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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 - 23 of 23
Tuesday, 30 January 2024
2024. Katima Mulilo Court trials for elephant tusk possession.

Katima Mulilo - Three individuals, Nyambe Calvin Matomola, John Mwelwa, and Nziye Lusinyize, have been brought before the Katima Mulilo Magistrate's Court for alleged possession of controlled wildlife products. The trio was apprehended with a total of 39 elephant tusks, leading to their court appearance on Tuesday. Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, revealed that Matomola, along with seven Zambian nationals, was caught with 24 tusks after smuggling them into Namibia via the Zambezi Region.

Tuesday, 23 January 2024
2024. No trade, no killing - An evaluation of China's ivory ban on elephant poaching.
The debate on whether legalization or prohibition is more effective in conserving species and curbing illicit black-market trade remains controversial, with insufficient evidence available. Here we investigate the effects of China's ivory ban on elephant poaching. We find that the enaction of the total ivory ban corresponds with a sharp 50% decrease in poaching and a significant reduction of the number of seizure cases.
Friday, 19 January 2024
2024. Mozambican national arrested for wildlife tracking: A global challenge.

In a crucial operation towards wildlife protection, a Mozambican national has been arrested at Namwera, Mangochi, charged with the illegal possession of a protected wildlife species. The arrest, a serious violation of section 110(b) of the National Parks and Wildlife Act, signifies the ongoing fight against wildlife trafficking, a crime increasingly crossing national boundaries and threatening global biodiversity. Caught in the act was 26-year-old Moses Paul Banda, a Mozambican citizen.

Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Mangirazi N 2024. Zimbabwe: Trio arrested for poaching.
Three Hurungwe men who captured themselves on camera killing an elephant using traditional weapons and dogs yesterday appeared before Kariba magistrate accused of hunting or removing any animal or part of the animal in a safari area without a permit. Francis Chigomararwa (30), Simeon Kezias (23) and Arthur Murimbika (24) all from Nyamakate area are also facing another charge of killing a buffalo.The accused were unlucky when a video went viral of them killing an elephant after setting their dogs on it before attacking it using spears and axes.
Tuesday, 16 January 2024
Mangirazi N 2024. Trio arrested for poaching.

Three Hurungwe men who captured themselves on camera killing an elephant using traditional weapons and dogs yesterday appeared before Kariba magistrate accused of hunting or removing any animal or part of the animal in a safari area without a permit. Francis Chigomararwa (30), Simeon Kezias (23) and Arthur Murimbika (24) all from Nyamakate area are also facing another charge of killing a buffalo.The accused were unlucky when a video went viral of them killing an elephant after setting their dogs on it before attacking it using spears and axes.

Tuesday, 16 January 2024
Ombati C 2024. Policeman among two arrested with elephant tusks in Nairobi.

The police constable and a civilian had been arrested in Nairobi West and Eastleigh with the cargo on Sunday. They had tried to sell the trophies to Kenya Wildlife Service ocials who had posed as potential buyers.

Tuesday, 2 January 2024
2024. Botswana, Namibia in joint elephant poaching investigation.

Botswana and Namibia have embarked on a joint investigation into the increased incidents of elephant poaching in the northern part of Botswana. "The country (Botswana) experienced a surge in elephant poaching incidents during November and December 2023," Lesego Kgomanyane, the spokesperson for Botswana's Ministry of Environment and Tourism, told Xinhua over the telephone, noting that the development has shone the light on the apparent increase in poaching of elephants in northern Botswana.

Tuesday, 25 August 2020
Kooper L 2020. Zambian nabbed for ivory, pangolin scales.

A twenty-year-old Zambian man was arrested on Sunday in the Zambezi region after he was found in possession of one elephant tusk and 81 pangolin scales.

Tuesday, 18 August 2020
Smit E 2020. Officials get 'teeth' to identify trafficked ivory.

A comprehensive new guide has been published to assist law enforcement agencies to identify trafficked ivory. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) secretariat, TRAFFIC and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have published the Identification Guide for Ivory and Ivory Substitutes. It is a comprehensive and accessible resource for identifying the most commonly found ivories and artificial substitutes used for trade.

Friday, 14 August 2020
2020. Three in court after found in possession of US$11 395 ivory.

Three men suspected to be part of a poaching syndicate that has been illegally hunting elephants for their ivory at the Hwange National Park and Binga district both in Matabeleland North have been arrested after being found in possession of ivory worth US$11 395. Enos Mudenda (35) of Mankonkole village under Chief Saba in Binga, Joseph Ngwenya (32) of Siantele village in Chief Shana area in Hwange and Mark Sibanda (38) of Bulawayo’s Mahatshula suburb appeared before Hwange magistrate Sekai Chiwundura to answer to a charge of illegal possession of elephant ivory.

