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.
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In Côte d'Ivoire, an alleged trafficker operating in the illegal ivory trade was arrested on Friday, November 19, 2021 in the town of Treichville. The alleged trafficker, in possession of two ivory tusks was arrested when he was about to sell the goods in the cables of a jewelry store belonging to him.
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IVO_2021_11_Ivory trafficker caught in Treichville_Africa Sustainable Conservation News.pdf | 574.31 KB |
In the war on poaching, some of the best defenders have four legs. Trained canines are used in some of South Africa's national parks to detect wildlife contraband like rhino horns, pangolin scales, and ivory at airports and roadblocks. Other dogs are trained to track and apprehend poachers in the field. According to Save the Rhino, 9,885 rhinos have been lost to poaching in the last decade. But Carl Thornton, founder and director of Pit-Track K9 Conservation and Anti-Poaching Unit, says the numbers are likely much higher.
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SA_2021_11_How Dogs Are Fighting Rhino Poaching_Treehugger.pdf | 574.43 KB |
Durban - Environmental organisations have welcomed the arrest of two suspects found in possession of ivory with a street value of R400 000 in Ballito last week. It is alleged that the suspects were trying to sell elephant tusks and were arrested after an undercover operation.
The Livingstone Subordinate Court has sentenced a Lusaka businessman of Garden-Chilulu compound to five years imprisonment with hard labour for unlawful possession of 196 kilograms of dried elephant meat. Ministry of Tourism Sakabilo Kalembwe has told #Mwebantu in a statement, that the businessman has also been sentenced to one year-six months imprisonment to run concurrently for escaping lawful custody in 2019 after being arrested for unlawful possession of 241 kgs of elephant ivory
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ZAM_2021_11_Businessman gets 5 years for unlawful possession of dried elephant meat_Mwebantu.pdf | 1.33 MB |
A sense of remorse and a convincing mitigation statement have saved a convicted ivory dealer from a lengthy jail term as he got off lightly with a reduced sentence. Poul Garirayi would have been condemned to a mandatory 10-year maximum jail term and a hefty fine for the elephant tusks valued at P10 233.22 that he was found in possession of.
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BOT_2021_11_Illegal Ivory Dealer Jailed For Two Years_The Voice Botswana.pdf | 432.33 KB |
Durban - Two suspects were arrested in the posh Zimbali Eco Estate, on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal, for dealing in elephant tusks.
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SA_2021_11_Two suspects arrested in posh Zimbali Eco Estate for dealing in elephant tusks_IOL.pdf | 506.11 KB |
Elephant poaching in Africa has fallen to the lowest level since 2003. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species programme for Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) published its annual analysis of continental and sub-regional trends in the levels of poaching. This is derived from data collected at 95 MIKE sites across 43 elephant range states in Africa, including Namibia, and Asia.
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NAM_2021_11_African elephant poaching lowest in 17 years_Namibian Sun.pdf | 392.49 KB |
A wildlife nature reserve covering Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Angola will undertake a loose elephant census next year at the cost of $3 million. The aerial survey by the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) directorate will help in managing elephants that freely roam across member states. "The elephant population of KAZA represents more than 50% of the remaining savanna elephants (Loxodonta Africana) found in Africa, a species recently listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as globally endangered.
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SA_2021_11_Census to shed light on elephant population in southern Africa_News24.pdf | 327.21 KB |
Two men appeared in court today on allegations of illegally possessing elephant tusks worth US$2 497 they intended to trade in Harare's city centre. Nkululeko Chuma (40) and Tawenga Dandambira (40) appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Tafadzwa Miti charged with unlawful possession of unmarked raw ivory.
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ZIM_2021_11_Duo in court over ivory_The Herald.pdf | 348.65 KB |
The 11-count indictment alleges that Lokua and Mujangi worked with a middleman to smuggle four packages into the United States. In August and September, 2020, the defendants sent three shipments containing a total of about 49 pounds of ivory by air freight to Seattle. In May 2021, they sent another package with approximately five pounds of rhinoceros horn. At the same time, the defendants conspired to conduct large transactions via ocean freight, offering the buyer more than two tons of elephant ivory, one ton of pangolin scales, and multiple intact rhinoceros horns. On Nov.
Two foreign nationals from the Democratic Republic of Congo were arrested outside Seattle last week and indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy and money laundering for allegedly smuggling elephant ivory and rhino horns into the United States.
Authorities in Democratic Republic of Congo have seized $3.5 million worth of ivory, rhinoceros horn and pangolin scales in a joint operation with United States officials, the U.S. embassy in Kinshasa said on Monday. Two wildlife traffickers were also arrested in the United States on Nov. 4, following a more than two-year investigation between the two countries and global police agency Interpol.
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CON_2021_11_Congo seizes us3_5 mln of ivory_rhino horn and pangolin scales_Reuters.pdf | 1.89 MB |
Kenya remains a leading spot for laundering proceeds of illegal wildlife trafficking, logging, and fishing in Africa, a report on illicit financial flow by Sentry shows. Dubbed 'Kenya Illicit Finance Risk and Assessment', the report says the country acts as a transshipment site for East Africa. According to the report, Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda, DRC, Zambia and South Sudan traffic their wildlife products via Kenya heading to Asian countries including China and Hong Kong via Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore.
