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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A six-year jail sentence for a man who smuggled 1 100 Emperor scorpions, 42 Bell's hingeback tortoises and a water lizard. Seventeen years imprisonment for elephant poachers in the Kruger National Park. A 10-year jail sentence for a pangolin poacher.
There is growing concern that Nigeria, in recent years, has become a primary transit hub for several illicit wildlife and forest products.
Poaching syndicates are recruiting vulnerable villagers in Zimbabwe's animal corridors to kill animals such as elephants for their ivory and to find markets, even on the streets, it has emerged. Police in areas such as Hwange, Kamativi and Victoria Falls in Matabeleland North have in recent months arrested people found trying to sell pieces of ivory on the streets. Conservationists say most of the locals arrested were people that were exploited by cunning syndicates, including some run by Zambian nationals, and they often lacked knowledge about wildlife crimes.
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ZIM_2022_08_Poaching syndicates trap vulnerable villagers_Small_The Standard.pdf | 320.45 KB |
The Gabonese authorities have just arrested an alleged wildlife trafficker. The latter was caught in the act of holding and selling about twenty kilograms of ivory. In Gabon, elephants are protected by the wildlife law in force.
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GAB_2022_08_Alleged ivory trafficker arrested in Fougamou_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 131.6 KB |
New York - A U.S. judge sentenced a Liberian man to 63 months in prison for conspiring to traffic millions of dollars’ worth of horns and ivory from endangered rhinoceros and elephants, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
Despite huge seizures, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is still battling smugglers from China, Vietnam and some South East Asian countries using Nigerian ports and porous borders as transit hub for the transshipment of pangolin scales and ivory. Shipments of pangolin scales intercepted and reported by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) between 2010 and September 2021 has been put at 190,407 kilogrammes. It was gathered that some seizures in ports of Hong Kong, China, Vietnam and other parts of South East Asia valued at $1.5 billion were traced to Nigeria.
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NIG_2022_08_Breaking yoke of illegal wildlife trafficking_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 228.58 KB |
The police in the Zambezi region have urged public assistance to trace a suspected poacher for arrest. The suspect allegedly fatally shot the elephant bull on Monday, 15 August, and the community members of Batubaja Village made the discovery. It was further reported that the elephant was shot and died in Batubaja area. The incident is believed to have occurred at around 15h00 in the afternoon. No suspect has been arrested so far, and the investigation is at an advanced stage.
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NAM_2022_08_Suspected poaching leaves Zambezi elephant dead_Eagle FM.pdf | 407.05 KB |
A Gokwe man has been nabbed after he was found in possession of an elephant tusk following a tip off by members of the public.
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ZIM_2022_08_Man arrested after being found in possession of elephant tusk_The Chronicle.pdf | 329.23 KB |
Despite international agreements to combat illegal wildlife trade, poaching and trafficking is booming. Governments are meeting Wednesday in Botswana to evaluate current measures. As illegal wildlife activity reaches alarmingly high levels worldwide, governments are meeting in Kasane, Botswana, Wednesday to discuss the success of current measures against poaching and wildlife trafficking.
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AFR_2022_08_Illegal wildlife trade_DW.pdf | 530.64 KB |
Two men from Zvishavane and their friend from Goromonzi appeared in court yesterday on allegations of illegally possessing four pieces of raw Ivory worth US$6 426 they intended to trade in Harare.
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ZIM_2022_08_Trio intercepted with four pieces of ivory_The Herald.pdf | 783.95 KB |
In Victoria Falls, police have arrested Listed Munkuli (35), Kudakwashe Ndlovu (31), Darlington Moyo (35) and Simon Nyoni (45) for unlawful possession of ivory at Mhizha Turn-off in the Matsetsi area. Two elephant tasks totalling 4,28kg, 15 lion claws and four lion teeth were recovered from the suspects. In another case, police and Zimbabwe National Parks Management Authority rangers, acting on a tip-off, arrested Evidence Moyo (22) for poaching. The suspect trapped and killed a male buffalo in the bush near the Victoria Falls dump site.
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ZIM_2022_08_Robber poachers arrested_The Herald.pdf | 230.53 KB |
Ahmed is wanted in the U.S after he was charged in an indictment alongside Moazu Kromah, aka "Ayoub," Amara Cherif, aka "Bamba Issiaka," and Mansur Mohamed Surur, aka "Mansour," for participating in a conspiracy to traffic in Rhinoceros horns and Elephant ivory, both protected wildlife species, valued at more than 7 million dollars. This involved the illegal poaching of more than 35 rhinoceros and more than 100 elephants.
