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A pregnant rhino has been shot dead and dehorned by poachers on a game reserve near Alexandria. The incident comes as a gruesome reminder of the rhino poaching scourge, which has been relatively quiet in the Eastern Cape in the past six months but continues to threaten the survival of the species. We will update with more information once it becomes available. The only info circulating at the moment is currently behind a pay wall, which we don't have access to.

South Africa: Great team work guys. Live pangolin saved from the illegal trade - disgraceful that 2 cops were among the suspects arrested! In an intelligence driven operation yesterday, 4 suspects were arrested at Makro Wonderboom, Pretoria, 2 were SAPS police officers, 2 x 9mm pistols retrieved. Outstanding work from SAPS Cullinan stock theft and Endangered species, SAPS Silverton K9 and support from US Homeland Security

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says the fight against rhino poaching remains one of the country’s toughest conservation hurdles. WWF Rhino Programme Manager for South Africa Jeff Cooke says both black and white rhino are a vital part of the country’s heritage. However, they continue to face threats from poaching and organised criminal syndicates. Cooke warns that without sustained action and resources, South Africa may one day wake up without rhino.

EAGLE Côte d'Ivoire - 2 traffickers arrested with 32kg ivory. The ivory, concealed in a rice sack, was trafficked from Liberia. The Burkina Faso National trafficker denounced the other for being a known big ivory trafficker.

Tourism operators, however, warn of damage to rhino habitats. Ultimate Safaris secured High Court interdicts in October and December 2024 to halt mining, arguing it would threaten endangered black rhinos and harm the tourism industry. Four black rhinos were translocated to the Sorris Sorris conservancy under the Black Rhino Custodianship Scheme between 2005 and 2010, while another operator held a mining licence in the same area until 2019 without facing court action.

Five men and a woman have appeared before the Pretoria Magistrates' Court for illegal rhino poaching. They have been linked to an international fraudulent scheme involving over 960 rhino horns, worth millions of rands, destined for illegal markets in Southeast Asia. It is alleged that the suspects defrauded the Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Department by securing permits under false pretenses to buy and sell rhino horns domestically, while funneling them into illegal international markets. Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Dion George has hailed the arrests.

Zimbabwe Police has arrested one Cong Yanzhong from China for possession of 3 rhino horns worth US$240 000 and 4 pieces of raw ivory weighing 36kgs . The Chinese national appeared in court and was remanded in custody to 22 July 2025 for trial.

Kenya Wildlife Service has started the process of relocating 21 critically endangered Rhinos to a new sanctuary on Saturday. The move is meant to help support the species’ long-term survival, says Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife Rebecca Miano. "By moving rhinos from Ol Pejeta, Lewa, and Nakuru, all sanctuaries currently operating at over 100% of their carrying capacity, we are reducing deadly territorial fights that account for over 30% of rhino mortalities." The newly prepared Segera Conservancy is Kenya’s 18th black rhino sanctuary.

Reports of drone sightings in rural parts of the country are raising concern among farmers, who suspect the devices may be used for poaching and livestock theft. According to the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), more farmers are reporting drones flying over farms and remote homesteads, especially at night. The union said the sightings have sparked questions about possible links to recent criminal activity. In response, a group of concerned individuals has created a protocol to track drone sightings and compare them with reports of theft or poaching.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has announced a complete ban on drones within Etosha National Park, citing escalating security concerns linked to rhino poaching. Colgar Sikopo, the ministry’s deputy executive director of Natural Resource Management, stated that while drones were previously permitted under strict conditions, the increasing misuse by visitors has necessitated a stricter approach. "Many visitors have been entering the park and using drones with no such permission.

Environmental conservation organisation, EMS Foundation, wants the government to permanently ban the trade of lion bones in South Africa. The foundation's director, Michele Pickover, says their study shows that the lion bone sale is linked to the Asian big cat market operated by syndicates without permits. The foundation will be a friend of the court to oppose the application by the South African Predators Association (SAPA) to force the Environmental Department to allow them a quota to trade in lion bones.

More than a week after the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources announced a N$10 000 reward for information regarding the deliberate killing of Cape Cormorants near Henties Bay, no leads have emerged. The ministry's spokesperson, Uaripi Katjiukua, confirmed on Thursday that not a single member of the public has come forward with vital information. "We are, however, confident that some information will be forthcoming and that we will be able to initiate a criminal investigation soon," she said.

