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Nairobi - The National Police Service (NPS) officers, in collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), have arrested two suspects in Maralal Town, Samburu County, for possession of elephant tusks valued at approximately Sh1.1 million. According to a statement from the NPS, the joint operation was conducted on Sunday, following an intelligence-led mission by officers from Samburu Central Sub-County. The two suspects were intercepted while transporting seven pieces of elephant tusks weighing about 11.33 kilograms, which had been concealed inside a bag.

With the severe population declines of vultures over the past three decades, government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensure that vulture conservation remains a national priority. According to the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, this year alone, two mass poisoning incidents resulted in the deaths of hundreds of vultures. "If these events continue unchecked, the loss of thousands of vultures could have devastating environmental and public health consequences," the Minister said on Monday.

A Chinese national caught with rhino horns worth over US$240,000 has been sentenced to an effective 18-year jail term. Cong Yanzhong (57) was convicted of unlawfully dealing in wildlife when he appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court for sentencing this Wednesday. He was facing two counts of wildlife trafficking. It was the State's case that on July 16, 2025, police detectives received a tip-off to the effect that a Chinese national was involved in illegal wildlife products.

An unregulated trade in pelargonium, a protected species, is causing environmental destruction across Lesotho. Five people were recently found guilty of illegally dealing in pelargonium. They were fined M200 (equivalent to R200). In a scathing judgment, magistrate Thabang Tapole found serious flaws in the government's permitting system and said laws should be updated to effectively deter people from breaking environmental laws. He also highlighted how local harvesters are paid "peanuts" for a product that sells at high prices internationally.

The State alleges that Hume, in association with his five alleged co-conspirators, knew or ought to have known that their enterprise 'uses or invests, directly or indirectly (Hume's) rhino horns, other rhino horns and rhino skins to fuel the illegal market'. A dark shadow has been cast around the "conservation hero" mantle of South African rhino baron John Hume following sensational allegations that he purchased or purloined the identity documents of several indigent people as part of an elaborate scheme to fraudulently circumvent a 50-year-old global ban on the rhino horn trade…

Yokohama - Tanzania and Kenya have announced a joint bid to champion digital public infrastructure, a regional command and control centre to address human-nature conflicts in Africa, as per the Lusaka Agreement Known officially as the Lusaka Agreement on Cooperative Enforcement Operations directed at Illegal trade in wild fauna and flora, it is a treaty focused on combating illegal wildlife trade.

Nkurenkuru - The Maurus Nekaro Conservancy in the Kavango West region is grappling with significant management challenges that threaten its wildlife conservation mission. Manager of the conservancy Muhepa Matheus said this during discussions between conservancy officials and parliamentary standing committee members specialising in natural resources here last week. Established in 2016 and gazetted in August 2017, the 1 117 square hectare conservancy has achieved notable successes in community development while protecting wildlife resources.

Two Burundian nationals have been charged in a Mombasa court with illegal possession and trade in elephant tusks in an intensified crackdown on wildlife trafficking. Gakiza Sulemani and Nkunubumwe Celecius appeared before Senior Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo on Monday, facing charges of dealing in 27 pieces of elephant tusks without a permit. According to the charge sheet, the tusks - classified as trophies from endangered species - weighed approximately 62.85 kilograms and had an estimated market value of Sh12,570,000.

Police in KwaZulu-Natal have arrested three suspected poachers who were found in possession of two unlicensed rifles and a rhino horn in Paulpietersburg on Saturday. It’s alleged that the men, aged between 34 and 50, entered a game reserve and stormed up to two security guards while wearing face masks.

The smallest tortoise in the world lives on South Africa's west coast, and a button-shaped succulent endemic to a tiny area of the Northern Cape can be found nowhere else in the world. But the area's unique fauna and flora are under threat from poaching, mining, farming, and climate change.

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, has commended the conviction and sentencing of four foreign nationals involved in a major plant poaching case, valued between R6 million and R30 million. The Calvinia Regional Court sentenced the accused to 15 years direct imprisonment for the illegal harvesting of 303 specimens of the critically endangered Clivia mirabilis, a rare species endemic to parts of the Northern and Western Cape.

Kruger rangers face armed poachers daily while investigating elephant killings and recent poaching camps in a 2-million-hectare wilderness. Rangers undergo six-week intensive training, including 15km bush patrols and survival skills, but job opportunities are limited by budget constraints

President Lazarus Chakwera is facing a torrent of criticism after controversially pardoning two convicted Chinese wildlife traffickers, in what civil society leaders and environmentalists have branded a shameful betrayal of Malawi's fight against corruption, wildlife crime, and executive accountability.

