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The gruesome sight of animal heads, feathers, and mutilated limbs piled into luggage should horrify any decent society. But in Nigeria, it has almost become another footnote in a long, shameful tale of environmental neglect. On March 12, 2025, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the Mfum/Ekok Joint Border Station in Cross River State intercepted yet another consignment of trafficked animal parts - ghastly proof that the nation remains a soft underbelly for the global black market in endangered species.

The number of endangered rhinos poached in Namibia reached the highest level on record in 2022, as twice as many animals - 87 compared to 45 - were killed in 2021, official government data showed on Monday (30 January). Africa's rhino population has been decimated over the decades to feed demand for rhino horn, which, despite being made of the same stuff as rhino hair and fingernails, is prized in East Asia as jewelry and fake medicine. The horns are worth tens of thousands of dollars in illegal Asian markets.

Three "pioneering pooches" from the succulent detection canine team at the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) have made their first official bust, outwitting plant poachers in the Northern Cape. The team consists of three scent detection dogs: Ike, a German shepherd; Reaper, a Belgian malinois; and Delta, a border collie, who have been specifically trained to sniff out succulent plants. Their professional handlers are Esther Matthew and Shadi Henrico. The unit has been working in the Western Cape and Northern Cape to help law enforcement officials screen vehicles at roadblocks.