Search results

A 32-year-old male suspect has been arrested following a rhino poaching incident in the Pretoriuskop section of the Kruger National Park (KNP). The arrest was made at approximately 23:55 on Sunday, 05 July 2026, after Field Rangers conducting an observation patrol encountered four suspected rhino poachers. The rangers pursued the suspects in an attempt to apprehend them. During the pursuit, a shootout ensued between the Field Rangers and the suspects. One of the suspects sustained gunshot wounds. The injured suspect was arrested at the scene and found in possession of a rifle.

The suspect remains in custody and is expected to appear in the Ohangwena Magistrate's Court tomorrow. Police investigations are continuing.

Our rangers recovered 90 snares and traps, detected five poacher incursions, and helped rescue two animals caught in snares. A buffalo bull was successfully treated and is expected to recover, while the loss of a lioness to another snare just days after her rescue was a devastating reminder of the ongoing threat facing Victoria Falls' wildlife. There was also a major intelligence-led win, with two suspects arrested in connection with pangolin scales - an important step in tackling the illegal wildlife trade. Thank you to every ranger, partner and supporter who continues to stand…

A 2022 study that set out to reconstruct a realistic baseline estimated that around 1970 the continent held somewhere between roughly 83,000 and 101,000 lions, a more careful figure than older guesses of 200,000. Set against today’s estimates of about 20,000 to 25,000, that works out to a decline of around 72 to 77 per cent over about fifty years, or close to three-quarters. It is worth being honest that these are estimates. Counting lions across vast, remote and often unstable landscapes is difficult, and different methods give different totals.

Farm hands at Otjihundu nets suspected poacher in the Seeis area after discovering signs of cattle rustling. In a second incident at the same farm, a suspected poacher was arrested a few hours later in a police operation. According to the police weekend crime report, the cattle theft incident occurred on Friday at around 14:00 at Farm Otjihundu 208 in the Windhoek District. Police said farm workers were conducting their routine patrols when they noticed suspicious footprints.

Criminal syndicates have led to the extinction of nine indigenous succulent species in the wild at the Knersvlakte Nature Reserve since 2020, prompting calls for intensified enforcement action against illegal plant trafficking networks. The Democratic Alliance in the Western Cape has called for stronger action against transnational criminal syndicates following an oversight visit to the reserve, which sits within one of only 36 global biodiversity hotspots.

Every year, significant quantities of protected animals and plants leave Madagascar, smuggled across borders through its ports and airports. Moving via both freight and passenger routes, these illicit flows fuel a lucrative and increasingly diversified international trade.

Few animals capture the heart of South Africa quite like the rhino. They are symbols of our conservation efforts and the ongoing fight to protect species that are increasingly under threat. That is why this week’s outcome in one of the country’s longest-running rhino horn trafficking cases feels like an important moment for the justice system and for everyone who believes our wildlife is worth protecting. After more than a decade of legal proceedings, the State has finalised its case against Dawie Groenewald and Tielman Erasmus in the Polokwane High Court.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), working jointly with the Uganda Police Force, has arrested three suspects in connection with the suspected poisoning of seven hyenas in Lake Mburo National Park in Kiruhura District. The arrests followed an intelligence-led operation carried out on June 21, 2026, in Akayanja Sub-county after reports emerged of the deaths of seven hyenas in the Kaburabutembero area of the protected park. The suspects have been identified as Steven Kayomberera, 55, Dickens Nayamuba, 40, and Joseph Lotee, 30.

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.

Conservationists warn that vulture populations in central African countries like Chad are increasingly at risk due to belief-based use in Nigeria and Benin. Abiola Sylvestre Chaffra, a research fellow at the International Bird Conservation Partnership, told Mongabay he was out in Chad, photographing vultures, when a man offered to help him capture the birds. Vultures love donkey meat, the man said. All Chaffra had to do was buy a donkey and leave its poisoned carcass in the open. The man told Chaffra he had helped many people catch vultures this way.

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) has arrested a 46-year-old bank employee on charges of corruption, defeating the ends of justice, and money laundering. The arrest was effected on 17 June 2026 by members of the Hawks' Serious Corruption Investigation (SCI) Nelspruit, assisted by the Serious Corruption Investigation unit based in Pretoria, following an extensive investigation stemming from Operation Billfish, a wildlife trafficking investigation conducted by the Hawks' Wildlife Trafficking Section and Serious Organised Crime Investigation (SOCI) in Nelspruit…

Arusha. Tanzania, once among Africa's leading elephant strongholds, has recorded a sharp decline in its elephant population over the past 20 years, according to the new findings of the National Wildlife Census 2024/2025. The census shows that elephant numbers have fallen from more than 134,000 in 2005 to 66,714 currently, reflecting long-term pressure from poaching and human-driven environmental change.

The Botswana Defence Force has confirmed that on 31 May 2026, its patrol team encountered a suspected poaching syndicate in the general area of Linyanti. Confirming the incident, BDF Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Fana Maswabi revealed that the poachers managed to evade arrest fleeing across the International Boundary. He stated that a subsequent search of the scene led to the recovery of several items, including 20 elephant tusks.

