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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Assets and goods seized and forfeited to the state during the finalisation of wildlife crime cases at special courts last year were valued at more than N$4 million. The seized items included illegal wildlife products, firearms and vehicles used in wildlife crimes. According to the Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement Report in Namibia, the judicial system faces a range of challenges in dealing with high rates of crime and ensuring justice is served; a central hurdle is a growing backlog of cases on the court rolls. "This has…
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NAM_2023_07_Special wildlife crime courts highly effective_Namibian Sun.pdf | 332.47 KB |
A man was caught red handed skinning an Impala at Zambezi National Park in Victoria Falls and was arrested with 11 wire snares and carcases.
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ZIM_2023_07_Man caught skinning Impala_The Chronicle.pdf | 205.53 KB |
Six suspected poachers have been arrested in separate incidents in Bulawayo and Victoria Falls with the police recovering four ivory tusks and 10,5kg of kudu meat. The arrest comes afer the police declared war on poaching syndicates countrywide. In a statement, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests.
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ZIM_2023_07_Six suspected poachers arrested in Bulawayo and Vic falls_The Herald.pdf | 188.77 KB |
The police in Otjozondjupa arrested 5 men aged 41, 31, 29, and 33 for illegal hunting of protected animals on Friday. The suspects were allegedly caught on Friday around 00h00 on D2172 road in Ovitoto, Okahandja District. They face charges of illegal hunting of game and being found in possession of huntable game. According to the police weekend report issued on Sunday, the suspects were arrested after being found with half anOryx game meat at a mini road block and failed to account or produce any permit.
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NAM_2023_07_Five caught for illegal hunting_Informante.pdf | 56.86 KB |
Three Victoria falls men have been arrested for poaching. They were found with 10,5 kilogrammes of kudu meat.
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ZIM_2023_07_Trio arrested for poaching_The Chronicle.pdf | 207.32 KB |
'n Boer het die afgelope week 14 gestroopte gemsbokke op sy plaas gevind, terwyl hy reeds
40 draadstrikke verwyder het.
A farmer found 14 poached oryx on his farm in the past week, while he had already
removed 40 wire snares.
Männer stehlen Schuppentiere, Schafe, Oryxantilopen und Rinder.
Men steal pangolins, sheep, oryx antelope and cattle.
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NAM_2023_07_Wilderei nimmt einfach kein Ende-Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 299.84 KB |
NAM_2023_07_Poaching just never ends_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 277.61 KB |
The country's anti-poaching and crime prevention initiatives managed to arrest 75 suspects in 106 cases related to rhino poaching in Namibia in 2022, a report released last week noted. The year 2022 saw the most rhinos poached in the country since 2015 when the first major poaching wave in independent Namibia peaked, the National Report on Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement in Namibia revealed. The released report is based on data compiled via the Integrated Database of Wildlife Crime in Namibia, as well as related firsthand information and observations by…
James Uerikua, the Governor of Otjozondjupa Region, expressed concern over the high number of stock theft cases and illegal hunting of game in the region. Uerikua made these remarks during his recent State of the Region Address (SORA).
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NAM_2023_07_Small stock and illegal hunting concerns Uerikua_Informante.pdf | 340.24 KB |
An Angolan national, who is part of a group of workers doing debushing work at a farm in the Otjiwarongo area, has been arrested for alleged illegal hunting of an Oryx. The incident was discovered by farm workers at around 10:00 on Saturday during a routine patrol at the farm Otjipoto near Osire. They found an Oryx caught up in a wire snare and identified shoe prints of a suspect at the scene. The farm workers reported the matter to the police, who tracked the shoe prints to the houses accommodating the workers involved in the debushing work at the farm.
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NAM_2023_07_Angolan national arrested near Osire for illegal hunting_Informante.pdf | 130.96 KB |
Kenya will enhance partnerships with neighboring countries and regional blocs in a bid to protect abundant natural resources like wildlife from the clutches of organized crime, an official has said.
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KEN_2023_-07_Kenya vows to combat illegal trade in iconic species via enhanced partnership_NewsGhana.pdf | 528.08 KB |
While only two new cases of wildlife crimes were reported recently, eight suspects were arrested and charged. At Katima Mulilo, Roster Mazila Mukendwa was arrested on 14 June for the illegal hunting of protected game. He was found in possession of a duiker carcass and charged with contravening the Nature Conservation Ordinance Act. In a separate incident, Gerhard Iyambo was arrested on 17 June at Okahao in connection with an old case, dating back to February, regarding conspiring to hunt a rhino.
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NAM_2020-06_Eight arrested for wildlife crimes_Namibian Sun.pdf | 282.91 KB |
Vier Namibiese mans is verlede Donderdag by Karasburg in hegtenis geneem met glo een gemsbok- en drie koedoekarkasse in hul besit.
