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Facing possible contempt of court charges for illegal elephant hunting in Botswana and violation of court interdicts, Dawie Groenewald's alleged proxy in Botswana, the now-disgraced former Justice Minister Ronald Machana Shamukuni and his dodgy shelf company DK Superior (PTY) Limited, are done and dusted.

Minister Dion George of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has welcomed the successful intelligence-driven operation that resulted in the confiscation of abalone worth over R3 million in Cape Town. The Minister commended the collaborative efforts of the South African Police Service's Operation Lockdown III and the Endangered Species K9 Unit, which uncovered a drying facility containing 6,400 units of abalone with an estimated street value of R3,520,000.

A 50-year-old man was arrested at the Liselo checkpoint near Katima Mulilo after he was found in possession of protected game products, including lion teeth, bones and oils extracted from lion fat. The discovery was made on Monday at midday during a routine vehicle search conducted by law enforcement officers with the assistance of a K-9 sniffer dog. The officers discovered illegal wildlife products hidden in the traveller's bag. The suspect, who has yet to appear in court, failed to produce a valid permit authorising possession or transport of the protected game items.

A Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority ranger has been arrested on suspicion of being responsible for the shooting of the three lions that were found without heads and paws in Hwange National Park last week. Hali Mabuya (39) who was working at Mtshibi Camp in Hwange National Park was found with a Point 458 service rifle that was allegedly used in the callous killing of the three big cats and 52 live rounds of ammunition. About 30 of the rounds had not been issued to him by the employer.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism is currently conducting an assessment to determine the extent of rhino poaching. In light of the recent poaching incidents in the park, the ministry has also requested an urgent high-level meeting with the security cluster. To date, a total of 28 rhinos have been poached in Namibia. Out of these, 19 were poached in the Etosha National Park, while the remaining 10 were discovered during dehorning operations throughout the month of March.

Zambezi Region's law enforcement and security forces are making significant strides against wildlife crime. Today, seven individuals from Zambia were apprehended in the Kapani area with 18 tusks, along with the discovery of a .375 caliber firearm in their possession. These tusks, believed to be sourced from poached elephants in Botswana, mark the latest incident in a series of arrests within the past three weeks. The total number of intercepted elephant tusks in this region over the last three consecutive weeks now stands at 59.

Police in the Zambezi Region apprehended a 37-year-old man found in possession of 24 elephant tusks during a joint operation with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism last night. The tusks are alleged to have come from Botswana, where the elephants were poached, and entered Namibia through the Batubaja Area in Linyanti Constituency. All 24 tusks were found loaded into a vehicle with an expired disc licence driven by a suspect who was allegedly called to provide transport after the car in which they were transported initially ran out of fuel.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism intercepted a truck full of unprocessed timber last weekend in Windhoek, which was intended for export to South Africa. 1500 planks on the truck were confiscated and the transport permit was temporarily suspended pending further investigations to establish where the timber came from and if it was legally acquired. The Ministry introduced a moratorium on timber harvesting, transportation, marketing, and exporting in 2018.

A number of approaches have been used to safeguard different natural resources. Use, and vulnerability mainly depends on its social, and economic value. Wildlife, considerably more valuable- has generated a lot of interest as concerned parties try to apply different approaches to ensure that it is protected. It is unfortunate that some of the wildlife species, like animals' numbers that dwindled because human beings always target them as a means of survival or tampered with their habitats.

Two villagers from Binga have been arrested in Zambia after they were found in possession of a live pangolin they allegedly intended to sell in the neighbouring country.

Rampant poaching activities in Matetsi area of Hwange District are threatening the viability of safari hunting industry, a leading safari operator has said. In an interview with Business Chronicle safari operator, Mr Wisdom Bushe Neshavi, said the upsurge in poaching case is crippling safari hunting, which is already reeling under the effects of the novel Covid-19) pandemic.

Football Club player Craven Banda has been arrested after he was allegedly found with eight raw elephant tusks.

A suspected poacher was killed while his accomplice escaped following a shootout with game rangers on Wednesday at Bubye Valley Conservancy, some 60km west of Beitbridge town. The two men allegedly killed a male lion, before rangers caught up with them while in the process of killing a black rhinoceros.