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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Bush burning as a means of hunting was historically common in many African societies. However, while modernisation and technological innovation have significantly reduced the practice, it is still carried out in some areas, including conservation centres. One such area is Ghan's Mole National Park (MNP), where some people burn parts of the forests to carry out illegal hunting expeditions, otherwise known as poaching.
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GHAN_2025_05_Poaching_Bush Burning_Mole National Parks conservatory scars_My Joy Online.pdf | 569.85 KB |
The global demand for small wildlife, including ants, spiders and scorpions, is increasing. Just this week, a group of Belgians and Vietnamese were sentenced for smuggling ants out of Kenya. Dr Caswell Munyai, a myrmecologist from UKZN has more on this.
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SA_2025_05_Global demand for small wildlife on the increase_ENCA.pdf | 44.87 KB |
Eighty-four vultures have been rescued by a joint team of SANParks rangers and Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) officials from a devastating poisoning in the Kruger National Park. The incident in the Mahlangeni Section of the Park was detected by the EWT's pioneering wildlife poisoning surveillance and detection system, which triggered an alert at 06:05 on 6 May 2025, flagging suspicious activity in a remote section of the park. Within hours, a joint SANParks and EWT team mobilised, arriving on site by 08:20.
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SA_2025_05_84 cape vultures rescued from poisoning in the Kruger National Park_SANParks.pdf | 90.3 KB |
Conservation is under serious threat from mining activities in protected areas countrywide, putting wild animals at risk of extinction, a Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) official has said. Giving oral evidence to the Tourism and Hospitality Industry Parliamentary Portfolio Committee this Monday, ZimParks Corporate Secretary Nyasha Mutyambizi said the Mines ministry continued to accept applications for mining purposes in the restricted areas meant for conservation and tourism.
A Kenyan court has sentenced four men to one year in prison or pay a fine of $7,700 (£5,800) for trying to smuggle thousands of live queen ants out of the country. The four suspects - two Belgians, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan - were arrested last month with live ants suspected to have been destined for collectors in Europe and Asia. They had pleaded guilty to the charges, with the Belgians telling the court that they were collecting the highly sought-after ants as a hobby and didn't think it was illegal.
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KEN_2025_05_Gang who smuggled thousands of queen ants sentenced in Kenya_BBC.pdf | 252.9 KB |
In der vergangenen Woche wurden vier neue Fälle der Wildtierkriminalität gemeldet, und sechs Verdächtige wurden im Zusammenhang mit diesen Straftaten verhaftet. Dies geht aus einem Bericht der Abteilung für geschützte Ressourcen, der namibischen Polizei, des Innenministeriums und des Umweltministeriums hervor. Am 22. November wurde der 46-jährige Tende Ngongo bei Rundu festgenommen, weil er im Besitz von 37 Kudu-Fleischstücken war. Der Mann wurde angeklagt, gegen die Naturschutzverordnung verstoßen zu haben und nicht in der Lage zu sein, den Besitz zufriedenstellend zu erklären…
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NAM_2022_11_Wilderei der vergangenen Woche_Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 345.83 KB |
NAM_2022_11_Poaching in the past week_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 319.71 KB |
Namibia will step up efforts against wildlife crime in the country during this year’s festive season, an official said Saturday. Romeo Muyunda, spokesperson of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), said Namibia has observed that in the past poachers took advantage of the festive season to undertake criminal activities of poaching rhinos, pangolins, elephants, and other species. Muyunda said even though Namibia continues to record successes in the fight against wildlife crime, poaching of high valued species remains a concern. "In 2022 to date,…
At least 22 men appeared in court last week for various wildlife crimes they have committed. This is according to the weekly wildlife crime statistics by the Namibian Police Intelligence and Investigation Unit and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism(MEFT). In the most recent wildlife case, Nampol arrested three Namibian men in line with new cases for possession of skins of specifically protected and protected game. "For all the cases registered the arrests and/or seizures were made by a combination of law enforcement agencies NamPol, MEFT, NDF, BRTT and private APU…
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NAM_2022_11_Twenty_two men appear in court for wildlife crimes_Windhoek Observer.pdf | 325.14 KB |
Only two new wildlife crime cases were registered last week, with three suspects arrested. This is according to the weekly crime statistics for 7 to 13 November. Twelve wildlife crime cases were heard in court, while one was finalised. In Otjiwarongo, two Namibian men - Tjizire Kohongo and Angula Kafidi - were arrested on 8 November for being in possession of a leopard skin. They have appeared in court and were refused bail. In a separate incident in Rundu, 55-year-old Namibian Ngoma Mungenyu was arrested on 11 November for being in possession of an African skunk skin.
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NAM_2022_11_Protected skins land 3 in jail_Namibian Sun.pdf | 301.27 KB |
Dem Bericht zufolge wurden zwei Wildtierprodukte beschlagnahmt, darunter ein Leoparden- und ein Zorilla-Fell. Ein Zorilla stammt aus der Familie der Marder und ist in Englisch auch als "Pole cat" oder "African skunk" bekannt.
According to the report, two wildlife products were confiscated, including a leopard and a zorilla skin. A zorilla comes from the marten family and is also known in English as a "pole cat" or "African skunk".
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NAM_2022_11_Tierfelle beschlagnahmt_Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 495.76 KB |
NAM_2022_11_Animal Skins confiscated_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 391.92 KB |
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism reported two newly registered wildlife crime cases, and arrested three suspects in relation to the possession of protected wildlife skins. The Ministry of Environment reported that on 8 November 2022, two suspects, identified as Tjizire Kohongo and Angula Kafidi, were arrested after being found in possession of a leopard's skin.
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NAM_2022_11_Three arrested for possession of leopard_African skunk skins_Informante.pdf | 59.58 KB |