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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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.
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AFR_2024_11_Mysterious mass elephant die_off probably caused by toxic water_The Guardian.pdf | 142.32 KB |
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.
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NAM_2024_11_New community courts to advance restorative justice_Dausab_New Era.pdf | 149.2 KB |
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.
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NAM_2024_11_Africas elephants in need_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 187.66 KB |
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…
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.
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AFR_2024_11_African elephants declining_Mongabay.pdf | 96.51 KB |
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.
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AFR_2024_11_53 years of survey data confirm African elephant decline_Phys_org.pdf | 515.03 KB |
The Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) detained a national citizen for allegedly slaughtering elephants and selling ivory, in the municipality of Dembos, Bengo province, the director of the institutional communication and press office of the SIC-general, informed the Novo Jornal. of criminal investigation Manuel Halaiwa.
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ANG_2021_03_50 year old man arrested for ivory trafficking and elephant slaughter_Novo Jornal.pdf | 195.78 KB |
A 23-year-old villager from Sikabela on the outskirts of Victoria Falls town has been arrested after being found with two elephant tusks. Police and ZimParks rangers trapped Fredrick Ndlovu after getting a tip-off that he was selling the ivory at Lupinyu Business Centre near the Victoria Falls Airport.
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ZIM_2021_03_Villager arrested over elephant tusks_The Chronicle.pdf | 858.7 KB |
Developments in two major ivory trafficking cases in Tanzania are not what conservationists might have hoped for. The conviction of Boniface Mathew Malyango, known as "Shetani Hana Huruma" ("the Devil has no mercy" in Kiswahili), was hailed by conservation organisations as a victory in 2017, with one of East Africa's most notorious illegal ivory traders. However, his conviction was quietly overturned in mid-2020 - a development that was largely unreported in the press.
The police confiscated 110 pangolin scales when they arrested two men at Outapi on 7 March. The two Namibians, Nikodemus Kotekeni Hafeni Nicodemus and Simon Akwenye, were also found in the possession of one pangolin skin.
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NAM_2021_03_110 pangolin scales confiscated at Outapi_Namibian Sun.pdf | 294.36 KB |
The amount of elephant ivory, rhino horn, and pangolin scales intercepted by authorities in 2020 was far less than compared with the previous five years, according to analysis for National Geographic by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS). The coronavirus pandemic likely dampened both the ability of wildlife traffickers to move their products internationally and of law enforcement to detect them, according to the group, a U.S.
A clerk at St George's College in Harare appeared in court after he was arrested in the capital’s suburb of Budiriro, while attempting to trade raw ivory worth US$2 099.
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ZIM_2021_03_St Georges College clerk caught with ivory_The Herald.pdf | 287.27 KB |
Six suspects were arrested in connection with wildlife crimes and five new cases were registered recently, while five wildlife products were seized. Two suspects were arrested for rhino poaching or trafficking. Another suspect was arrested for elephant poaching or trafficking. This is according to information provided by the intelligence and investigation unit within the ministry of environment and tourism and the protection resources division within the safety and security ministry. On 28 February, Muronga Hamutima was arrested at Rundu for being in possession of a pangolin skin…
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NAM_2021_03_Six arrested for wildlife crimes_Namibian Sun.pdf | 278.82 KB |
TWO Karoi villagers have been dragged to court for illegal possession of an elephant tusk valued at US$1 467,10.
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ZIM_2021-03_Elephant Tusk Lands Karoi Villagers In Trouble_New Zimbabwe.pdf | 477.93 KB |
Es wurden acht neue Fälle der Wilderei und 14 Verhaftungen in diesem Zusammenhang für die vergangene Februar registriert. Das geht aus einem Statistikbericht des Umweltministeriums und der namibischen Polizei (NamPol) hervor. "Bei einem der Fälle handelt es sich um den illegalen Besitz von jeweils zwei Elefantenstoßzähnen und Nilpferdzähnen. Der Vorfall ereignete sich in Katutura und zwei Verdächtigte wurden verhaftet," so der Bericht. Der zweite Vorfall habe sich in Oshakati zugetragen, wo vier Teile von Stoßzähnen sowie auch Munition beschlagnahmt worden seien.
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NAM_2021_03_Wildtierkriminalitat im Februar_Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 321.22 KB |
NAM_2021_03_Wildlife crime in February_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 319.21 KB |
A total of 17 suspects were arrested in connection with wildlife crimes and nine new cases were registered last month, while 21 wildlife products were seized. This is according to information provided by the intelligence and investigation unit within the environment ministry and the protected resources division within the safety and security ministry. Wildlife products confiscated included three pangolin skins, two live pangolins, two elephant tusks, four elephant tusk pieces, two hippo teeth, five lechwe carcasses and a giraffe carcass.
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NAM_2021_03_17 arrested for wildlife crimes last month_Namibain Sun.pdf | 300.62 KB |
A member of a notorious poaching gang from Zambia that plies their trade across the borders of three countries was arrested after getting involved in a shootout with a Namibian anti-poaching unit on the banks of Linyanti River. The shootout occurred on the Namibian side of the river last Thursday night and according to reports, one of the gang members was arrested. The suspected poacher is currently being held at the Katima Mulilo Police Station.
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NAM_2021_03_Multinational poacher arrested after firefight_Informante.pdf | 2.44 MB |
One suspected Zambian ivory poacher was arrested and four others escaped when they were ambushed by police in Namibia while trying to cross into wildlife-rich northern Botswana. The poachers were accosted by a Namibian border patrol unit on the Namibian side of the Linyanti River as they tried to cross into the Okavango Delta on Thursday night.