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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.

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Displaying results 1 - 8 of 8
Thursday, 21 November 2024
2024. Police arrest three suspected rhino poachers armed with a hunting rifle, pistol and ammo.

Three suspected rhino poachers are expected in court after their arrest in northern KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday. Police spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda said they were arrested in Pongola shortly after midnight as part of Operation Vala Umgodi. "Police collected intelligence about the three suspects who were travelling from Hluhluwe to a game farm in Magudu area where they were reportedly going to poach rhinos. An operation was put in motion and the suspects' vehicle was intercepted on the R66 Road in the Pongola policing precinct," he said.

Thursday, 17 October 2024
2024. Warehouse raids in Nigeria lead to historic seizure of over 9.4 tonnes of stockpiled pangolin scales.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), with support from the Wildlife Justice Commission, successfully conducted two major operations on 8 August 2024, resulting in the combined seizure of over 9.4 tonnes of pangolin scales and arrests of four suspects. These operations mark a significant achievement in the ongoing efforts to dismantle wildlife trafficking networks in Nigeria.
Tuesday, 16 July 2024
Joint operation leads to four arrests and major seizure of pangolin scales in Liberia.
In a coordinated effort, the Special Wildlife Investigations Unit (SWIU), supported by Focused Conservation and the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), successfully conducted a joint operation resulting in the arrest of four suspects and the seizure of 525 kilograms of pangolin scales in Monrovia, Liberia, on 10 July 2024. The SWIU is comprised of officers from the Liberian National Police, Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and the Liberia Revenue Authority Customs Department and is mentored in Liberia by Focused Conservation.
Friday, 24 May 2024
Dennis P 2024. Major breakthrough: Nigerian authorities arrest two key ivory traffickers connected to recent seizure in Vietnam.

In a landmark joint operation, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), supported by the Wildlife Justice Commission has successfully arrested two major wildlife traffickers in Nigeria. These arrests are linked to the significant seizure of 1.58 tonnes of ivory at Lach Huyen International Port, Hai Phong, Vietnam on 27 March 2024. Comprehensive intelligence-led investigations by the Wildlife Justice Commission in response to the Hai Phong seizure led to the identification and location of both the alleged shipper and supplier of the ivory.

Monday, 4 December 2023
2023. Poacher found inside Kruger National Park sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The Skukuza regional court on Monday sentenced Friday Ngobeni to 10 years' imprisonment for poaching-related offences from six years ago. The court convicted Ngobeni, 45, of trespassing, possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition, conspiracy to commit an offence, possession of a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm with the serial number obliterated. On November 29 2017, rangers were patrolling in the Kruger National Park in a helicopter at Stols Nek and spotted Ngobeni and his co-accused Mastel Ngobeni, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said…

Monday, 5 June 2023
Ishola M 2023. Customs impounds pangolin scales worth N432m.

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.

Tuesday, 10 May 2022
Patrick A 2022. Pregnant pangolin survives poachers, focus now on her pangopup.

Last week's sting operation not only saved a young female Temminck's pangolin from the clutches of poachers, but her unborn pangopup too.

Saturday, 16 May 2020
Hyman A 2020. Kuruman man convicted of having R250k worth of pangolin scales.

A Kuruman man was convicted for being in possession of R250,000 worth of pangolin scales and the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition by the Kuruman magistrate's court on Friday. John Henry Rautenbach, 25, was arrested by the Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation unit in August last year after the unit received information that an illegal firearm was being kept at an address in the Northern Cape.

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