Two suspected rhino poachers have been shot and killed in the Kruger National Park's Sabie Sands in Mpumalanga. According to the police, the park's rangers spotted the two poachers and when approached, they opened fire on the rangers. The rangers retaliated and fatally shot the suspected poachers. Provincial police spokesperson Jabu Ndubane says police found two hunting rifles and 16 rounds of ammunition. "The two suspects were spotted and opened fire instead of running and a shootout between the rangers and the poachers ensued.

Police in Mpumalanga are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of 19 rhino at the Kruger National Park. This follows the discovery of their carcasses in December. Mpumalanga police spokesperson Donald Mdhluli says they suspect most of the rhino were killed for their horns. "Though we know there was that project where SANParks was removing all the rhino horns but however the minute it starts growing, then these poachers try to take advantage. So the investigation is ongoing. We had in December an incident where two Mozambican nationals went into the Kruger National…

A deadly exchange of gunfire during which three suspected poachers were killed occurred over the weekend in the Etosha National Park. According to the Inspector General of the Namibian Police, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo the fatal exchange of gunfire followed a routine patrol by members of the Anti-Poaching Unit. "The confrontation began on Friday evening when anti-poaching officers, during their routine patrols along the park’s perimeter, discovered suspicious shoeprints indicating an illegal entry through the fence.

Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Narend Singh, says he believes that dehorning rhinos is not necessarily the answer to the poaching problem. Singh has expressed his concerns about continued rhino poaching in the country. This comes as the globe marked World Rhino Day yesterday. The day highlights the global effort to protect and raise awareness about rhino conservation and the threats they face. Singh says more can still be done.

According to the International Rhino Foundation, the largest population of rhinos in the world is found in South Africa. Only 16 056 rhinos are left in South Africa, but not nearly enough to save the species from endangerment. 'World Rhino Day' is commemorated annually on September 22 to continue to raise awareness about rhino poaching across the globe. Due to ongoing poaching, the number of rhinos continues to get lower. KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of poaching cases with 145 rhinos poached from January to June this year alone.

The government convened a stakeholder forum on wildlife protection and relevant law enforcement issues. This initiative comes in response to the increasing concerns highlighted by international financial institutions, which have listed environmental crimes, including wildlife crimes and money laundering, among the top threats in Namibia’s national risk assessment. The forum is also partly aimed at preventing Namibia from being grey-listed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The ownership of the Henties Bay Seal Products Factory is again being disputed after the company failed in its bid to reclaim 501 boxes of seized seal products The bid to reclaim the products was dismissed in the Katutura Magistrate's Court recently. Seal Products is harvesting and processing a seal quota in their Henties Bay and Lüderitz factories. The controversy began on 10 January when the Namibian Revenue Agency (NAMRA) conducted a coordinated intervention at a warehouse in Sun Industrial Park, Windhoek, shared by Seal Products and Golden Lion Investment CC.

Wildlife organisation, Wild Africa Fund has welcomed the news of the decline in elephant poaching but warns that the threat to Africa's elephants persists. This, as a new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has revealed that elephant poaching is on the decline. The reduction of cases has been linked to the closure of key domestic ivory markets which has significantly reduced demand.

Convicted poacher Derrick Brockerhoff appeared in the Swakopmund Magistrate's Court on Thursday after several warrants of arrest were updated and executed last week. The notorious poacher was arrested in the mountains behind the Eros Neighbourhood of Windhoek almost a month ago when he was caught red-handed with the carcasses of a gemsbok and a kudu.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has recorded 28 cases of rhino poaching in Namibia this year so far. Out of these 28 cases, 19 rhinos were poached in the Etosha National Park, and 10 carcasses of the animals were discovered during dehorning operations in March. The Ministry’s spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, has expressed concern about the poaching situation in the Etosha National Park, which is a flagship tourist attraction in Namibia. The park has a high number of rhinos and other wildlife species.

Three members of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) were apprehended on Friday, within the confines of Mangetti National Park. The arrests followed after park officials saw the perpetrators climbing over a fence during a routine anti-poaching patrol and fence inspection. The three soldiers were arrested while attempting to claim over the Mangetti Park’s boundary fence into the Mururani location, bearing bags laden with dried game meat ranging from Eland, Kudu and Wildebeest.

