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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 - 18 of 18
Friday, 16 December 2022
Salaton A 2022. Kenya: State puts Mara poachers on notice.

The government has put poachers at the Maasai Mara game reserve on notice after it emerged that five elephants and three giraffes were killed under mysterious circumstances over the past two months. Narok County Commissioner Isaac Masinde while addressing the Jamhuri day celebrations at Oldekesi Secondary School in Narok West Sub County said the three giraffes had their reproductive organs chopped off raising suspicion over the intention of the poachers.

Wednesday, 14 December 2022
2022. Wildlife trafficker sentenced to 57 months for large-scale trafficking of rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory.

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Amara Cherif, a/k/a "Bamba Issiaka," a citizen of Guinea, was sentenced to 57 months for conspiring to traffic in millions of dollars in rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory, both endangered wildlife species, which involved the illegal poaching of more than approximately 35 rhinoceros and more than 100 elephants. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods.

Saturday, 3 December 2022
Fukiady T 2022. Illegal hunting in Quiçama is spurred on by traffickers with financial power.

Quiçama Park administrator denounces that individuals with money have "encouraged" poachers. Lack of personnel and transport cited as a reason for poor enforcement. Park has just over 100 staff, but needs at least 600. In 2021, the Government presented a project to stop poaching in the country.

Friday, 2 December 2022
Mkwanda N 2022. Malawi: Zambian national gets 15 years prison sentence in MK53 million wildlife crime.

Senior Resident Magistrate Wanangwa Nyirenda on Thursday, December 1st 2022, sentenced Zambian national Kelby Roy Malambo to 15 years imprisonment with hard labour for the three charges he faced in the MK53m wildlife crime case involving elephant ivory.

Thursday, 1 December 2022
Smit E 2022. Stropery - 106 die jaar gearresteer.

Altesaam 106 verdagtes is vanjaar vir stropery in hegtenis geneem. Intussen maak rolspelers gereed om wildbeskerming en wetstoepassingspogings teen wildmisdaad in Namibië hierdie feesseisoen op te skerp. Van hierdie 106 is 44 vir renosterstropery en 62 verdagtes vir olifantstropery in hegtenis geneem. Die ministerie van die omgewing, bosbou en toerisme se woordvoerder, mnr. Romeo Muyunda, het gesê wat ontstellend is, is dat 93 van dié verdagtes Namibiërs is - 'n groep wat volgens die ministerie die voortou in die stryd teen stropery behoort te neem.

Thursday, 1 December 2022
Naidoo D 2022. Suspected poacher nabbed with two elephant tusks.

A 39-year-old man is expected to appear before the Calcutta Magistrate's Court in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, today after he was arrested by the Nelspruit Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation, the White River K9 Unit and Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Authority.

Friday, 26 February 2021
Kamugisha L 2021. Uganda: One arrested in unlawful possession of wildlife pieces.

The Criminal Investigations Department of police has conrmed to the arrest of David Kisitu, a suspect that has been on the run since December 2020, on charges of possession of prohibited wildlife species. Authorities from the Wildlife Centre equate the trunks [sic] to 22 kgs of Ivory. Wildlife trafcking has over the years become a lucrative transnational crime and Uganda Police has since joined global efforts in ensuring that this illegal wildlife trade is curtailed.

Wednesday, 24 February 2021
Steynberg F 2021. 'Geen personeel betrokke by stropery'.

Die ministerie van die omgewing, bosbou en toerisme het bevestig dat geen van sy personeel by wildstropery betrokke was nie en stropery het in nasionale parke afgeneem. Die woordvoerder, mnr. Romeo Muyunda, sê volgens die ondersoek na die vuurwapens wat in die Etosha Nasionale Park gekonfiskeer en vir ballistiese toetse gestuur is, is geen personeellid aan enige stroperysaak verbind nie. Die hoof van die Blue Rhino-taakspan, komm. Barry de Klerk, het dit aan Republikein bevestig.

Tuesday, 23 February 2021
2021. Five arrested in possession of ivory, live pangolin in Northern Uganda.

Five suspects have been arrested for illegal possession of ivory and a live Pangolin. They were arrested in separate operations conducted on Sunday by the Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA and the Uganda Police in Lira and Agago Districts.

