Search results

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 - 5 of 5
Sunday, 5 October 2025
Shigwedha J 2025. Three arrested for illegal possession of Welwitschia mirabilis at Oshikango.

Three men, one Angolan and two Namibians, were arrested on Friday, at Charles Bar in Oshikango, Helao Nafidi, after they were allegedly found in possession of three bags of the protected Welwitschia mirabilis plant species. According to the crime report, the arrests followed an intelligence-led operation that uncovered the suspects offering the plants for illegal sale without a valid permit. The suspects, aged 35, 36, and 40, were taken into custody, and the value of the confiscated Welwitschia mirabilis is yet to be determined.

Tuesday, 1 July 2025
Ashmore R 2025. Desperate bid to save elephants from extinction in Africa's 'triangle of death'.

In the wild heart of Africa there is a dwindling group of savannah elephants so traumatised by decades of war, poaching and conflict with humans, that when they see a helicopter, they don't run away, they charge. While the choppers are a means of providing vital conservation measures, such as collaring programmes to monitor under-threat animals for their own protection, these majestic animals have learned to defend themselves in an area so wracked with human conflict it’s been dubbed the "Triangle of Death".

Tuesday, 8 April 2025
2025. Stiffer Hong Kong penalties helping to fight illegal wildlife trade: authorities.

Number of smuggling cases involving ivory, pangolin scales and rhino horn has 'dropped significantly' since 2021, government says. Hong Kong has seen no "significant seizures" of smuggled ivory and pangolin scales since 2021, the government has said, attributing it to heavier penalties while animal rights groups pointed to international efforts in tackling the illegal wildlife trade as also helping.

Friday, 28 October 2022
Chik H 2022. China ranks as top rhino horn market, but smuggling networks weakened, report finds.

China ranked as the top market for rhino horns over the past decade, but the country has taken steps to crack down on smugglers, according to a report from the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), a non-profit foundation based in The Hague. From 2012 to 2021, nearly 9,600 rhinos were poached from across Africa and 7.5 tonnes (8.3 tons) of illegal horns were seized globally, the WJC said, citing its analysis of more than 670 seizures. According to the report released on Thursday, "the demand for rhino horns as a criminal commodity shows no signs of abating".

Thursday, 31 December 2020
2020. China jails ivory smuggling ringleaders for life in landmark case.

17 people sentenced for moving millions of dollars in tusks from West Africa as part of the biggest illicit network of its kind in China. Life terms show authorities are coming down hard on illegal trade, campaigner says.

NOT FOUND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR? AMEND YOUR SEARCH...