Airlink, the privately owned Southern African regional airline, will implement a company-wide programme involving training, new processes and supply chain interventions to identify and combat illicit wildlife trade. The illegal wildlife trade is valued between USD $50 to 150 billion (approximately between ZAR730 billion - ZAR 2,19 trillion at current exchange rates) per year and is one of the five most lucrative global crimes. Illegal killing and trading of wild animals is a global crisis, with species being hunted to extinction for their horns, skins and teeth.
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NAM_2021_11_Airlink joins fight against wildlife trade_Namibia Economist.pdf | 519.28 KB |
Sixteen suspects have been arrested in recent days in connection with wildlife crimes and six new cases were registered. According to police statistics ten wildlife products were confiscated, and five firearms and one vehicle were seized. The wildlife products included four pieces of elephant ivory, a pangolin skin, two duiker carcasses, an impala carcass and a warthog carcass. On 5 March two Zambians, an Angolan and a Namibian were arrested at Kongola for illegally hunting protected game.
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NAM_2020-03_16 arrested for wildlife crimes_Namibian Sun.pdf | 211.68 KB |
Namibia has lost nine rhinos and one elephant to poaching since the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said Monday. Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said poaching took place inside private owned farms and the country's national parks, with the latest incident taking place last Friday when one elephant was poached. Two suspects have since been arrested.
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NAM_2020-03_Namibia loses 9 rhinos 1 elephant to poaching since January_China Org.pdf | 138.95 KB |
The Namibia Police Force arrested and charged 16 suspects on charges of rhino or elephant poaching and conspiracy of elephant poaching last week. Police also confiscated five firearms, rounds of ammunitions and a motor vehicle. Among other items which were recovered during the anti-poaching operation are; varied wild life products such as four elephant tusks, a pangolin skin , two duiker carcasses, one waterbuck carcass and one warthog carcass.
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NAM_2020-03_Sixteen arrested for poaching_New Era.pdf | 193.82 KB |
Vier Namibiese mans is verlede Dinsdag by Nkurenkuru in verband met ivoorsmokkelary en die onwettige besit van 'n vuurwapen in hegtenis geneem. Vier stukke ivoor, een pistool, ammunisie en een voertuig is by mnre. Moses Shikondjeni, Shindumbu Lungameni, Tobias Nghilaluwa en Jackson Haufiku gekonfiskeer.
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NAM_03_2020_Vier vas oor stukke ivoor_Republikein.pdf | 96.43 KB |
Die Behörden haben in den vergangenen Tagen insgesamt 16 Personen wegen Verdachts auf Wilderei verhaftet. Einem aktuellen Bericht des Umweltministeriums zufolge wurden über diesen Zeitraum sechs neue Ermittlungen gestartet und allein in der vergangenen Woche unter anderem vier Elefantenstoßzähne und ein Schuppentier-Panzer sichergestellt. Das Elfenbein sei bei einem Einsatz am Dienstag vergangener Woche in Nkurenkuru konfisziert worden.
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NAM_2020-03_16 Festnahmen wegen Wilderei_AZ.pdf | 333.9 KB |
NAM_2020-03_16 Arrests for poaching_AZ_Eng.pdf | 336.92 KB |
Vier Namibiese mans is verlede Dinsdag by Nkurenkuru in verband met ivoorsmokkelary en die onwettige besit van 'n vuurwapen in hegtenis geneem. Die polisie het glo vier stukke ivoor, een pistool, ammunisie en een voertuig by mnre. Moses Shikondjeni, Shindumbu Lungameni, Tobias Nghilaluwa en Jackson Haufiku gekonfiskeer.
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NAM_2020-03_Vier vas oor stukke ivoor_Republikein.pdf | 228.96 KB |
Four elephants were found dead, three of them without tusks in Woodlands Farm resettlement area on Monday.
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ZIM_2020-03_Four elephants poisoned_tusks removed_The Chronicle.pdf | 504.07 KB |
Three men accused of dealing in or possessing two elephant tusks at Walvis Bay last year denied guilt on the charges they are facing during an appearance in the Walvis Bay Magistrate's Court on Thursday.
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NAM_2020-03_Alleged ivory dealers deny guilt on charges_The Namibian.pdf | 346.14 KB |
The Department of National Parks and Wildlife has arrested a 39 year old Kapiri Mposhi man for being in possession of 12 pieces of elephant Ivory tusks worth over K100, 000. Department of National Parks and Wildlife Central Region Warden Patrick Sakanga has confirmed the arrest to ZANIS yesterday.
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ZAM_2020-03_Zambia Police arrest man for being in possession of 12 pieces of elephant Ivory tusks.pdf | 101.86 KB |
Six suspects were arrested in connection with wildlife crimes recently and three new cases were opened. This is according to statistics provided by the intelligence and investigation unit within the environment ministry and the protected resources unit in the safety and security ministry.
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NAM_2020-03_Six arrested for wildlife crimes_Namibian Sun.pdf | 235.61 KB |