Between 2015 and February 2024, Namibia lost a staggering 631 rhinos due to poaching, marking a concerning downturn in its conservation success. This is according to statistics provided by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism last week during the Commemoration of World Wildlife Day 2024. Breaking down the figures year by year, statistics paint a grim picture of 97 rhinos poached in 2015 alone, with six reported to be poached in 2016 and five poached in 2017.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has raised alarm over the serious threat facing pangolins in Namibia. According to Romeo Muyunda, the Ministry's spokesperson, there has been a notable increase in pangolin trafficking cases from September to November this year, leading to a significant concern for the survival of this species. Muyunda disclosed that during this period, authorities have confiscated a total of 18 pangolin skins, 12 live pangolins, and 146 pangolin scales. This has resulted in 23 registered cases and the apprehension of 38 suspects.

A recent case involving the arrest of a Tanzanian national and three Namibians has shed light on a disturbing trend of international poaching syndicates exploiting local communities in Namibia for illegal harvesting of endangered plant and animal species. This illicit trade is not only threatening the nation's unique plant species but also endangering the livelihoods of its people.

In an operation led by Members of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT), in collaboration with the Namibian Police (Nampol) and Namibian Defense Force (NDF), 24 elephant tusks were confiscated during an early morning interception on Friday in the Zambezi region.

Joseph Nyalungu, popularly known as Big Joe, is accused of involvement in rhino poaching in Mpumalanga and Limpopo. The charges against him include possession of rhino horns, poaching, and money laundering.

The defence attorney in the case against a former police officer accused of being a rhino poaching kingpin has disputed that their client has 12 pending cases.

The Windhoek Magistrate Court has handed down prison sentences of up to 15 years to four individuals involved in a heinous rhino poaching case. The culprits were found guilty for their involvement in a poaching incident dating back to December 2016, where four white rhinos were ruthlessly killed on a private farm in the Gobabis District. On 22 December 2016, the suspects allegedly, without a hunting permit, killed four white rhinos - two bulls and two pregnant cows - each valued at N$1.25 million, with a total value…

South Africa has lost 231 rhinos to poaching since the beginning of the year.

As the globe observes World Rhino Day, South Africa has lost 231 rhinos to poaching since the beginning of the year.

As the international community marks World Rhino Day on Friday, South Africa and other parts of the African continent are still facing the challenge of rhino poaching. The International Rhino Foundation says poachers have shifted their focus from the larger rhino populations to smaller, and possibly more susceptible ones. In South Africa, poachers are focusing on smaller areas, like the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve, which has borne the brunt of South Africa’s rhino poaching deaths in the past year. While Namibia, home to the…

There are around 26 000 rhinos left in the world. 68% of those live in South Africa. By far the majority of them are Southern White Rhinos, which are particularly vulnerable to poaching, because most of them are found in the open Savannah of national parks, making them easy targets. There are four other remaining species of rhino. The Black Rhino, of which there are around 6000, is found in southern and east Africa. The other African species, the Northern White Rhino, is effectively extinct, as the two remaining are both female.

In a bid to strengthen safety and curb poaching in the country's national parks, SANParks, has added a small surveillance aircraft to its anti-poaching arsenal at the Addo Elephant Park in the Eastern Cape. The aircraft was donated by mining giant Anglo American Platinum. The park says the small aircraft will be used to curb poaching and maintain biodiversity. A Senior Section Ranger at Addo Elephant National Park, Anban Padayachee, says hunting and abalone poaching is very rife in the park.

People that have settled in communities in various areas of the Etosha National Park, one of
Namibia's premier tourist attractions are decimating wildlife by using wire snares to kill animals for
food.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment says 231 rhinos have been killed thus far this year in South Africa. This figure is from 1 January to 30 June 2023.

A third suspect has been arrested in Rustenburg, in the North West, for the theft of 51 rhino horns from the offices of the North West Parks and Tourism in Mahikeng last month. The SABC reported at the time that the alleged criminals evaded all security on the premises and took the keys to the safe, from which they stole the horns worth R9 million. Spokesperson for the Hawks in the province, Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula, says, "The suspect is due to appear in the Mahikeng Magistrates’ Court on Monday, where he will be facing a business burglary charge."