The State has finalised its case against Dawie Groenewald and Tielman Erasmus in the Polokwane High Court, bringing an end to a legal saga spanning more than a decade. Groenewald, regarded as the mastermind behind a large-scale rhino horn trafficking enterprise, entered into a plea agreement with the State on charges of trafficking rhino horns, racketeering and money laundering.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A, Lagos, has recorded a major breakthrough in the fight against wildlife trafficking with the interception of 22 pieces of elephant tusks valued at N126.39 million on the international black market.

A 39-year-old Hwange security guard has been sentenced to nine years in prison after he was found in possession of an unmarked elephant tusk without a permit, in violation of Zimbabwe’s wildlife laws. Danisa Mpofu of Bangani Village in Hwange, who is employed as a security guard at Zhong Zhin, was convicted for unlawfully possessing raw elephant ivory.

An intelligence driven operation between Kuilsriver Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit and Cape Nature, led to the arrest of a 28 -year-old man on Friday, 12 June 2026, for the possession of venomous scorpions. The members responded to information they received about a person who is in possession of scorpions at the Cape Town International Airport. A description of the suspect was obtained and the suspect was apprehended. His luggage bags were searched and 150 live scorpions were found between his clothing.

Government officials in Malawi have applied to withdraw bribery charges against wildlife trafficking convict Lin Yunhua, which would pave the way for his release from prison. In July 2025, a presidential pardon set Lin, a Chinese national, free from a 14-year jail sentence he'd received in 2021 connected to illegally trading in wildlife parts such as ivory, rhino horn and pangolin scales. Malawian authorities had arrested Lin, his wife and 13 members of his transnational wildlife crime syndicate in 2019.

A storm of controversy is brewing after the State, through the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), filed an application seeking to withdraw criminal proceedings against convicted Chinese national Lin Yunhua, a move that has triggered outrage among governance advocates, legal experts and ordinary Malawians who view the decision as a setback in the fight against corruption. Court documents filed before the High Court's Financial Crimes Division in Lilongwe show that the ACB is seeking leave to discontinue the case after receiving instructions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP…

South African National Parks (SANParks) said the arrest of 12 suspects at Cape Point on charges of abalone poaching, highlights the ongoing efforts by law enforcement authorities to combat environmental crime and protect South Africa's marine resources. SANParks spokesperson, JP Louw, said the arrests were made on Tuesday night, during an intelligence-driven enforcement operation conducted by their environmental crime investigation unit. He said the bust also formed part of a major ongoing investigation into illegal marine resource exploitation.

The remarks come after Aviation Police handed over wildlife exhibits weighing more than 8.8 tonnes to UWA on June 5. The exhibits included ivory, pangolin scales, rhino horns, hippopotamus teeth, skins, lion teeth and ostrich eggshells, some of which had been concealed in containers labelled as shea butter in an attempt to evade detection.

Wildlife crime doesn't stop at borders. Concealed elephant ivory, hundreds of turtles hidden in shipments, and tonnes of illegal timber can all be part of wider criminal chains. These crimes threaten species, weaken ecosystems, and undermine the rule of law. They're also becoming harder to detect, with criminal networks using more complex routes, methods, and financial systems to move illegal products across countries. That's why cooperation matters.

On May 26, 2026, the Molopo Regional Court in Mahikeng, South Africa, sentenced two wildlife traffickers to eight years in prison, marking a landmark victory in the fight against illegal pangolin trafficking. Edward Motlatsi Phiri, 46, and Tlhoriso France Ralph, 51, were convicted of smuggling an endangered Temminck's pangolin - a vulnerable species native to Southern and Eastern Africa - that they had attempted to sell for profit.

Southern Africa remains a significant source of rhino horn entering Chinese markets, despite an overall downturn in rhino poaching on the continent in recent years. A March 2026 report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) analyzed 258 Chinese court cases involving rhino horn trafficking that were uploaded to China Judgements Online between 2013 and October 2025. However, that total doesn’t represent all the rhino horn trafficking cases. Of the cases studied, Mozambique and South Africa represent the most prevalent African source and transit countries for rhino horn.

The plants were stolen from the wild, rescued by the state, then delivered into another kind of danger. Inside Kirstenbosch's greenhouses, South Africa's plant-poaching crisis has become a grim question: what happens when confiscation saves plants only long enough for them to die?

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.

A North Korean man arrested in a hotel in Dar es Salaam in possession of 500 elephant tusks will stand trial this week on charges of unlawful possession of the ivory and intent to trade it. Observers note that arrests of traffickers in Tanzania are not consistently followed up with careful investigation and effective prosecution.

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 United States is the engine driving the global trophy hunting industry, and wealthy Americans are its primary consumers. According to an IFAW analysis of CITES trade data, the US accounts for 71 percent of global trophy import demand - about 15 times that of the next-highest importing nation. As we've documented at World Animal Protection, in 2015, more than 50 percent of all canned-hunted lions in South Africa were killed by Americans. Between 2005 and 2014, over 1.26 million wildlife trophies were imported to the US - roughly 126,000 animals per year. Cecil the Lion?

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.

Authorities at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane intercepted four pieces of suspected rhino horn, weighing a total of 10.1 kilograms, on the afternoon of 15 May during passenger screening. X-ray scans revealed suspicious objects concealed inside black decorative souvenir statues. The cargo originated in Angola, Africa, on 12 May and passed through two transit countries before arriving in Vientiane, a complex routing designed to obscure the shipmen's origin. Physical inspection confirmed the items resembled rhino horn.

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.