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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.

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Displaying results 1 - 5 of 5
Thursday, 27 May 2021
Smit E 2021. Four nabbed with pangolin skins.

In the first incident at Rundu, a Namibian was arrested on 6 May for possession of a pangolin skin. Mukunga Leonard Mwamba was charged with illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products. At Kamanjab on 7 May, an Angolan national was arrested in possession of a pangolin skin. He was charged with contravening the Controlled Wildlife and Trade Act, illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products. Lastly, two Namibians were arrested at Oshakati on 14 May for being in possession of a pangolin skin.

Friday, 21 May 2021
Smit E 2021. Four nabbed with pangolin skins.

Within a period of two weeks there have been three wildlife crime cases recorded and four suspects have been arrested and charged. These cases were reported from 3 to 16 May, according to information provided by the intelligence and investigation unit within the environment ministry and the protected resources unit within the safety and security ministry. In the first incident at Rundu, a Namibian was arrested on 6 May for possession of a pangolin skin. Mukunga Leonard Mwamba was charged with illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products.

Wednesday, 12 May 2021
Smit E 2021. Three caught at Nkurenkuru with python skins.

Three of these suspects were arrested in separate cases on the same day at Nkurenkuru for being in possession of python skins. On 26 April, four Namibians were arrested at Okahao for being in possession of a giraffe carcass. They were charged with illegal hunting of specially protected game, illegal hunting on state land, failure to account for a game meat in their possession, defeating the course of justice and conspiracy to hunt specially protected game.

Monday, 25 January 2016
Smit E 2016. Poaching networks infiltrate Africa.

South Africa last week announced that the number of rhinos poached during 2015 had gone down from the 1 215 record total in 2014 to 1 175 in 2015. The wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC’s Director of Policy Sabri Zain said in a statement that although there was a slight decrease in rhino poaching in South Africa and the authorities are having some impact on the ground, the numbers are hardly cause for celebration or complacency.

Friday, 15 January 2016
Smit E 2016. Wildlife staff run amok in Etosha.

The Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, was in the Etosha National Park last week and unearthed a range of irregularities. He says the park regulations are not being obeyed. Shifeta stressed that action will be taken against those who do not comply with the rules of the park, but that this action will depend on what rules are broken. He said it is a privilege for anyone to visit or stay at Etosha and the park must be respected. "It is our national heritage."

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