"There are conservation policies in the Ministry that deal with those illegal actions of poaching. Rhinos are protected by the Controlled Wildlife Products and Trade Act Nine (9) of 2008, which still contains penalties widely viewed as being woefully inadequate in light of the value of the illegal trade in animal products such as elephant tusks, rhino horn and pangolin scales", Muyunda stressed.

The Ministry of Environment Tourism and Forestry has arrested eight suspects on charges related to rhino poaching over the Easter long weekend, in two separate incidents. "Last week two suspects that illegally entered the Etosha National Park to hunt Rhinos were arrested during a mobile roadblock on the Tsumeb and Otavi road, two fresh rhino horns were found in their possession and confiscated by Blue Rhino Task Team," the environment Ministry's Chief Public Relations Officer, Romeo Muyunda said in a statement.

An intelligence-driven operation earlier this week led to the arrest in the Oshikoto Region of two residents of Windhoek who stand accused of trading in controlled wildlife products. According to a report about the arrest, provided by the commander of the Namibian Police in Oshikoto Region, Commissioner Teopoline Kalompo-Nashikaku, information received by investigators suggested that the two suspects were on their way to the south after completing a transaction where they were seen selling a pangolin skin.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism yesterday said they responded to a report about a Hippo that was found dead in the Muyako area, in a purported poaching incident. The Ministry's Spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said that upon close inspection by staff members, it was found that the hippo had a bullet wound, adding that it was poached the previous night. "When the team arrived, community members had already gathered in anticipation for the meat distribution exercise.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has identified its employee Otto Jan Uirab as the suspect in the poaching incident that occurred last week. He is charged alongside Nedbank employee, Harold Xarageb, and two other suspects Gaeb Franklin and Veldskoendraer Neely. The suspects were arrested on suspicion of illegally hunting a blue wildebeest in the Dan Viljoen Park near Windhoek last week. They have since appeared in the Katutura Magistrate’s court. A case has been opened with the Otjomuise Police station and the suspects were remanded in custody until the May 2023…

An official from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism was amongst three other suspects that were arrested on suspicion of illegally hunting a blue wildebeest in Dan Viljoen Park near Windhoek. "The incident happened on Tuesday at a roadblock between Dan Viljoen and Windhoek. The Ministry condemns the incident particularly, the alleged involvement of a staff member," said the ministry’s spokesperson Romeo Muyunda. They were arrested on Tuesday at the roadblock, west of Windhoek, leading to the game park.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism today said that 80 rhinos were poached last year, while elephant poaching has significantly decreased over the last eight years, dropping from 101 in 2015 to four in 2022, however, the same cannot be said for rhino poaching, which remains a concern with over 80 cases reported in the last year.

The US Treasury Department and South Africa's National Treasury on Wednesday agreed to form a task force to combat illicit finance linked to the illegal wildlife trade, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said. Speaking at the Dinokeng Game Reserve outside Pretoria, Yellen told South African officials that the new task force aims to boost information sharing between the two country's financial intelligence units and to strengthen controls to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

At least 22 men appeared in court last week for various wildlife crimes they have committed. This is according to the weekly wildlife crime statistics by the Namibian Police Intelligence and Investigation Unit and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism(MEFT). In the most recent wildlife case, Nampol arrested three Namibian men in line with new cases for possession of skins of specifically protected and protected game. "For all the cases registered the arrests and/or seizures were made by a combination of law enforcement agencies NamPol, MEFT, NDF, BRTT and private APU…

Director of Intelligence at the Wildlife Justice Commission Sarah Stoner is calling for wildlife crime to be recognised as transnational crime and not simply as a conservation issue. According to Stoner, "Our analysis found that rhino horn is most often smuggled with no concealment at all so around 1/3 of horns that were seized in the last 10 years indicate there was no attempt to hide the contraband in the shipment.

Some anti-poaching organizations are calling upon the justice system to strengthen punishment against those found guilty of rhino poaching and rhino horn trafficking. This comes after the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment recently released statistics indicating that rhino poaching incidents committed in the country within the first six months of the year have increased by 33% compared to last year, during the same period. Nature conservationists say the rhino is among the endangered species, not only in South Africa and the African continent but across the…