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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.

Explore your search results using the filter checkboxes, or amend your search or start a new search.

Displaying results 1 - 13 of 13
Friday, 31 May 2024
Tan C 2024. Cheetahs and casinos: Links between environmental crimes and money laundering in Singapore.

In 2020, a bank in Singapore found that one of its customers had paid $130,000 to a South African supplier for 11 cheetahs. Though the animals were transported directly from the source country to the destination country and never transited through Singapore, the money passed through the customer’s bank account here. The bank, which was not named by the authorities, filed a suspicious transaction report (STR) and terminated the customer relationship.

Friday, 24 May 2024
Dennis P 2024. Customs intercepts 40-ft container of illegal wildlife products.

The Special Wildlife Office of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has intercepted a 40-foot container of illegal wildlife products in Vietnam. Three suspects were also arrested in connection with the crime, barely six weeks after a similar seizure by Vietnam authorities. The Nigeria Customs Service, in a statement made available to newsmen, and signed by Asst. Comptroller Abimbola Isafiade, said the operation was conducted by the combined efforts of the officers of the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone C, in a joint enforcement operation with the Wildlife Justice Commission, WJC…

Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Smit E 2024. Illegaler Handel mit Wildtieren "bleibt Immens".

Trotz Bemühungen um Eindämmung des Handels mit bedrohten Tierarten wie Elefanten geht der illegale Handel mit Wildtieren weltweit unvermindert weiter. Dies geht aus dem einem Bericht des Büros der Vereinten Nationen für Drogen- und Verbrechensbekämpfung (UNODC) hervor, der eine Bestandsaufnahme der weltweiten Anti-Wilderei- Maßnahmen enthält.

Tuesday, 21 May 2024
Smit E 2024. Illegal wildlife trade 'remains immense' - UN.

Despite progress to curtail the trafficking of iconic species such as elephants, illegal wildlife trafficking continues unabated on a global scale. This is according to the 2024 World Wildlife Crime Report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which takes stock of efforts to counter poaching worldwide. The report highlights that wildlife trafficking has not seen a significant enough decrease over the past two decades, prompting a call for enhanced enforcement of existing laws, including measures to combat corruption.

Friday, 17 May 2024
2024. Other cases relating to poaching to be joined in Brockerhoff case.
The Namibian police have reported that they have arrested five suspects in relation to an incident where a White Rhino bull was shot and killed, and its horns removed on a farm in the Gobabis district on May 4, 2024. Derick Brockerhoff, aged 47, and his co-accused Markus Rooinasie, 27, 5who are in custody after being arrested in April for being found with two carcasses of wild game meat, a kudu, and an oryx, without a permit in the Eros mountains, appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate Court on 17 May 2024.
Friday, 17 May 2024
Babalola Y 2024. Customs arrests shipper, supplier over illegal export of Wildlife.

The Nigeria Customs Service Special Wildlife Office, over the weekend, announced the arrest of a Shipper and supplier responsible for the illegal exportation of a 40ft container of illegal Wildlife to Vietnam. It was gathered that the illegal wildlife products were intercepted and reported in Vietnam in April 2024 while the arrest of the suspects was made by the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) and the enforcement officers of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone C, Owerri, Imo state.

Wednesday, 8 May 2024
Dlamini M 2024. Namibian precious wildlife is under threat from criminals.

Namibia's precious wildlife is under threat from criminals, as illegal wildlife trade has become the world's fourth-largest form of transnational crime. This was said by Ana Beatriz Martins, the European Union's ambassador to Namibia, at a press debriefing for 'Operation Saving Wildlife through Multilateral Cooperation in Africa' (Sama) in Windhoek yesterday. She said dozens of wildlife species have been pushed ever closer to extinction by habitat loss and illegal trade.

Wednesday, 8 May 2024
Kruger K 2024. Ex-cop fails to overturn 'poaching' dismissal.

A former Namibian Police inspector charged with conspiracy to commit rhino poaching has failed in his challenge against a decision that he is unfit to serve on the force. Wersimus Haipa approached the Windhoek High Court and argued that his dismissal was "illegal" and "unfair". He demanded that he be reinstated and that the safety and security ministry compensate him for the salaries he would have received had he not been fired. Haipa was a member of the Namibian Police for 26 years before he was fired in September 2021 based on criminal charges against him.

Tuesday, 30 November 2021
Jason L 2021. Katima man raped, suspected poacher shot.

At farm Otjirukaku on the B8 road, a 23-year-old male was shot and wounded allegedly by a farmer while attempting to poach wildlife on the property. The victim’s friend managed to flee the scene unharmed. The victim is currently hospitalised in a local hospital and his condition is stable, according to the authorities.

Tuesday, 23 November 2021
Hattingh E 2021. Bloedbad op plase.

Honde wat skape tydens strooptogte verskeur, lewende beeste waarvan die hakskene afgekap is en of wat in draadstrukke wurg, asook wild wat met assegaaie gesteek word en lydsaam vrek - dit is aan die orde van die dag op Namibiese plase. Selfs dragtige diere word nie deur stropers en diewe gespaar nie, terwyl landbouers net magteloos moet toekyk. Meer as 90 mense oraloor die land het Republikein die afgelope twee weke gekontak nadat vrae as deel van ‘n informele opname in die sosiale media oor vee- en wilddiefstal gestel is.

Sunday, 21 November 2021
Seleka N 2021. 'What they are doing is sad and emotional' - poachers use snares to trap animals in Kruger Park.

Poachers have turned to snare trapping to capture animals in the Kruger National Park, including some endangered species, and use poisoned carcases to lure them. Many of the trapped animals die and their carcasses rot. Rangers and other officials have been combing through the 19 485 km² Kruger National Park, which houses the country's Big Five, in search of injured and trapped animals. Poachers have targeted almost all sections of the park. Wild dogs, lions and small antelopes are some of the animals that have been trapped.

Tuesday, 9 November 2021
2021. Grausame Schlingenstellerei - Abwesende Farmer befördern Wilderei.

Immer wieder sind Farmen in Namibia von starker Wilderei betroffen. Am meisten unter gehäuften Tötungen leiden Farmen, deren Nachbarfarmen von Nicht-Namibiern bewohnt werden, die die meiste Zeit im Ausland leben. Dieser Umstand wird von Wilderen systematisch ausgenutzt, um Farmgrenzen zu übertreten und einer strafrechtlichen Verfolgung zu entkommen. Ein Beispiel für diese Situation ist die Gästefarm Ameib, die Hagen Denker gehört.

Friday, 5 November 2021
2021. Airlink joins fight against wildlife trade.

Airlink, the privately owned Southern African regional airline, will implement a company-wide programme involving training, new processes and supply chain interventions to identify and combat illicit wildlife trade. The illegal wildlife trade is valued between USD $50 to 150 billion (approximately between ZAR730 billion - ZAR 2,19 trillion at current exchange rates) per year and is one of the five most lucrative global crimes. Illegal killing and trading of wild animals is a global crisis, with species being hunted to extinction for their horns, skins and teeth.

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