This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:
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.
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A 54-year-old Zimbabwean fugitive, Thomas Chauke, also known as Sazu Nkambuya, has been sentenced to 110 years in prison after being convicted of multiple charges, including rhino poaching, escaping lawful custody, and illegal possession of firearms. Chauke was convicted by the Makhanda High Court following a thorough investigation by the SAPS Stock Theft and Endangered Species (STES) Unit. He pleaded guilty to six counts of rhino poaching and wildlife-related crimes, as well as three counts of escaping lawful custody.
Environmental conservation organisation, EMS Foundation, wants the government to permanently ban the trade of lion bones in South Africa. The foundation's director, Michele Pickover, says their study shows that the lion bone sale is linked to the Asian big cat market operated by syndicates without permits. The foundation will be a friend of the court to oppose the application by the South African Predators Association (SAPA) to force the Environmental Department to allow them a quota to trade in lion bones.
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SA_2025_03_EMS Foundation urges government to ban lion bones trade_SABC News.pdf | 124.82 KB |
In South Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic and strict government-imposed lockdown have led to an unexpected consequence: a major decline in rhino poaching. More than 80% of African rhinos remaining in the world are in South Africa, making it the hotspot for rhino poaching. The number of rhinos killed for their horns has been slowly declining over recent years, but the pandemic and lockdown have quelled rhino poaching even more.
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SA_2020-07_Rhino poaching in South Africa declines during coronavirus lockdown_Pri_Org.pdf | 479.45 KB |