This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:
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.
The Itezhi -Tezhi Magistrates' Court in Southern Province has convicted and slapped a five year jail sentence with hard labour on a 51-year-old man for being found in possession of Ivory. Particulars were Shamazongo on 15th September 2023, in Itezhi -Tezhi had in his possession a prescribed trophy namely 10.4 kilograms of Ivory without a certificate of authority from the Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZAM_2023_09_Man jailed five years for unlawful possession of Ivory_Lusaka Times.pdf | 298.84 KB |
Vietnamese syndicates play an outsized, sophisticated role in the illicit trade of elephant ivory, rhinoceros horn, pangolin scales, and other wildlife products, according to a recent undercover investigation by the Environmental Investigation Agency that details sourcing, packing, and transporting ivory and rhino horn through an intricate maze of transport routes out of various African ports to Malaysia, then through Laos, and finally overland into Vietnam. The numbers are staggering.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
AFR_2023_09_Vietnamese Syndicates Wiping out African Megafauna_Asia Sentinel.pdf | 374.59 KB |
Pangolin poaching for enhanced sexual pleasure on the increase. The Commander of Botswana Defence Force, Lieutenant General Placid Segokgo, has warned that poaching will continue to be part of our lives for as long as some countries in Asia cling to their beliefs that some organs of wild animals give them sexual powers. Addressing journalists at a recent press briefing, Segokgo said, “There are some people in the East who believe that consuming or applying samples of organs such as horns, teeth, or even skins enhance their sexual…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
BOT_2023_09_Illegal wildlife trade fuels poaching_Segokgo_TheVoiceBW.pdf | 245.59 KB |
A male elephant was shot eight times during a trophy hunt before eventually succumbing to its injuries on 3 September 2023. Humane Society International is now looking at the legal options it can pursue. The animal welfare group said the issuing of the permit by Limpopo to hunt the animal was unlawful because of an court interdict in place. "The elephant suffered through eight gunshots over an extended period of time before finally succumbing to his injuries.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_09_Elephant shot eight times during unlawful hunt at Limpopo game reserve_The Citizen.pdf | 415.74 KB |
Authorities in Gabon have dismantled a broad network of international ivory traffickers who smuggled ivory from Gabon to Cameroon and onto lucrative Asian markets. The operation involved the Gabonese judicial police and government directorates of forestry and wildlife, with the support of the NGO Conservation Justice.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
GAB_2023_09_Gabon makes major poaching arrests_Freight News.pdf | 196.97 KB |
Two accused persons have appeared in court following their arrest by detectives for allegedly trying to unlawfully dispose off an elephant hide for US$1,500.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2023_09_Pair busted selling elephant skin for USD1 500_New Zimbabwe.pdf | 294.55 KB |
The Hawks' Serious Organised Crime Johannesburg and K9 Unit Johannesburg arrested three men who were driving a Nissan Almera loaded with ivory tusks around the Bruma area in Johannesburg. Three suspects, aged between 33 and 35, were arrested on Wednesday in Bruma, Johannesburg, by members of the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Johannesburg and K9 Unit Johannesburg for the illegal possession of elephant tusks.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_09_Gauteng Hawks bust three men for illegal possession of elephant tusks_IOL.pdf | 218.52 KB |
Building on last year's donation of four Bat Hawk surveillance aircraft to South African National Parks (SANParks) to aid surveillance, conservation and anti-poaching efforts in the Kruger National Park, Anglo American Platinum this morning donated another Bat Hawk that will be going to SANParks' Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape. In addition, a Bat Hawk aircraft will be donated to Mapungubwe National Park, which is located on the border of South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_09_SANParks records a 78 percent decrease in Rhino poaching_Gateway.pdf | 250.77 KB |
This year a total of 27 rhinos and 20 elephants have been poached, indicating a significant decline in poaching when compared to previous years. Releasing the latest statistics of recorded poaching incidents of rhino and elephants for this year, the environment and tourism minister, Pohamba Shifeta, said rhino poaching had gone done down by about 50% from 2016. In 2016, a total of 60 rhino were poached while 95 rhino were poached in 2015 and 56 rhino in 2014.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2017-10_Poaching on the decrease_Namibian Sun.pdf | 108.3 KB |
Fewer cases of poaching have been recorded across the country so far this year, announced environment minister Pohamba Shifeta in Windhoek yesterday. Shifeta said this at a media conference at which he announced that 27 rhinos have been paoched so far this year, compared to 60 in all of 2016 and 95 in 2015. Shifeta also said 20 elephants have been poached this year, compared to 101 in 2016 and 49 in 2015.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2017-10_Poaching cases down this year_The Namibian.pdf | 276.24 KB |
In the Namibian newspaper of 13 September 2017, under the heading 'N$25m per person killed by wildlife', a participant in one of the consultative meetings held in the Zambezi region by the National Council standing committee on habitat criticised the Ministry of Environment and Tourism for placing more value on an animal's life than on a human's life.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2017-10_Putting Namibias Wildlife Crime Penalties in Perspective_The Namibian.pdf | 561.69 KB |