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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A 47-year-old resident of Onamishu village in the Oshikoto Region was recently arrested by the police after he was allegedly found in possession of 100 kilograms of dried kudu meat. The meat was discovered in his shebeen, and law enforcement officers said that his intention was to secretly take the meat to a market outside Onamishu for sale. It is further alleged that he was found in possession of a shotgun and respective ammunition, which the police suspect was used in the illegal hunting of the kudu.
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NAM_2024_09_Kudu meat and illegal firearm land man behind bars_Informante.pdf | 41.45 KB |
Wildlife crime remains an international conservation management issue that threatens ecotourism, ecological balance and biodiversity. The industry of illegal hunting and trade in wildlife and wildlife products is estimated to be worth US$50-US$150 billion per annum, according to the United Nations Environment Programme, and continues to pose a threat towards globally-endangered wildlife species. The escalation of wildlife crime also threatens national and local economies, the criminal justice and security systems, and public health.
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NAM_2024_09_Environmental Court_Cracking down on eco_crime_New Era Live.pdf | 115.76 KB |
The disappearance of the giant sable: The giant sable antelope was first discovered in the early 20th century and went on to become Angola’s national animal. However, due to their striking horns, the antelopes soon became a target for poachers, says renowned Angolan conservationist Pedro Vaz Pinto. In 1975, their prospects took a turn for the worse when a civil war broke out in Angola following its independence from Portugal. Over the next 27 years, the conflict devastated the country's wildlife and the giant sable was no exception.
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ANG_2024_09_Angola nearly lost its national animal to poaching_CNN.pdf | 637.11 KB |
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.
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…
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NIG_2024_05_Customs intercepts 40_ft container of illegal wildlife products_Daily Post.pdf | 439.1 KB |
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.
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.
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NAM_2024_05_Illegal wildlife trade remains immense_UN_Namibian Sun.pdf | 66.33 KB |
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.
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NIG_2024_05_Customs arrests shipper_supplier over illegal export of wildlife_Leadership.pdf | 492.35 KB |
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NAM_2024_05_Other cases relating to poaching to be joined in Brockerhoff case_Informante.pdf | 112.8 KB |
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.
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NAM_2024_05_Ex_cop fails to overturn poaching dismissal_Namibian Sun.pdf | 69.99 KB |
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.
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NAM_2024_05_Namibian precious wildlife is under threat from criminals_The Namibian.pdf | 550.94 KB |