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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.
Namibia has experienced one of the worst years of rhino poaching in over ten years, with 81 rhinos illegally killed in 2024. Authorities arrested 77 suspects for rhinorelated crimes, 73 of whom were Namibian nationals. According to the document, which was presented at the meeting of the Standing Committee of the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Geneva, Switzerland, the country's poaching crisis peaked in 2015 with 97 rhinos killed, followed by 84 cases in 2018 and 94 rhinos poached in 2022.
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| NAM_2025_02_A bad year for rhinos_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 297.11 KB |
Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta has confirmed that a large tree that was felled last year in Helao Nafidi in the Ohangwena Region was used by criminals to conduct illegal activities. However, he emphasised that harming natural resources should always be a last resort. He urged law enforcement agencies to explore alternative methods of managing crime, rather than resorting to environmental damage. "At this stage the ministry is still investigating if this was part of the preventative measure or if it was simply an oversight on the part of the town council.
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| NAM_2025_02_Shifeta highlights value of trees_advocates for their protection_Namibian Sun.pdf | 295.41 KB |
The establishment of a first-of-its-kind specialised Environmental Crimes Court in Otjiwarongo has made notable progress in adjudicating wildlife-related crime cases since it began operations at the start of the year. Romeo Muyunda, spokesperson for the environment ministry, said the development of the court required careful planning among key government stakeholders, including the Office of the Prosecutor General, the justice ministry and the judiciary.
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| NAM_2025_02_Environmental Crimes Court makes progress in Otjiwarongo_Namibian Sun.pdf | 303.3 KB |
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| NAM_2024_01_SRT volg eenvoudige benadering tot stropery_Republikein.pdf | 224.82 KB |
| NAM_2024_01_SRT takes simple approach to poaching_Republikein_Eng.pdf | 225.05 KB |
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| NAM_SRT challenges military style approach to poaching_Namibian Sun.pdf | 457.63 KB |
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| NAM_2024_01_Nashornschutz auf andere Weise_ Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 295.45 KB |
| NAM_2024_01_Rhino protection in a different way_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 294.38 KB |