Friday, 19 February 2021
Marriah-Maharaj J 2021. Six nabbed with elephant tusks in Durban.

An intelligence-driven operation by the Hawks has resulted in the arrest of six suspects caught with elephant tusks in Durban. Police said the suspects, aged between 27 and 40, face charges for contravening the National Environmental Management of the Biodiversity Act.

Friday, 19 February 2021
Smit E 2021. No environment ministry staff implicated in poaching.

The environment ministry has confirmed that thus far no ministry staff have been linked to rhino poaching cases in Namibia, while rhino poaching has declined in national parks over the years. Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said confiscated rifles from staff in the Etosha National Park and ballistic tests conducted is an investigation with the police and, so far, no staff member has been linked to any poaching case. "Should there be any such case, we will take action including criminal charges against that staff member."

Thursday, 11 February 2021
Steynberg F 2021. Wildstropery in 2020 grootliks vasgevat.

Wildstropery het in 2020 ’n afname getoon, met altesaam 31 renosters en elf olifante wat gestroop is en 654 vermeende wildstropers wat vasgetrek is. Die 654 verdagtes bestaan uit 597 Namibiërs, 26 Zambiërs, 22 Angolese, een elk uit Botswana en Zimbabwe asook sewe ander burgers wat betrokke is by 308 wildmisdaadsake wat in 2020 aanhangig gemaak is.

Tuesday, 9 February 2021
Smit E 2021. Nearly 3 000 arrested for wildlife crimes since 2015.

According to statistics, 371 wildlife crime cases were finalised with convictions in court during the five-year period and 565 suspects were found guilty, while 63 suspects were acquitted on charges. A total of 2 950 suspects was arrested in the 1 326 wildlife crime cases reported in the past five years, of which 579 cases related to high-value species. This is according to wildlife crime summary statistics for the period 1 January 2015 until to 3 December 2020, provided in the revised National Strategy on Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement.

Friday, 5 February 2021
Shikongo A 2021. Less poaching, more arrests in 2020.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism recorded fewer incidents of wildlife poaching and maintained a high number of arrests for wildlife crime in 2020, minister Pohamba Shifeta says.

Friday, 5 February 2021
Ndjavera M 2021. Poaching cases down in 2020.

Namibia has registered a drop in rhino poaching from 52 cases in 2019 to 31 since the beginning of last year. In 2018, the country lost 81 rhinos due to poaching, 66 in 2016 and 97 in 2015. The 2020 figure is the lowest in the last five years. Addressing a media conference yesterday, environment minister Pohamba Shifeta said more resources have been allocated to fight poaching, and more stakeholders have come on board to support efforts to stop the gruesome practice.

Friday, 5 February 2021
Steffen F 2021. Wildschutzstrategie bis 2026.

Umweltminister Pohamba Shifeta präsentiert Zahlen und Statistiken, die eine deutliche Verminderung der Anzahl WildereiVorfälle anzeigt, aber andererseits eine ständige Zunahme der Verhaftungen vorweist. Er zeigt sich zufrieden mit den eingeführten Kontrollen, moniert aber die ständige Kritik an dem Programm des MEFT, das versucht die Dickhäuter unter Kontrolle zu bringen.

Friday, 5 February 2021
Smit E 2020. 654 arrested for wildlife crimes.

Despite more than 1 000 court hearings dealing with wildlife crimes taking place last year, environment minister said they continue to reverse the trends of poaching, with fewer cases recorded in the country.

Thursday, 4 February 2021
Movirongo C 2021. Elevated measures set to address poaching in the country - Minister.

"In 2020, we recorded a total of 31 rhinos poached compared to 52 in 2019, 81 in 2018, 55 in 2017, 66 in 2016 and 97 in 2015," Shifeta said. The minister added that by the same token, Namibia recorded a total of 11 elephants poached in 2020, 13 in 2019, 27 in 2018, 50 in 2017, 101 in 2016 and 49 in 2015. As for pangolin, eight live animals have been seized in 2020 as well as five full carcasses, 59 skins, five skin pieces and 924 scales, he added.

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