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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 - 22 of 22
Friday, 15 November 2024
Lambley G 2024. Three suspects nabbed for possession of rhino horns and protected plants in Springbok.

The vigilance of a Springbok SAPS K9 team led to the arrest of three suspects found in possession of rhino horns and protected plants in the Northern Cape town.

Wednesday, 24 July 2024
Kemp S 2024. Meet the Kenyan ranger finding new ways to fight poaching.

When Edward Ndiritu joined Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, central Kenya, as a rhino monitor in 1996, poaching had already reduced the nation's black rhino population from 20,000 in 1970 to fewer than 300. Driven by a fear that they might disappear completely, Edward worked his way up the ranks to become the head of Lewa's anti-poaching unit. In 2015, his team’s community-minded approach to conservation won him the first Wildlife Ranger Award from conservation charity Tusk. While a rhino hasn't been killed by poachers in Lewa since 2020, the threat endures.

Tuesday, 2 April 2024
Mavata K 2024. Five men arrested for rhino poaching in Limpopo.

Five suspects in Limpopo have been arrested for rhino poaching and illegal trades if elephant tusks. According to Sowetan Live, Col Malesela Ledwaba, police spokesperson, stated that the men were apprehended by the endangered species unit and wildlife security on Thursday. The five men who four of them are reported to be foreigners and one South African are expected to appear at the Letsitele and Maake magistrates’ court.

Wednesday, 21 June 2023
Simpson S 2023. Freedom Ndlovu handed a 32-year sentence for poaching offences.

A 32-year-old poacher, Freedom Siyabonga Ndlovu, was sentenced to 32 years of direct imprisonment for offences related to poaching by the Skukuza Regional Court. The accused had a hand in the killing of three rhinos.

Tuesday, 7 February 2023
Keppler-Young V 2023. Accused DNA linked to poached rhino horns found in search seizure operation.

A 47-year-old accused will appear in the Kabokweni Magistrate Court on Tuesday, 7 February 2023, after his DNA was linked to rhino horns found during a search and seizure operation.

Sunday, 5 February 2023
Swart M 2023. Police on the hunt for rhino poachers who killed two rhinos.

The police in the Eastern Cape are searching for poachers who shot, killed, and dehorned two rhinos on a safari farm in Paterson on Wednesday evening, 1 February.

Sunday, 10 April 2022
Baloyi T 2022. Rhino poaching: Two men sentenced for seperate incidents.

Both of the convicted rhino poachers had entered the Kruger National Park, and one of them was found to be in the country illegally.

Wednesday, 2 February 2022
Head T 2022. Gotcha! Smuggler caught with eleven rhino horns at OR Tambo.

Swift justice has been meted out for this unfortunate smuggler on Wednesday, after he was promptly arrested at OR Tambo for being in possession of no more than eleven separate rhino horn packages.

Wednesday, 8 December 2021
2021. Bad news for poachers: Vietnam slaps rhino horn trader with longest ever jail term.

A rhino horn trader has been sentenced to 14 years in jail, the longest ever prison term a Vietnamese court has handed down for the crime, a local conservation group said on Wednesday. Vietnam is both a consumption hub and popular transit point for the multi-billion-dollar trade in animal parts. Authorities have long vowed to stem the flow of illegal wildlife crisis-crossing its borders, but experts have warned the black market persists thanks to weak law enforcement.

Saturday, 16 October 2021
van Zyl C 2021. Poacher sentenced to 19 years in prison after a white rhinoceros was killed.

The 38-year-old poacher was sentenced to 19 years behind bars after a white rhinoceros was killed in Lower Sabie in 2014.

Monday, 11 October 2021
Ntsaluba G 2021. Government official to appear in court for rhino horn trade.

An official from the North West Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism will appear in the Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court on Monday 11 October after he was arrested in connection with illegal rhino horn trade. The official and the owner of a security company were arrested on Thursday afternoon in relation to alleged contraventions of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, the Rhino Norms and Standards, and contravention of permit conditions.

Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Comins L 2021. Hero policeman shot in gun battle with rhino poachers.

A 34-year old policeman is recovering in hospital after he was shot and injured during a shootout with rhino poachers in Vredefort in the Free State on Tuesday night.

Sunday, 1 August 2021
van Zyl C 2021. 249 rhino poached in SA since the start of 2021 and it is increasing.

At least 249 rhinos were killed in the first six months of this year in South Africa. The bulk of the killings happened at the Kruger National Park, where 132 rhinos were killed.

Friday, 25 June 2021
Comins L 2021. Rhino poaching latest: Police recover R2,4 million rhino horn.

Members of the Hawks Organised Investigation Unit searched a vehicle and found rhino horns that suspects were attempting to sell. "The pair were arrested during a buy and bust operation where they allegedly attempted to sell the horns. The suspects' vehicle was searched and two rhino horns worth approximately R2.4 million were found," Rikhotso said.

Tuesday, 25 May 2021
Comins L 2021. Rhino Poaching Files: Poacher gets 25 years in jail.

The Skukuza Regional Court has handed down a stiff sentence to a 34- year-old man from Mozambique who was recently convicted of several poaching related crimes including the illegal hunting and killing of rhino.

Tuesday, 16 March 2021
Maron DF 2021. Wildlife seizures are down - and an illicit trade boom may be coming.

The amount of elephant ivory, rhino horn, and pangolin scales intercepted by authorities in 2020 was far less than compared with the previous five years, according to analysis for National Geographic by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS). The coronavirus pandemic likely dampened both the ability of wildlife traffickers to move their products internationally and of law enforcement to detect them, according to the group, a U.S.

Tuesday, 18 August 2020
Neme L 2020. This 'rhino court' had 100 percent poacher convictions. Why was it closed?.

Some conservationists and activists in South Africa are concerned that criminal syndicates are making it even more difficult to protect rhinos from poachers.

Saturday, 1 August 2020
Simpson M 2020. Lockdown restrictions help cut rhino poaching by half this year.

Minister says efforts are paying off, with lockdown and increased law enforcement efforts cutting rhino deaths to 166 to date.

Wednesday, 15 July 2020
Baloyi T 2020. OR Tambo seizes R115 million worth of rhino horn.

Sars said the consignment of six boxes, containing the horns that had been concealed in carbon paper and foil, was destined for Kuala Lampur in Malaysia.

Tuesday, 21 April 2020
2020. Can tourism reverse the impact of poaching in Zambia and Zimbabwe?.

The effects of poaching and climate change are keenly felt In Zambia and Zimbabwe. This ecological
frontline is manned by innovative, but under-funded conservation units, with tourism supporting the survival
of some of Africa’s rarest species.

Monday, 20 April 2020
Meyer D 2020. Northern Cape authorities apprehend poachers amid lockdown scourge.

A group of four men entered a farm in the Severn area and were caught red-handed trying to poach rhinos for their horns by members of the Kuruman Stock Theft unit. The Tswalu Anti- Poaching unit provided aerial and ground support to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and managed to apprehend the suspects. One of the suspects was killed during the gun-fight, with two others injured. A fourth man was arrested, with a weapons stock confiscated.

Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Sicetsha A 2020. Rhino poachers stopped in their tracks by KZN police.

Law enforcement officials in Hluhluwe and Mtubatuba, KwaZulu-Natal, have been applauded for the stellar work they displayed in intercepting a group of rhino poachers who were on the verge of claiming the life of one of these endangered animals.

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