Four Namibian men were arrested last Thursday in Karasburg with one oryx and three kudu carcasses in their possession.
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NAM_2020_06_Vier vas oor jag van koedoes_Republikein.pdf | 312.77 KB |
NAM_2020-06_Four arrested for hunting kudu_Republikein_Eng.pdf | 45.65 KB |
A total of five wildlife products were seized: two oryx carcasses, a pangolin skin and two aardvark carcasses.
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NAM_2020-06_Ten arrested for wildlife crimes_Namibian Sun.pdf | 283.7 KB |
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a worldwide crisis of food insecurity and unemployment. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warns of rising hunger and poverty. Commentators, particularly from the global North, have raised concerns about the implications for biodiversity. The first is that in some places, budgets for biodiversity conservation have been reduced due to a drastic drop in tourism revenue and the diversion of funds and forces to health-related functions. Secondly, growing poverty and the loss of livelihoods may drive people to poaching.
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NAM_2020-06_Sustaining wild species is critical_The Namibian.pdf | 1.13 MB |
Umweltministerium setzt auf Nachhaltigkeit und bekämpft erfolgreich die Wilderei. Obwohl der Sektor als maßgebliches Wirtschaftsstandbein gehandelt wird, steht das Ministerium für Umwelt, Forstwirtschaft und Tourismus mit seinem Ausgabenplan im namibischen Haushalt für 2020-21 gerade Mal an 16. Stelle von insgesamt 33 Ausgabenposten. Der Minister verlässt sich indessen auf viel Hilfe aus Deutschland und von weiteren Entwicklungspartnern.
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NAM_2020-06_Große Plaene mit wenig Geldmitteln_Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 368.36 KB |
NAM_2020-06_Big plans with little money_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 265.53 KB |
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has allocated 36% of its budget to wildlife and protected area management. This was announced by minister of environment, forestry and tourism Pohamba Shifeta during his budget motivation in the National Assembly on Thursday.
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NAM_2020-06_Wildlife gets bulk of environment budget_The Namibian.pdf | 755.58 KB |
'n Namibiese man, mnr. Harry Garoeb, is Saterdag by Outjo glo met twee erdvarkkarkasse in hegtenis geneem.
A Namibian man, Mr. Harry Garoeb, was allegedly arrested on Saturday at Outjo with two aardvark carcasses.
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NAM_2020-06_Man vas met twee erdvarkkarkasse_Republikein.pdf | 221.55 KB |
NAM_2020-06_Man arrested with two aardvark carcasses_Republikein_Eng.pdf | 221.58 KB |
The Chinese Academy of Engineering claims that the 'legal' wildlife industry is valued at $74 billion. South Africa is the largest exporter of live wild animals to Asia. At least 5 035 live wild animals were exported from South Africa to China between 2016 and 2019, according to The Breaking Point report published by the EMS Foundation and Ban Animal Trading (BAT).
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SA_2020-06_The Breaking Point_Could this report spell the end of SAs wildlife trade_IOL.pdf | 187.55 KB |
The Namibian Police arrested a deputy director in the Ministry of Lands at its Gobabis sub-regional office for her role in the alleged illegal hunting of an oryx valued at N$6 000. Mclesia Mbaisa (49) who heads the Division of Land Reform was arrested alongside her brother Marvin Mbaisa (36) and Rudolf Katjiuanjo (35) following the illegal hunting of the wild animal at Heath Bell resettlement farm in the Gobabis district.
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NAM_2020_06_Deputy director_brother arrested for illegal hunting_Confidente Namibia.pdf | 666.93 KB |
The report, which is jointly compiled by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism's intelligence and investigations unit and the protected resources division of the Namibian Police, detailed that the seven cases saw the arrest of 16 suspects. All those apprehended are Namibian nationals. Of those arrested, 11 were in connection with rhino poaching or trafficking, two in connection with elephant poaching or trafficking, two for the hunting of giraffe, and one for contravening the Arms and Ammunition Act. Among the wildlife products seized were six rhino…
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NAM_2020-06_16 Namibians nabbed for Wildlife crime_The Namibian.pdf | 636.08 KB |
The former head of the global convention on international wildlife trade says that current rules surrounding legitimate enterprise “don’t cut it” to prevent future pandemics and that wildlife crime should be confronted with the same international legal force that tackles human trafficking and terrorism. John Scanlon served as Secretary-General of the Secretariat overseeing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) from 2010 until 2018. CITES is affiliated with the United Nations Environment Programme…
Omaruru se boere loop deur onder wild- en veediewe.
Omaruru's farmers targeted by wildlife and livestock thieves.
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NAM_2020-06_Wild_en veediewe teiken Omaruru boere_Republikein.pdf | 265.85 KB |
NAM_2020-06_Wildlife and stock thieves target Omaruru farmers-Republikein_Eng.pdf | 265.82 KB |