Rangers say poachers are starving young men who kill animals for meat, not traditional medicine, and dry the meat inside the park. More than 120 vultures were poisoned after eating meat from a dead elephant laced with toxic chemicals used by poachers. Hungry and desperate, people living near Kruger National Park are turning to poaching to survive. About 80% of the population in the area depend on illegal hunters who sneak into the park to kill wild animals for food. The meat is either eaten or sold to local butchers who pass it on to poor community members at low prices.

Two men have been arrested for trying to sell elephant tusks worth R200,000 in Limpopo. The suspects, brothers Peter and Phanuel Mokgalaka, were caught during a police sting in Selwane Village outside Phalaborwa on Wednesday. The operation was led by the Hawks in Limpopo, with help from the Sani Sand Nature Reserve and the Kruger National Park's Environmental Crime Investigation unit. Police got a tip-off that the men were selling ivory. Officers contacted them and pretended to be buyers. The brothers agreed to meet the supposed buyers in Selwane.

Kruger National Park officials have raised the alarm over a mass poisoning that killed over 120 vultures, calling it one of the worst in recent years and warning it could push the endangered species towards extinction. Rescue teams managed to save 81 vultures through an unprecedented joint operation. Experts warn that the poison used - an organophosphate so lethal it's nicknamed 'two-step' - poses severe risks to humans, pets and water systems, with even trace exposure potentially fatal.

Nigeria accounts for the largest volume of detected pangolin scales illegally traded from Africa. Between 2010 and 2021, 190,000kg of scales - representing nearly 800,000 African pangolins - were seized in shipments linked to Nigeria, despite a ban on international trade. Pangolins are scaly mammals found across Asia and Africa. They are considered the world’s most trafficked wild mammals and they are exploited in different ways on different continents. In Asia, mainly China, their scales are used in large-scale therapeutic medicines, despite not having known medicinal properties…

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has given the Save Valley Conservancy the green light to cull 50 elephants to curb overpopulation. The growing elephant population is fast exceeding the carrying capacity of Zimbabwe's national parks. ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo confirmed the development in a statement on Tuesday, noting that permits have been issued to Save Valley Conservancy for an elephant management exercise.

In a dramatic twist that has sent shockwaves through Malawi's justice and conservation circles, Principal Resident Magistrate Benjamin Chulu has ordered that Chinese wildlife crime kingpin, Lin Yun Hua, remain behind bars as he awaits trial for serious corruption charges. Yun Hua, once dubbed Malawi's most notorious environmental criminal, was on the verge of walking free after a controversial presidential pardon - despite serving less than half of his 14-year sentence for wildlife trafficking and money laundering. The move sparked an uproar.

Messor cephalotes, also known as the Giant African Harvester Ant, is a large, aggressive harvester ant species native to eastern Africa, particularly in countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. In Kenya, two ant smuggling cases recently made global headlines. It's part of a growing problem with biopiracy and the illicit trade in wild animals. In Kenya last week, four young men were found guilty of attempting to smuggle ants.

A suspected poacher was wounded and arrested while allegedly trespassing in the Kruger National Park. Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane said the 47-year-old man was arrested in the Xitsalaleni Block on Monday. "The regional ranger of the Marula North Section in Kruger National Park was alerted by field rangers from the Houtboschrand area, who had picked up tracks of two individuals inside the park," said Ndubane. "The regional ranger immediately dispatched the K9 Unit to follow the tracks and requested helicopter support from Skukuza, along with hounds on…

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, has commanded a joint law enforcement operation, which led to the arrest of three suspects involved in illegal abalone possession in the Eastern Cape. Three male suspects, aged 27, 28, and 32, were arrested in the early hours of Wednesday, following a joint operation by the Gonubie SAPS, East London Dog Unit, and Green Scorpions. The operation was initiated after authorities received an intelligence about illegal diving activities at German Bay Beach.

In the first three months of 2025, five provinces in South Africa lost 103 rhinos due to poaching, averaging at 34.33 rhinos per month. "The loss of 103 rhinos to poaching in the first three months of 2025 is a stark reminder of the relentless threat to our wildlife. Yet, the absence of poaching in four provinces shows that our targeted interventions are yielding results, and we must build on this progress," Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, said on Monday.

