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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.
The High Court in Kimberley has ruled that registered rhino conservation breeding operations can now legally sell rhino horns overseas. The case, brought by Derek Lewitton and Wicus Diedericks against the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, could change the future of conservation and help stop poaching. "It's not over yet. This fight now turns into a war for the hearts and minds of the public. And we need to fight hard; we can’t give that up like we had in the past," said Lewitton.
The global black market for rhino horn is worth billions, built on poverty at the bottom, greed at the top and violence in between. It is one of the world’s most entrenched illegal trades. Derek Lewitton, owner of Black Rock Rhino Reserve in Limpopo, was caught in the middle. On 22 December 2023, he tells us, police raided his farm, accusing him of holding illegal horn, rhino carcasses, and unlicensed firearms. These were the same officers he alleges he once asked to help him fight poaching cartels.
| Attachment | Size |
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| SA_2025_10_Inside the brutal Rhino horn trade_Derek Lewittons story_Eye Witness News.pdf | 85.98 KB |
A man arrested for allegedly being in possession of two elephant tusks at the Buffalo checkpoint on Friday evening, was granted bail on Monday.
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| NAM_2023_01_Man arrested with ivory granted bail_The Namibian.pdf | 788.96 KB |
The police in Divundu have arrested a 31-year-old man after he was allegedly found in possession of two elephant tusks.
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| NAM_2023_01_Man arrested for possessing two elephant tusks_The Namibian.pdf | 220.22 KB |
A police officer working at Otjiwarongo police station is due to appear in the Otjiwarongo Magistrate's Court on Tuesday after one of six rhino horns left in his care went missing.
| Attachment | Size |
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| NAM_2022_10_Otjiwarongo cop to appear in court over missing rhino horn_The Namibian.pdf | 353.83 KB |
Two men arrested for allegedly being in possession of three python skins at Nkonke village were on Monday granted bail during their first court appearance in the Kahenge Periodic Court.
| Attachment | Size |
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| NAM_2021_11_Two men arrested with three python skins granted bail_The Namibian.pdf | 1.12 MB |
Anti-poaching organisation 'Help our Rhinos NOW Namibia' (HoRN.NAM) has called on the public in the Kunene region and across the country to report wildlife crimes.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| NAM_2017-07_N$10 000 reward for reporting poaching_The Namibian.pdf | 556.88 KB |
Ben Simasiku, a 31-year-old suspected ivory smuggler, has been arrested in Zambia after the first-ever Interpol public appeal, dubbed to track down nine environmental fugitives.
| Attachment | Size |
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| NAM_2014-12_Most wanted environmental fugitives list leads to arrest of ivory suspect_The Namibian.pdf | 635.15 KB |