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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.

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Displaying results 1 - 13 of 13
Friday, 29 November 2024
2024. Mysterious mass elephant die-off 'probably caused by toxic water'.

Satellite data analysis suggests climate-induced algal blooms could be behind hundreds of deaths in Botswana that sparked flurry of theories in 2020More than 350 elephants that died in mysterious circumstances probably drank toxic water, according to a new paper that warns of an "alarming trend" in climate-induced poisoning.The deaths in Botswana's Okavango delta were described by scientists as a "conservation disaster". Elephants of all ages were seen walking in circles before collapsing and dying.

Thursday, 28 November 2024
Mukube I 2024. New community courts to advance restorative justice - Dausab.

The minister said the court enables the swift prosecution for offenses such as wildlife trafficking, illegal logging and pollution, aligning with national and international efforts to safeguard the environment.

Thursday, 21 November 2024
Koro E 2024. U.S. Appeals Court's decision on ivory, Rhino horn sales may signal reopening of international trade.
U.S. Appeals Court's decision on ivory, Rhino horn sales may signal reopening of international trade.
Thursday, 14 November 2024
Smit E 2024. Africa's elephants in need.

A study has found that data collected over a period of 53 years on elephant populations in Africa show that a dramatic decline in elephant populations has been recorded over the period. This study concludes that habitat loss and poaching are the reason for the dramatic decline in African elephants. However, the study, "Survey based inference of continental African elephant decline," published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that it was difficult to measure the numbers for the entire continent and to monitor changes accurately.

Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Odindo N 2024. Kenya: 2 Tanzanians arrested for alleged smuggling of tusks valued at KSh 3.3m.

Police officers from Mtwapa Police Station, along with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers, have arrested two Tanzanian nationals allegedly involved in the illegal ivory trade. Paul Kuya and Paul Telek were nabbed from their hideout in Majengo, Mtwapa. The suspects, identified as Paul Kuya (36) and Paul Telek (29), were apprehended in a hideout in the Majengo area of Mtwapa, where authorities uncovered eleven elephant tusks weighing 32.924 kilograms. How did officers recover the tusks? The tusks, valued at KSh 3.3 million, were packed in nylon sacks and concealed in three…

Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Dasgupta S 2024. African elephants declining - but some areas show promise.

Across the African continent, elephant populations have largely declined over the past several decades, but some areas show hopeful signs of recovery, according to a new study. Researchers have monitored the numbers of forest and savanna elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis, L. africana) in different parts of Africa since the 1960s. However, few stud ies have compiled all the survey data collected over decades, across the continent, George Wittemyer, study co-author and conservation biologist at Colorado State University, U.S., told Mongabay by email.

Monday, 11 November 2024
2024. 53 years of survey data confirm African elephant decline.

Habitat loss and poaching have driven dramatic declines in African elephants, but it is challengingto measure their numbers and monitor changes across the entire continent. A new study hasanalyzed 53 years of population survey data and found large-scale declines in most populations ofboth species of African elephants. From 1964–2016, forest elephant populations decreased on average by 90%, and savanna elephantpopulations fell on average by 70%. In combination, populations declined by 77% on average.

Monday, 19 October 2020
Ledger E 2020. Stop The Illegal Wildlife Trade: The detection dogs sniffing out wildlife crime (Malawi).

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…

Monday, 19 October 2020
Nkwame M 2020. Anti-poaching squad ropes in 27 suspects.

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.

Sunday, 18 October 2020
2020. Elephants: 'My mission to stop poachers in Zimbabwe'.

"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).

Tuesday, 13 October 2020
Smit E 2020. 363 arrested for wildlife crimes in 2019.

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.

Saturday, 3 October 2020
2020. Wilderness Safaris supports Scorpion Anti-Poaching Unit in Hwangwe.

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.

Thursday, 1 October 2020
Smit E 2020. Six arrested for wildlife crimes.

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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