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KEN_2022_08_Second Fugitive on US Most Wanted List arrested in Meru_Capital News.pdf | 1.17 MB |
Drei Männer, die des illegalen Besitzes und Handels mit zwei Elefantenstoßzähnen im Wert von etwa 104 000 N$ im Jahr 2019 in Walvis Bay angeklagt waren, wurden am vergangenen Mittwoch von der Swakopmunder Bezirksrichterin Gaynor Poulton in allen Punkten freigesprochen.
Three men charged with illegally possessing and trafficking two elephant tusks worth around N$104,000 in Walvis Bay in 2019 were acquitted on all counts by Swakopmund District Judge Gaynor Poulton last Wednesday.
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NAM_2022_08_Verdaechtige Freigesprochen-Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 461.36 KB |
NAM_2022_08_Suspect aquitted_Allgemiene Zeitung_ENG.pdf | 457.42 KB |
In diesem Jahr wurden laut des Umweltministeriums (MEFT) 33 Nashörner gewildert, davon sind 24 Spitzmaulnashörner und neun Breitmaulnashörner. "Es wurden neun Nashörner auf Farmen unter Treuhandverwaltung gewildert, weitere neun auf privaten Farmen und 15 im Etoscha-Nationalpark", so die Erklärung des Umweltministeriums. Namibia verzeichnete demnach 44 gewilderte Nashörner in 2021, 42 in 2020, 57 in 2019, 83 in 2018 und 55 in 2017.
Three men accused of smuggling with elephant tusks in Walvis Bay in 2019, were acquitted of all charges in the Swakopmund's regional court.
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NAM_2022_08_Three men aquitted of elephant tusk smuggling_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 452.04 KB |
Until an illegal wildlife trade report was published in May 2015, Malawi's role in one of the world's largest transnational organised crimes was largely unknown. The landlocked southeast African nation - bordered by countries with large wildlife populations - was revealed to be a major trafficking hub for ivory, pangolin scales, rhino horn and other illegal wildlife commodities. Malawi's weak identification and enforcement systems were being systematically exploited by criminals to export their products to China, Vietnam and other demand countries. In response…
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Malawi_2020-10_Illegal wildlife trade_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 828.61 KB |
Patrol groups of the paramilitary National Anti-Poaching Squad have arrested 27 people on suspicions of being involved in a series of poaching incidents in the past 10 months in the Moyowosi and Uvinza game reserves of Kigoma region.
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TAN_2020-10_Anti_poaching squad ropes in 27 suspects_IPP media.pdf | 358.58 KB |
"We've gone 12 months without an elephant being shot and killed by poachers at Mana Pools National Park, which is a huge result." For Nick Murray, a conservationist born in Pontypridd, this result has followed years of hard work. Nick now runs a conservation project with his wife Desiree covering the Lower Zambezi Valley of Zimbabwe, an area of 10,000 sq km (3,800 sq miles).
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ZIM_2020-10_Elephants My mission to stop poachers in Zimbabwe_New Zimbabwe.pdf | 502.55 KB |
Pangolins are the most poached and trafficked animal species in Namibia, crime statistics show. A total of 174 wildlife crime cases involving high-value species were registered last year and more than 360 suspects were arrested. According to the 2019/2020 annual progress report of the environment ministry, 92 of these cases related to pangolin, 54 related to elephants, 32 related to rhinos and 17 to conspiracy to poach rhinos.
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NAM_2020-10_363 arrested for wildlife crimes in 2019_Namibian Sun.pdf | 405.29 KB |
Despite COVID-19 bringing global travel to a standstill, Wilderness Safaris has rearmed its dedication to conserving and restoring Africa’s wilderness by continuing to support vital conservation projects in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. This included a recent donation from Wilderness Safaris' Sustainability Fund to support the operating costs of the Scorpion Anti-Poaching Unit (SAPU) until end December 2020.
Six suspects have been arrested in connection with wildlife crimes and two new cases were registered last week. Three of the suspects were arrested for elephant poaching and one suspect was arrested for rhino poaching. According to information provided by the intelligence and investigation unit in the environment ministry and the protected resources unit in the safety and security ministry, three illegal wildlife products were confiscated. At Mukwe in the Kavango East Region, three Namibians were arrested on 22 September for being in possession of two elephant tusks.
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NAM_2020-10_Six arrested for wildlife crimes_Namibian Sun.pdf | 300.43 KB |