Friday, 14 August 2020
Kapembwa F 2020. Zambia wants to sell US$100m ivory.

Zambia is exploring the possibility of domestically selling its US$100 million ivory stockpile.

Thursday, 13 August 2020
Minutaglio R 2020. This all-female army protects elephants from poachers in Zimbabwe.

In Zimbabwe, where an estimated 85,000 elephants live, the fight to save vulnerable species isn’t just a full-time job-it's a lifeline. Among Zimbabwe's most dedicated anti-poachers are the Akashinga women, a radical all-female unit that patrols five former trophy hunting reserves for illegal activity. The highly-trained, quasi-military troop is an arm of the nonprofit International Anti-Poaching Foundation.

Thursday, 13 August 2020
Shikongo A 2020. Elephant, pangolin crimes still highest.

More than half of 363 suspects arrested for animal poaching or trafficking in 2020 were apprehended for crimes involving high-value animal species. This includes rhino, elephant and pangolin, according to the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.

Wednesday, 12 August 2020
2020. Five countries unite against wildlife crime. The five Partner States of the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) - Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe - have joined forces to defend their borders against those who seek to deprive the region of its natural beauty and resources.
Tuesday, 11 August 2020
2020. Twee met ivoor, velle vasgetrek.

Twee vermeende wildmisdadigers, mnr. Gabriel Kuutondokwa Nalitje en David Simon, is verlede Maandag in Windhoek glo met drie stukke ivoor en een elk luiperd- en ietermagôvel vasgetrek.

Two suspected wildlife criminals, Mr. Gabriel Kuutondokwa Nalitje and David Simon, were allegedly caught last Monday in Windhoek with three pieces of ivory and one each leopard and pangolin skin.

Saturday, 8 August 2020
2020. Namibia: Rhino poaching falls by more than 60 percent.

Windhoek says intensified intelligence operations by authorities and tougher sentences for poachers led to the drop. Rhino poaching fell 63 percent year-on-year in Namibia, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism has said citing intensified intelligence operations by authorities and tougher sentences and fines for poachers. Elephant poaching, which occurs to a lesser extent, also decreased with two incidents reported this year compared with 13 in 2019, the ministry said.

Saturday, 8 August 2020
2020. Zimbabweans arrested on suspicion of selling ivory.

Three Zimbabwean nationals were on Thursday remanded in custody after they were arrested by the the Hawks in Johannesburg while allegedly selling an elephant tusk.

Friday, 7 August 2020
2020. Trio who tried to sell an elephant tusk arrested (South Africa).
Thursday, 6 August 2020
Smit E 2020. N$5.5m for wildlife protection.

The Game Product Trust Fund (GPTF) has become increasingly important in protecting wildlife due to a lack of funding from government. The GPTF has committed funding of more than N$5.58 million to several activities in the environment and tourism sector during the 2018/19 financial year. This information is contained in the Environmental Investment Fund (EIF) of Namibia 2018/19 annual report that has just been made public. "The GPTF's role has become more important than ever. It has stepped in and filled the void that has been left by a lack of funding from the government.

Wednesday, 5 August 2020
2020. 17 rhinos and two elephants poached since January.

The country has been robbed of 17 rhinos and two elephants through poaching activities since the January, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said this week.

Tuesday, 4 August 2020
Steynberg F 2020. Namibië tweede beste in wildbewaring.

Namibië is as die tweede beste land in wildbewaring op die Megafauna Conservation Index (MCI) aangewys. Buurland Botswana is as die wenner uit 152 lande gekroon.

Namibia was named the second best country in wildlife conservation on the Megafauna Conservation Index (MCI). Neighboring Botswana was crowned the winner from 152 countries.

Tuesday, 4 August 2020
Matengo D 2020. Namibia loses 17 rhinos, 2 elephants to poaching since January.

Namibia has lost 17 rhinos and two elephants to poaching since the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said Tuesday.

Monday, 3 August 2020
Baatweng V 2020. Botswana anti-poaching unit returns to arms.

Two years after making international headlines by disarming its anti-poaching unit, Botswana is preparing
to give game rangers back their guns. Information from the government enclave suggest that the Attorney General chambers is already drafting a new piece of legislation that will facilitate re-arming of the anti-poaching unit.

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