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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 - 33 of 33
Thursday, 30 November 2023
Gaveni K 2023. Two arrested in possession of elephant tusks and pangolin scales.

Two men were arrested in possession of two elephant tusks and five pangolin scales at Magunje Growth Point.

Tuesday, 28 November 2023
Smit E 2023. 24 elephant tusks confiscated.

A total of 24 elephant tusks were confiscated, while one suspect was arrested and seven others fled the scene when their car was searched last Friday in the Zambezi Region. According to the environment ministry, the police, the defence force and ministry officials searched vehicles as part of an intelligence-led operation in pursuit of a syndicate of Zambian nationals who were embarking on transnational poaching of elephants in neighbouring Botswana using Zambezi as a transit root. It said security operatives intercepted the vehicle used to transport elephant tusks.

Monday, 27 November 2023
2023. 24 elephant tusks seized in undercover operation in Namibia.

Namibian authorities seized 24 elephant tusks in an intelligence-led operation by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT) and security officials targeting a Zambian syndicate involved in transnational elephant poaching in Botswana through the Zambezi region.

Monday, 27 November 2023
Kooper L 2023. Zambezi police make another elephant tusk bust.

Zambezi regional police arrested two Zambian nationals for possession of 15 elephant tusks in the Kapani area of the Linyanti constituency on Sunday. The two Zambian nationals, aged 29 and 32, were part of a group of seven, however,

Monday, 27 November 2023
Steffen F 2023. Sambische Elefantenwilderer festgenommen.

Laut Polizeibericht wurden Elefantenstoßzähne beschlagnahmt, ein Verdächtiger festgenommen und sieben weiteren Verdächtigten gelang es, zu flüchten, nachdem Polizisten und Mitglieder der Anti-Wilderei-Einheit des Umweltministeriums sowie namibische Soldaten ein Fahrzeug anhielten, das unter Verdacht stand, in den Schmuggel von Wildtierprodukten verwickelt zu sein. Der Vorfall ereignete sich früh am vergangenen Freitag. Der Einsatz war die Folge von eingegangenen Informationen, die zur Verfolgung sambischer Staatsangehöriger führte.

Sunday, 26 November 2023
Amutenja H-M 2023. Zambian poachers flee as officials confiscate 24 elephant tusks.

In an operation led by Members of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT), in collaboration with the Namibian Police (Nampol) and Namibian Defense Force (NDF), 24 elephant tusks were confiscated during an early morning interception on Friday in the Zambezi region.

Sunday, 26 November 2023
Iyambo S 2023. Suspect arrested, 24 elephant tusks confiscated in Zambezi.

One suspect has been arrested while seven suspects fled from the scene after officials discovered 24 elephant tusks in a car at Katima Mulilo on Friday.

Sunday, 26 November 2023
Smit E 2023.  24 elephant tusks confiscated.

A total of 24 elephant tusks were confiscated, while one suspect was arrested and seven others fled the scene when their car were searched on Friday in the Zambezi Region. According to the environment ministry, members of the ministry, the police and the defence force were searching vehicles as part of an intelligence-led operation in pursuit of a syndicate of Zambian nationals who were embarking on transnational poaching of elephants in neighbouring Botswana using the Zambezi Region as a transit root.

Sunday, 26 November 2023
Smit E 2023. 24 Elefantenstosszähne beschlagnahmt.

Insgesamt wurden 24 Elefantenstoßzähne beschlagnahmt, während ein Verdächtiger verhaftet wurde und sieben weitere bei der Durchsuchung ihrer Fahrzeuge am Freitag in der Sambesi-Region flüchteten.

A total of 24 elephant tusks were seized while one suspect was arrested and seven others escaped during searches of their vehicles in the Zambezi region on Friday.

Friday, 24 November 2023
McCain N 2023. Locking horns with crooks: Wildlife crime on the rise in Southern Africa, driven by poaching in SA.

The consequences for local ecosystems and communities are serious, [including the] deterioration of natural capital, social stability and cohesion; extinction of animal species; and erosion of sustainable economic development. South Africa is home to the world's largest rhino population and is a key source for the illicit supply chain. In the first six months of this year, 231 rhinos were killed in South African game reserves. Of these, 143 were in KwaZulu-Natal.

Friday, 24 November 2023
2023. Zambezi police investigate poaching of elephants.

Police in the Zambezi Region apprehended a 37-year-old man found in possession of 24 elephant tusks during a joint operation with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism last night. The tusks are alleged to have come from Botswana, where the elephants were poached, and entered Namibia through the Batubaja Area in Linyanti Constituency. All 24 tusks were found loaded into a vehicle with an expired disc licence driven by a suspect who was allegedly called to provide transport after the car in which they were transported initially ran out of fuel.

