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In 2019, Malawi dismantled the Chinese-led Lin-Zhang wildlife trafficking syndicate, a major win in its fight against the illegal wildlife trade, thanks in part to funding from the U.S. government. The Trump administration’s recent slashing of international development funds, however, threatens these gains, leaving frontline enforcers and conservation programs without critical support. NGOs across Africa and Southeast Asia, running initiatives from sniffer rat programs to antipoaching patrols, tell Mongabay they're struggling to fill the funding gap.

Police and wildlife department officials in Malawi have arrested two men suspected of having killed an elephant in Kasungu National Park in the country's west.

An 18-year-old man has been arrested and 20 kg of elephant tusks valued at Sh2 million recovered at a roadblock in Loruk, Baringo county. The suspect had stashed the tusks in a gunny bag when he was arrested on March 31, police said. Police said he was arrested in in Loruk trading centre in a public service vehicle. He will be arraigned and charged with being in possession of wildlife trophies of endangered species contrary to section 92 (4) of the Wildlife Conservation Management Act 2013.

A major shipment of 651 pieces of elephant ivory has been seized in Mozambique en route to Dubai. Officials from Mozambique's Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) and the Tax Authority intercepted a container at Maputo port on 22 March 2024 and found the ivory concealed in a shipment of bags of corn. This is the third known large-scale seizure of elephant ivory exported from Mozambique since 2022.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) on Tuesday confirmed that with an ongoing operation in Etosha National Park, 11 rhino carcasses from the beginning of June to date have been discovered. MEFT spokesperson Romeo Muyunda in a statement said all the 11 were found without horns and they were black rhinos. "Investigations indicate that the carcasses range between 3 weeks and older. This is regrettable and a strong indication that the fight against poaching is not over," he added.

Two foreign nationals from the Democratic Republic of Congo were arrested outside Seattle last week and indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy and money laundering for allegedly smuggling elephant ivory and rhino horns into the United States.

"We provide free air support for the reserves up here," explains Rob over the headphones. "The more we’re doing surveillance up in the air, the safer the rhino below. In some cases, our surveillance has seen a 97 per cent drop in rhino poaching." Rob scans the bush constantly and, when he spots two waterbuck at a canter, he swoops down to take a closer look.