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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.

Displaying results 1 - 16 of 16
Tuesday, 3 June 2025
2025. Fauna / Foreign fishing vessels plunder Namibia's horse mackerel.

It's past midnight and the officer manning Namibia's fisheries monitoring centre in Walvis Bay notices that a vessel near the Namibia-Angola border has stopped transmitting its location. At the same time, a Namibian fishing vessel's radar detects a foreign vessel notorious for illegal fishing, entering Namibia's waters. Both the officer and the vessel alert the Namibian navy and the fisheries department in Walvis Bay. Calls to the vessel's flag state remain unanswered, and without a law enforcement vessel located near the Namibia-Angola maritime border, the foreign vessel escapes…

Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Okumu W 2025. Fauna / Elite syndicate threatens Tanzania's Masai giraffe.

Masai giraffe calves and other juvenile African wildlife are being exported from Tanzania to the Sharjah Safari in Al Dhaid in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the pleasure of Dubai royalty and tourists. Human Rights Watch reports that the shooting and capture of animals, including the endangered Masai giraffe, and their transfer to Dubai are part of a long-running syndicate between successive Tanzanian governments and the Otterlo (sometimes Ortello) Business Corporation (OBC). This syndicate has been active since Ali Hassan Mwinyi’s presidency in the 1980s and 1990s.

Tuesday, 14 January 2025
2025. Elite syndicate threatens Tanzania's Masai giraffe.

Masai giraffe calves and other juvenile African wildlife are being exported from Tanzania to the Sharjah Safari in Al Dhaid in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the pleasure of Dubai royalty and tourists. Human Rights Watch reports that the shooting and capture of animals, including the endangered Masai giraffe, and their transfer to Dubai are part of a long-running syndicate between successive Tanzanian governments and the Otterlo (sometimes Ortello) Business Corporation (OBC). This syndicate has been active since Ali Hassan Mwinyi's presidency in the 1980s and 1990s.

Monday, 13 January 2025
2025. Cameroon's green militarisation strategy safeguards African savanna elephants.

Poaching threatens the survival of savanna elephants in Central Africa. Over the last two decades, the Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants programme has recorded 3 004 illegal elephant kills in this region. In April 2023, several elephants were killed in the Beinamar region of Chad, close to the Cameroon border, sparking concerns about a potential resurgence of poaching in this region. The Bouba Ndjida National Park, located in the North Region of Cameroon, shares a border with the Sena Oura Biosphere Reserve in Chad.

Monday, 13 January 2025
2025. Fauna / Cameroon's green militarisation strategy safeguards African savanna elephants.

Poaching threatens the survival of savanna elephants in Central Africa. Over the last two decades, the Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants programme has recorded 3 004 illegal elephant kills in this region. In April 2023, several elephants were killed in the Beinamar region of Chad, close to the Cameroon border, sparking concerns about a potential resurgence of poaching in this region. The Bouba Ndjida National Park, located in the North Region of Cameroon, shares a border with the Sena Oura Biosphere Reserve in Chad.

Monday, 25 March 2024
Steynberg F 2024. Two jailed for possessing live Pangolin in Balaka.
The Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court sitting in Balaka district-Malawi has convicted and sentenced two men to 30 months and 36 months imprisonment with hard labor respectively, for the offense of being found in possession of protected species (Live Pangolin) contrary to Section 86 of the National Park and Wildlife Act.
Tuesday, 26 September 2023
Nzangaya A 2023. Two arrested for possessing dead pangolin in Blantyre.

Police at Chileka in Blantyre District have arrested two men for allegedly being found in possession of a dead pangolin. According to Sergeant Jonathan Phillipo who is Chileka police public relations officer, the suspects have been identified as Vincent McLoud, 23, and Noah Mgawa Nikolasi, 55. Sergeant Phillipo said Chileka Police Detectives arrested the two on Monday September 25, 2023 at Puli Village following a tip-off by well-wishers.

Monday, 29 May 2023
Kondowe R 2023. Two Mozambicans found with pangolin in Malawi.

Two Mozambicans have been arrested in Mchinji after being found with a Pangolin. Public relations officer for Mchinji Police Station Limbani Mpinganjira has identified the two as Jackson Yakobe, 40, and Selemani Felix, 46. They were arrested on May 26, 2023 at around 7:00pm after officers from Department of Wildlife and Parks tipped Kamwendo Police that the two were offering for sale a live pangolin at Kadziyang’ane Trading Centre. Upon interrogations, the suspects revealed that the animal was taken from Mozambique and they were searching for a possible market in…

Saturday, 30 July 2022
Chikoti M 2022. Man nabbed for possessing ivory.

Police in Mangochi have arrested a 50-year old man for possession of nine pieces of ivory.

Tuesday, 24 May 2022
Likaka R 2022. Man gets 10 years in jail for illegal possession of ivory.

The Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday sentenced 61-year-old Maliko Mndekano Mwale to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour for illegal possession of ivory. Mwale was found guilty of possession and dealing in government trophy contrary to Section 86 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act of 2017. Public Relations Officer for Lingazi Police Station Sub Inspector Salomy Zgambo has confirmed the conviction of Maliko Mndekano Mwale.

Friday, 13 May 2022
Kondowe R 2022. Two found with pangolin in Mchinji.

Police in Mchinji have arrested two men for allegedly being found in possession of a live Pangolin. The two have been identified as Mavuto Jophris aged 33 and Mandera Masauso aged 34. The arrest of the two suspects follows a tip off police received on May 12, 2022 that the two were offering for sell a live Pangolin which was concealed in an empty sack and placed in a backpack.

Tuesday, 29 March 2022
Chikoti M 2022. Journalists trained to report wildlife stories accurately.

As the cases of wildlife crime are on rise, Lilongwe Wildlife Trust has trained journalists in the country to follow and report court case procedures on Wildlife crimes accurately and in a professional manner.

Thursday, 17 March 2022
Chikoti M 2022. Man arrested over Pangolin in Mangochi.

Namwera Police Post in Mangochi has arrested Alex Jumbe, 50, for being found with a Pangolin. Mangochi Police Publicist Amina Tepani Daudi said the suspect who hails from Nakapa Village, Traditional Authority Bwananyambi in Mangochi was apprehended on March 16, 2022 at Mwambwanjira Trading Centre. Daudi added that Namwera Police detectives were tipped by members of the community that the suspect was offering for sale the listed species at the trading centre.

Saturday, 19 February 2022
Chikoti M 2022. UN says wildlife crime in Malawi needs to be fully addressed.

United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator Malawi Rudolf Schwenk says the increased trends in poaching of animals such as elephants and pangolins in Malawi is very worrying and if left unaddressed, wildlife trafficking will continue to be a threat to achievement of sustainable development in the country.

Tuesday, 26 October 2021
2021. Two arrested for possessing Pangolin in Mangochi.

Mangochi Police have arrested Group Village Headman Maundu aged 49 and Rashid White Jusa, 55, over possession of pangolin.

Wednesday, 12 May 2021
Kondowe R 2021. Two arrested over pangolin possession.

Two people have been arrested in Mulanje for being found with pangolin, a protected animal which is trafficked for its scales.

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