Wednesday, 22 November 2023
Siamilandu O 2023. Traditional leaders condemn poaching.

Traditional leaders in Kariba district have condemned wildlife poaching in the area, adding that the crime was detrimental to the development of tourism in the district. Kariba's tourism is anchored on wildlife, hence the need for conservation, but despite a significant drop in elephant poaching, the practice was rampant among other smaller animals.

Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Ombati C 2023. Kenya: Two arrested with 77kgs of elephant tusks worth Sh12m in Samburu.

Two men were on Tuesday arrested while trafficking 36 pieces of elephant tusks weighing 77 kilogrammes valued at Sh12 million in Maralal, Samburu county.

Thursday, 9 November 2023
Bisong EM 2023. Conservationists applaud Nigeria's action to confront illegal wildlife trade.

Nigerian environmental activists have hailed the federal government's decision to publicly destroy a sizable amount of wildlife products that were seized, such as crocodile skins, pangolin scales, leopard skins, and python skins, as a clear indication of the end of an era marked by various forms of impunity against the safekeeping of wildlife.

Monday, 6 November 2023
Chaco S 2023. Wildlife crimes in Cameroon: Prosecution needs to be bolstered as poaching remains a menace despite measures.

Cameroon ranked seventh out of 29 African nations in terms of being a source or transit point for illegal wildlife trafficking (IWT) during the decade spanning from 2009 to 2019, according to a new report. This is despite the measures taken by the law enforcement to curb the menace as increased involvement from the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF), CITES authorities and various other stakeholders, according to the report titled Analysis of Wildlife Court Cases in Cameroon: Jan 2010-Dec 2022. The most frequently…

Sunday, 5 November 2023
Trujillo MA 2023. Zambian nationals arrested in Malawi for illegal ivory possession.

In a dramatic development in Mzimba, Malawi, two Zambian nationals have been apprehended by the police on allegations of illegal possession of raw ivory. The arrests took place at Engalaweni in the district.

Friday, 3 November 2023
Soodyal N 2023. Man nabbed for selling elephant tusk in Durban.

In Durban, a team comprising the Hawks and KZN Economic Infrastructure Task Team caught a man selling an elephant tusk. The 62-year-old was arrested in Greenwood Park. Police say the horn, which weighed some four-and-a-half-kilos, is estimated to be worth R2 million

Thursday, 2 November 2023
2023. South Africa: Men sentenced for illegal possession of elephant tusks in Gauteng.

The accused were arrested on November 16, 2022, by the officers from Benoni K9 with the assistance of the Pretoria K9 after they were found in possession of three elephant tusks (ivory) at Oriental Plaza Burna.

Wednesday, 27 January 2021
2021. Nigeria Customs intercepts huge haul of pangolin scales, ivory.

Authorities put the value of the seizure at N952million and say the items were headed to Vietnam. Mohammed Abba-Kura, Customs Comptroller, said at a media briefing on Tuesday in Lagos that the items were contained in a one-unit 20-feet container with number CSLU 2362640 heading to Haiphong, Vietnam. He said the items, falsely declared as furniture, comprised 162 sacks of pangolin scales weighing 8,800kg and 57 sacks of mixed endangered species of various sizes such as ivory/animal horns, lion bones and others.

Tuesday, 26 January 2021
Maromo J 2021. Bail denied for trio arrested for being in possession of elephant tusks.

Pretoria - Three men arrested by the police in Limpopo as they attempted to sell elephant tusks valued at R168 000 to undercover law enforcement officers were on Monday denied bail by the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court. Limpopo police provincial spokesperson Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said the trio were arrested on Friday at Savannah Mall and were allegedly in possession of elephant tusks.

Tuesday, 26 January 2021
Smit E 2021. Inside the mind of a wildlife crime offender: National parks are the prime hunting grounds for convicted poachers serving time in Namibian prisons, a new study has found.

It reveals how some offenders identified the Zambezi Region, which lies within the Kavango-Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), as the local hub for trading of wildlife products. Kongola, Rundu, and Windhoek were also implicated as local locations for transit or sale of wildlife products, while Bwabwata, Mudumu, Nkasa Rupara, and Etosha National Parks were identified as the sources for elephant, lion, and rhino products.

Tuesday, 26 January 2021
Jacobs S 2021. Kenyan national faces indictment in New York on charges of peddling elephant tusks and rhino horns, harming more than 100 endangered animals.

A Kenyan man accused in a multimillion-dollar operation to deal rhinoceros horns and ivory from elephant tusks - harming more than 100 endangered animals - arrived in the city Monday morning after being extradited to face charges of conspiracy to commit wildlife trafcking and other counts.

