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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.
On March 23, 2025, a critical wildlife crime operation unfolded in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, a known hub for organized crime and wildlife trafficking. With assistance from Focused Conservation, the Nigeria Special Wildlife Office (NSWO), supported by the Nigeria Customs Police, executed Operation Willow - an intelligence-driven sting to dismantle a key trafficking network supplying pangolin scales. The NSWO acted on intelligence indicating that a trafficker in the region was actively supplying pangolin scales for the illegal wildlife trade.
| Attachment | Size |
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| NIG_2025_04_Operation Willow_Major pangolin trafficking bust in Nigeria_Focused Conservation.pdf | 117.78 KB |
Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is increasingly taking place online, with social media and e-commerce platforms being used to facilitate the sale of endangered species. Data collected from May to July 2024 reveals that 477 online advertisements were detected for 18 protected species across Brazil and South Africa. Shockingly, 78% of these ads were posted on platforms like Facebook, making social media a major player in the online wildlife trade.
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| SA_2024_10_Monitoring online illegal wildlife trade_Global Initiative.pdf | 72.14 KB |
In a major breakthrough for wildlife conservation efforts, the Special Wildlife Investigation Unit (SWIU) has successfully apprehended Amadou Bah, an internationally renowned trafficker of pangolin scales. This significant arrest comes after Bah had eluded capture since January 2024, following the seizure of 176 kilos of pangolin scales in Grand Gedah County, Liberia. The SWIU, mentored by Focused Conservation, is comprised of officers from the Liberia National Police, Liberia Forestry Development Authority, and Liberia Customs.
The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigeria Customs Zone D, Bauchi has declared that its
operatives have arrested and seized 216 kgs of Pangolin scales worth the sum of N432m.
| Attachment | Size |
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| NIG_2023_06_Customs impounds pangolin scales worth N432m_Nigerian Tribune.pdf | 255.36 KB |
East and Southern Africa (ESA) is a pivotal node for organized crime, connecting regional criminal markets to global networks. From the shores of Somalia to border crossings and international air and seaports in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia, the region serves as a thriving source, hub and conduit for a wide variety of illegal commodities. For example, heroin trafficked from Afghanistan via Pakistan and Iran is shipped across the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean by dhow before it is deposited in northern Mozambique and Tanzania.
| Attachment | Size |
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| SA_2025_09_Mapping organized criminal economies_Global Initiative.pdf | 54.81 KB |