In a scandalous move that reeks of impunity and elite protectionism, there are credible reports that convicted wildlife trafficker and serial corruption suspect Lin Yunhua - currently serving a 14-year sentence at Dedza Prison - is on the verge of being freed, courtesy of President Lazarus Chakwera's so-called "presidential pardon." According to sources within Dedza Prison who spoke under strict anonymity, Yunhua is among the 21 inmates mysteriously handpicked for release last Friday - despite serving a paltry four years of his sentence for serious environmental crimes that shook…

Instability, enforcement gaps and poverty combine to enable the rampant trafficking of cheetah cubs to the Middle East. Cheetah trafficking in the Horn of Africa has reached crisis levels. Research has documented at least 1 884 incidents involving around 4 000 live cheetahs and cheetah parts related to the illegal wildlife trade from Africa to the Arabian Peninsula between 2010 and 2019. A more recent study sheds light on how baby cheetahs are smuggled from the Horn of Africa to Gulf countries and sold as exotic pets.

What is being touted as the largest, most comprehensive count of African lions in Uganda has painted a grim picture in some areas and a marked hope for others. That is according to a report by three of the lead participants in the survey carried out by more than 100 Ugandan and international collaborators, driving over 26,000km and recording 7,516 camera trap nights from 232 locations spanning a year from January 2022 to January 2023.

South Africa continues to see a downward trend in rhino poaching, with the 2024 statistics showing that 499 rhinos were poached in 2023, compared to 420 last year - a decrease of 79. "As we intensify the fight against wildlife poaching, it is encouraging to see that the work of the rangers, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and other key role players is steadily gaining momentum," the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, said on Thursday.

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has opposed a proposed mining project targeting the Sinamatella Black Rhino Intensive Protection Zone in Hwange National Park. ZimParks has called on the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to reject such applications. The Authority's spokesperson, Mr Tinashe Farawo said allowing mining in the ecologically sensitive area will pose a threat to the endangered black rhino population, disrupt wildlife habitats and undermine Zimbabwe's reputation as a leader in sustainable conservation.

South Africa continues to see a downward trend in rhino poaching, with the 2024 statistics showing that 499 rhinos were poached in 2023, compared to 420 last year: a decrease of 79. "As we intensify the fight against wildlife poaching, it is encouraging to see that the work of the rangers, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and other key role players is steadily gaining momentum," the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, said on Thursday.

Spanning three countries, the vast W-Arly-Pendjari Complex is being used to facilitate organised crime, terrorism and local conflicts. The W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) Complex is a vast wildlife sanctuary spanning the intersecting borders of Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. With one of the most diverse ecosystems in West Africa's savanna belt, it is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site and shelters threatened species such as cheetah, giraffe, wild dog, elephant, lion and leopard.

Three men have been arrested for illegal logging in the West Bugwe Central Forest Reserve, Busia district. The National Forestry Authority (NFA) apprehended Kennedy Yolya, Henry Mudambo, and Robert Mudambo, aged between 35 and 50, for cutting down immature hardwood trees in a protected area. According to Michael Kusoro, NFA's Kyoga Range Manager, the trio was caught in the act of felling 17 mature indigenous trees, including species such as Albizia, Combretum, and Vitex doniana.

Police have commended the sentencing of three wildlife poachers, who have been found guilty of a number of serious crimes by the Skukuza Regional Court. Two South African citizens, Sam Khosa (40) and Solly Bennett Selahle (30), and Mozambican national, Oddis Maluleke (46), were sentenced by the court on Friday, 24 January. During proceedings, the court heard that on Friday, 15 February 2019, a regional field ranger observed suspicious activity inside the Kruger National Park (KNP) involving the accused individuals.

Vietnam's apparent reluctance to share DNA samples of smuggled horns with South Africa - the country with the largest remaining populations of rhinos in the world, albeit decimated by a relentless wave of poaching over recent decades - has been criticised by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Listen to this article 11 min Listen to this article 11 min Vietnam has come under fire for its 'passive approach' to sharing crucial evidence that could help South African forensic experts trace the exact origin of horns smuggled…

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, has condemned the illegal harvesting of the West Coast Rock Lobster and the indiscriminate targeting of its egg-bearing females. These illegal activities destroy millions of potential lobsters that could contribute to a sustainable marine ecosystem and could also provide much-needed economic opportunities to local communities.

A senior botanical horticulturist with the South African National Botanical Institute (SANBI) and two police officers appeared in the Springbok Magistrates' Court on Thursday. They face charges of fraud and corruption related to poached plants, according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

There has been a dramatic increase in elephant poaching in northern Botswana, with little official concern about reports of the poaching. An aerial survey in July revealed 19 poached carcasses, bringing the total to 105 since October2023. Mary Rice, Executive Director of the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), warns that "the increasingnumber of elephant poaching incidents being documented inBotswana should be of real concern to the widerconservation community".