Sunday, 24 January 2021
2021. Kenya - Two men jailed for 5 years for possession of elephant tusks.

Two men were sentenced to five years imprisonment or a fine of Ksh. 1million each for being in possession of elephant tusks. A joint security team comprising of police and officers from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) recovered the tusks weighing 28.5 kilograms. The tusks were found to be worth Ksh. 2.85 million.

Saturday, 23 January 2021
2021. Polokwane: Undercover cops arrest trio for possession of elephant tusks.

The police on Friday arrested three suspects for possession of elephant tusks worth over R100 000. The suspects were arrested at a local mall during an undercover operation which was conducted by the police together with the Endangered Species Unit in Limpopo, K9 unit, Crime Intelligence, LEDET and KNP ECI .

Friday, 22 January 2021
Mukpo A 2021. Nigeria and Congo becoming major hubs for ivory and pangolin smuggling.

Increased political buy-in for law enforcement and interdiction efforts at ports in East Africa have pushed wildlife smuggling westward to Nigeria. Between 1998 and 2014, the top two countries associated with ivory seizures were Tanzania and Kenya. Since 2014, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo have overtaken them. Corruption at the ports, the involvement of influential politicians, and rural poverty make Nigeria an aractive waypoint for smugglers.

Tuesday, 19 January 2021
Roodt M 2021. South Africa: Four arrested for illegal possession of ivory tusks in Randgate.

The Randfontein Police working under the West Rand District Police together with the West Rand K9 unit arrested four male suspects for illegal possession of ivory on Friday, 15 January. According to Captain Mavela Masondo, Provincial Police spokesperson, the four suspects, aged between 29 and 37 were arrested in the parking area of the Randgate Library.

Tuesday, 19 January 2021
2021. Court sends 51-year old man to 7 years in jail with hard labour for illegal ivory possession.

The Chinsali subordinate court has sentenced a 51-year-old poacher to seven years imprisonment with hard labour for unlawful possession of 9.5 kilogrammes (kg) of ivory.

Monday, 18 January 2021
2021. Three Bulawayo men arrested for ivory possession.

Police in Bulawayo last week arrested three men after they were found in possession of five pieces of ivory.

Friday, 15 January 2021
Leuschner E 2021. Woman nabbed with ivory.

A 50-year-old woman was arrested in Walvis Bay after being found in possession of two elephant tusks. According to Erongo police spokesperson Erastus Iikuyu, the arrest took place on Monday at around 19:00 during a police raid in Robert Forbes Street. He couldn't say what the ivory was valued at. The woman faces charges of violating the law on controlled wildlife products and trade.

Wednesday, 13 January 2021
Hartman A 2021. Woman in court over elephant tusks.

A 50-year-old woman appeared in the Walvis Bay Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for possessing two elephant tusks. Karina Cloete was arrested at the harbour town on Monday after police got a tip that she had the tusks. She was charged under the provisions of the Controlled Wildlife Products and Trade Act. She was granted bail of N$10 000 and her case was postponed to 10 February this year to allow for further police investigations.

Friday, 8 January 2021
2021. Namibia sees steady downward trend in rhino and elephant poaching.

Namibia saw a continued downward trend in rhino and elephant poaching last year after stepping up patrols and sharply increasing fines, the government said on Thursday. Citing intensified intelligence operations by authorities and collaboration between the government and the private sector, environment ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said 30 rhinos had been poached last year compared with 50 in 2019 and 79 in 2018. Only 11 elephants were lost to poachers in 2020 compared with 13 a year earlier.

Tuesday, 5 January 2021
Guy J 2021. Elephant ivory still being sold on eBay despite 12-year ban.

Elephant ivory is still being sold on eBay despite the online marketplace introducing a ban more than a decade ago, researchers have found. Sellers are misrepresenting the materials used in certain items and sometimes using "code words" to disguise illicit listings, researchers from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at the University of Kent, in England, said in a statement on Monday. In 2008, eBay announced it was introducing a global ban on the sale of ivory starting on January 1, 2009. "Despite eBay's strict policy on…

Friday, 1 January 2021
Prinsloo D, Riley-Smith S, Newton D 2021. Trading years for wildlife - An investigation into wildlife crime from the perspectives of offenders in Namibia.

Commercial and subsistence poaching in protected areas is on the rise. The extent of loss sustained by Namibia on account of the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) is not reliably quantified (Anon., 2017). Wildlife populations for some of Namibia’s most iconic species - African Elephant Loxodonta africana, and Black Rhinoceros Diceros bicornis - are currently under threat due to IWT, and increased poaching in recent years is damaging their otherwise healthy populations.

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