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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 - 9 of 9
Friday, 26 September 2025
Hlatshwayo R 2025. Skukuza court postpones one of the longest rhino poaching cases.

The Skukuza Regional Court has postponed the poaching case against Rodney Landela and Kenneth Motshotsho to November 27 and 28 for the defence's case. Mpumalanga News reports that Landela and Motshotsho, both former employees of the Kruger National Park (KNP), briefly appeared in court yesterday. Their bail of R20 000 each was extended pending their next appearance. The two suspects were both 52 years old at the time of their arrest on July 27, 2016, following the killing and dehorning of a white rhino in the Kingfisherspruit region of the KNP.

Thursday, 16 January 2025
Hlatshwayo R 2025. Fraud-accused former Skukuza cop also faces rhino poaching-related charges.

The former police constable who appeared in the KaBokweni Magistrate's Court on fraud charges on January 8 is also an accused in several rhino poaching-related cases. According to Mpumalanga News, Thembi Aretha Mhlanga (47) is one of four accused, alongside alleged rhino poaching kingpin Joseph 'Big Joe' Nyalungu, Claude Lubisi, and Rachel Qwebana. In her latest legal trouble, Mhlanga was arrested with Sarel Sithole (37) after allegedly swapping a bank card belonging to a 71-year-old woman.

Saturday, 16 December 2023
Viljoen B 2023. Alleged rhino poaching kingpin Big Joe granted bail.

An alleged rhino poacher who has been in custody for the past six months was granted bail last week.

Tuesday, 31 October 2023
2023. Graphic photos: Rhinos shot and killed on Limpopo farm.

Another two rhinos have paid the ultimate price as a result of ongoing poaching.The circumstances surrounding the poaching of two rhinos on a Limpopo farm are being investigated by the Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit. Rooiberg police, in the Waterberg District, have launched a manhunt for unknown perpetrators involved in the poaching of two rhinos on Pomo Estate.

Monday, 18 September 2023
2023. SPCA cracks down on Illegal hunting.

The Bloemfontein SPCA recently attended to two instances of Illegal hunting in the district of Bothaville. According to the SPCA, the first of the two incidents took place on Sunday 10 September, where seven suspects were arrested, and 22 dogs were confiscated after multiple duikers were caught illegally.  "The incident was highly organised and showed signs of an active criminal organisation," said the SPCA. The second incident took place on 16 September where an additional four individuals were arrested, and two more dogs were confiscated after five…

Friday, 25 August 2023
Mojela A 2023. Female pangolin and baby rescued from poachers in the Northern Cape.

A mission to rescue a pangolin confiscated in Kuruman in the Northern Cape led to a Limpopo foundation sponsoring a flight to the Northern Cape to have it treated at Provet Animal Hospital in Hoedspruit. Provet Animal Hospital said on Facebook that a female Temminck’s ground pangolin was confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade and upon assessment, the veterinarian in Kuruman discovered that she was clutching a newborn pup, a little male, still wrapped in the afterbirth.

Saturday, 3 October 2020
2020. Wilderness Safaris supports Scorpion Anti-Poaching Unit in Hwangwe.

Despite COVID-19 bringing global travel to a standstill, Wilderness Safaris has rearmed its dedication to conserving and restoring Africa’s wilderness by continuing to support vital conservation projects in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. This included a recent donation from Wilderness Safaris' Sustainability Fund to support the operating costs of the Scorpion Anti-Poaching Unit (SAPU) until end December 2020.

Wednesday, 12 August 2020
2020. Five countries unite against wildlife crime. The five Partner States of the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) - Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe - have joined forces to defend their borders against those who seek to deprive the region of its natural beauty and resources.
Monday, 20 April 2020
2020. Aerial patrols continue to combat poaching in north-west Namibia.

North-West, Namibia, April 2020/  - In an ongoing partnership with Save the Rhino Trust Namibia (SRT) and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), Wilderness Safaris is proud to report the success of their most recent entirely airborne anti-poaching operation, forming part of a campaign launched last year. Involving two helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft, the aim of the campaign is to monitor, dehorn and protect black rhino in north-west Namibia.

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