South Africa, where 79% of the world's rhinos live, said it aims to come up with a plan by the end of 2030 to dismantle an almost half-century ban on trading the endangered animals' horns. The proposal, contained in a draft of the country's first rhino biodiversity-management plan released late Tuesday, is controversial because poaching of the animals for their horns has decimated their populations across Africa. The horns are ground into powder and sold in east Asia where they are falsely believed to cure cancer and other ailments.

A government proposal to exclude South African National Parks from having to get environmental authorisation for some developments in the Kruger National Park has slipped in almost unnoticed. Just five responses were received to this proposal that was gazetted by Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) Minister Barbara Creecy in mid-February, with a public comment period of 40 days.

In a landmark joint operation, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), supported by the Wildlife Justice Commission has successfully arrested two major wildlife traffickers in Nigeria. These arrests are linked to the significant seizure of 1.58 tonnes of ivory at Lach Huyen International Port, Hai Phong, Vietnam on 27 March 2024. Comprehensive intelligence-led investigations by the Wildlife Justice Commission in response to the Hai Phong seizure led to the identification and location of both the alleged shipper and supplier of the ivory.

Three Botswana citizens who after they were found guilty, admitted in an appeal application hearing on Wednesday, 24 April, in the High Court in Kimberley that they illegally crossed the border with illegal ammunition to illegally hunt rhinos on a Northern Cape farm. An accomplice of theirs died in a shootout with the farm workers and game rangers. In March, acting judge Cordelia Kgopa found they must have foreseen that someone would die during their raid and found them guilty of the murder of K.J. Matshetse, their accomplice. He died in the crossfire.

Two men who were found with abalone worth over R6,5 million in Welgemoed have been slapped with hefty fines. The two Chinese nationals, Chaoyuan He (28) and Jie Jun Liang (27), entered into a plea agreement with the state last Monday 15 April at the Khayelitsha Priority Court. This follows a lengthy investigation which started in October 2021 when members of the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team based in Bellville, Crime Intelligence Counter Narcotics and Gangs Western Cape as well as Department of Forestry, Fishery and the Environment searched a premises in…

Police arrest six suspected rhino poachers in Limpopo and Gauteng; recover horns, guns and ammunition.

Two poachers of protected plants received prison sentence on Friday, 1 December in the Springbok Magistrate's Court. The Namakwa District Management welcome the sentence that was handed down to Benedict Beukes (28) and Quinton Steenkamp (30). Beukes and Steenkamp were arrested by the Springbok Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit (Stesu) on 1 December 2020 on the N7 near Springbok when they were found in possession of Conophytum pellucidum and Conophytum pagea plants worth about R100 000.

The consequences for local ecosystems and communities are serious, [including the] deterioration of natural capital, social stability and cohesion; extinction of animal species; and erosion of sustainable economic development. South Africa is home to the world's largest rhino population and is a key source for the illicit supply chain. In the first six months of this year, 231 rhinos were killed in South African game reserves. Of these, 143 were in KwaZulu-Natal.

A former field ranger, tasked with protecting wildlife, has been sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for killing a rhino in the Nwanetsi section of the Kruger National Park in 2020. Eckson Musa Matumbu was sentenced at the Skukuza Regional Court on Friday. According to the South African National Parks (SANParks), Matumbu was arrested in February 2020 for killing a rhino with an official firearm issued to him and using non-issued ammunition. He was initially granted bail, which was later cancelled; the case was remanded to October 2023 for conviction and…

Protea poaching on the slopes of Table Mountain remains a concern and local authorities are calling on the public to report perpetrators. There has been a slight increase in the number of protea poaching incidents in the Vredehoek area this year compared to previous years. The Table Mountain National Park has partnered with the Devil's Peak Vredehoek Watch Group, police and various safety structures to conduct patrols to curb flora poaching and other illegal activities.

The Eastern Marine Command of Nigeria Customs Service in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said it has made a significant breakthrough in combating wildlife trafficking by intercepting a substantial quantity of pangolin scales, elephant tusks and sacks of used second hand shoes worth N680,290,400 in its area of operation.

The Endangered Wildlife Trust's (EWT) plant detection dog, which is trained to detect succulent plants, displayed his training during a police action. Delta the dog assisted in Springbok where two males were arrested for illegal possession of 1 760 endangered plants.