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.
Explore your search results using the filter checkboxes, or amend your search or start a new search.
The Bole District Magistrate Court presided over by His Worship, Edward Essel, has sentenced two poachers who shot and killed a buffalo at the Mole National Park in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region, to 72 days each imprisonment with hard labour.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
GHA_2022_04_Two poachers jailed for killing buffalo at Mole National Park_Modern Ghana.pdf | 83.71 KB |
Additionally, 770 suspects were arrested for wildlife crimes. Wildlife products confiscated included 108 elephant tusks, 117 pangolins and 59 rhino horns, while 42 unlicensed firearms used in the commission of wildlife crimes were seized.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2022_04_38 000 suspects arrested in 2021_Namibian Sun.pdf | 494.34 KB |
Two poachers have been arrested by rangers of the Mole National Park in the Savannah Region for allegedly poaching and killing a buffalo in the park.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
GHA_2022_04_Buffalo killed in Mole National Park_2 Poachers arrested_Graphic Online.pdf | 282.42 KB |
"The absence of tourists in conservation areas enables poachers to act more freely. In normal times, tourists act as additional 'eyes and ears' in conservation areas, and their presence deters poachers from acting, but the decline in tourism activity emboldened poachers," a UK government report on the impact of Covid-19 on poaching has said.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
BOT_2022_04_Increased movement in wildlife areas reduces poaching activities_Sunday Standard.pdf | 343.45 KB |
The Namibian Police last week seized an array of wildlife products comprising elephant tusks, kudu horns and hides, civet skin and warthog carcasses, amongst others.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2019-10_Police seize tusks animal hide_The Namibian.pdf | 340.7 KB |
Sixteen suspects were arrested in connection with wildlife crimes in the past week. Eight of the suspects are Namibians and the rest Zambians. Statistics provided by the Protected Resource Division of the Namibian police and the Intelligence and Investigation Unit of the environment ministry indicate that a total of 21 wildlife products were seized last week.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2019-10_16 arrested for wildlife crime_Namibian Sun.pdf | 114.31 KB |
Namibia is among the countries with the lowest level of organised crime in Africa. This is according to a report by the Enact project, financed by the European Union (EU).
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2019-10_Organised crime low in Namibia_Namibian Sun.pdf | 93.49 KB |
Namibia's air, sea and land ports in have been identified as key hubs for the export of illegal wildlife products and training is crucial for officials to identify contraband when people and cargo move through checkpoints. In this regard customs officials and police officers from Windhoek and Walvis Bay received training in species identification during the use of baggage and container scanners to detect smuggled wildlife contraband.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2019-10_Combating wildlife contraband intensified_Informante.pdf | 322.61 KB |