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On Nov. 11, 2024, Alfi Simatupang, a police officer in Asahan district on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, was arrested along with two soldiers and a civilian for allegedly attempting to traffic nearly 1.2 metric tons of pangolin scales. Since that bust, the civilian, Amir Simatupang, has gone on trial; the soldiers, Muhammad Yusuf Harahap and Rahmadani Syahputra, are undergoing a court-martial; while Alfi, the alleged mastermind of the trafficking plot, has not only avoided prosecution, but even been promoted.

The Namibian Police's regional commander in Oshana, commissioner Lungameni Sackaria, says poaching activities have reduced drastically since he took over the 'Yesa Ongava' anti-poaching operation in Etosha National Park. Sackaria on Thursday said police officers stationed in the national park have been working tirelessly to combat poaching activities with strong coordination among the police force. He said since taking over the reins of the operation, poaching incidents in Etosha National Park have decreased from 30 to eight incidents recorded only.

Former diplomat Pius Dunaiski says the decision by the Labour party in the United Kingdom (UK) to push for an anti-trophy hunting bill will affect Namibia's tourism industry. He says the new labour government will need to enhance ties with Namibia. Trophy hunting is a major foreign currency earner in Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.

Members of anti-poaching units are sometimes involved in poaching or trafficking themselves, a latest report shows. This is according to a protection and law-enforcement report released by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism last week. Moreover, the report says 83 people have been arrested in connection with poaching and conspiring to poach rhinos and committing other wildlife crimes last year. It states that 39 people were arrested after pre-emptive investigations in 2023, while follow-up investigations related to rhino poaching have led to 44 arrests.

Four suspected rhino poachers died in two separate incidents in South Africa's internationally renowned Kruger National Park this month (June). The park on South Africa's eastern boundary is bordered by Mozambique and Zimbabwe and for the first time was last year overtaken by KwaZulu-Natal as the apparent venue of choice for armed poachers seeking rhino horn.

The pangolin skin is valued at about N$50 000 while the value and authenticity of the unpolished diamonds is yet to be determined by the police.

One pupil and an elderly resident sustained slight injuries after they were attacked by a lone black rhino which terrorised residents of Omuthiya in Oshikoto region on Monday.