm. He stands trial alongside Trudie Ras, Magagula Mandla Maxwell, Willie Adriaan "Oosie" Oosthuizen and Abraham Johannes "Arno" Smit.

Three former employees of Kruger National Park have been convicted of rhino poaching and conspiracy, exposing the critical role insiders can play in enabling wildlife crime. The case underscores both the scale of organised poaching networks and the profound breach of trust when those tasked with protecting wildlife become complicit.

Three former employees of Kruger National Park have been convicted of rhino poaching and conspiracy, exposing the critical role insiders can play in enabling wildlife crime. The case underscores both the scale of organised poaching networks and the profound breach of trust when those tasked with protecting wildlife become complicit.

Johannesburg - A Police administrative clerk and a 36-year-old man have appeared in court after attempting to sell four stolen lion cubs for R100,000 each. The two and a 14-year-old minor were arrested on Thursday. 51-year-old Mokete Elizabeth Dikoko, who is attached to the Bothaville SAPS, and co-accused Elias Moloi appeared in the Bothaville Magistrate’s Court in the Free State. They face charges under the Environmental Management Biodiversity Act. The pair was arrested following a sting operation after authorities received information about the illegal sale.

Kenya's recent ant seizures, including a 2026 attempt to smuggle over 2,000 garden ants and a 2025 case involving 5,000 ants, highlight how insects are increasingly targeted by traffickers. While wildlife crime is often associated with elephants or rhinos, invertebrates are traded in large volumes, using deceptive smuggling methods and exploiting legal trade loopholes.

While Namibia continues to record successes in conservation and revenue, the increasing frequency of severe conflicts between humans and wildlife is putting a strain on rural village communities in particular. In the 2025/2026 financial year, 1,442 incidents were reported, in which 10 people died. The government paid N$1.4 million in compensation and provided additional assistance to the bereaved. Tourism Minister Indileni Daniel reported this as part of her budget justification. For 2026/2027, her ministry received 7% less than in the previous year, with an 8% cut in operational…

Seven rhinos - two black and five white - were poached over the past four months in the Dinokeng Game Reserve outside Pretoria, and another four were injured. In the latest incident, a suspected poacher was fatally wounded. This incident occurred on the evening of 12 March. It is said that the reserve's anti-poaching unit engaged in a follow-up operation after shots were heard. One poacher was fatally wounded, and a firearm and rhino horn were recovered at the scene.

Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court has convicted and sentenced two animal poachers, Bunmi Dagunduro and Olusegun Oniyide, to 18 months in prison for unlawfully possessing three live pangolins, an endangered species. Justice Bogoro jailed the convict after they pleaded guilty to a three-count charge of conspiracy, possession and trade of endangered wildlife.

At least 110 countries are now involved in illegal trade in wildlife - more than doubling from 49 in 2000. Trade connections jumped by more than 400%, according to a recent analysis of global wildlife seizure data. Asia, rather than Europe, is now the centre of illegal trade for most species, the study found, sparked by extensive trading, business and diplomatic connections with Africa - the source for many wildlife products.

South Africa won world acclaim in the 1960s for rescuing the white rhino from extinction. Known as Operation Rhino, the project involved multiplying their numbers gradually and translocating them to former wild living spaces across Africa. But our reputation as a global leader in rhino conservation began to unravel in 2008 when criminal syndicates launched an unprecedented horn-poaching spree in this country. Now, after 18 years of relentless killing, the initial sense of shock seems to have worn off.