Search results

The deep, guttural grunts that once characterized the Shamvura section of the Kavango gradually fall silent and give way to an eerie silence. What was once a thriving sanctuary is now being transformed into a cemetery as a local extinction takes place in real time. In just twelve months, a stable population of 187 hippos has been decimated to just 47. This 75% collapse is not a tragedy of nature, but a calculated massacre, fueled by a deadly combination of toothless Angolan legislation and a brazen commercial meat trade conducted in broad daylight.

INTERPOL recently executed the largest-ever edition of its annual series of coordinated of raids to dismantle criminal shipments and networks of trafficked and poached wildlife. Called Operation Thunder, some 30,000 live animals were seized in 4,620 raids across 134 countries, 30% more than last year. INTERPOL identified 1,100 suspects and issued 69 notices of criminal activity to participating nations’ police forces. Operation Thunder took place between September 15th and October 15th.

About two weeks ago, a 68-year-old farmer in the Otjimbingwe area in the Erongo region found the remains of five blue wildebeest on his land, valued at about N$50 000. His fence had been cut and tyre tracks showed where a vehicle drove in and out. The animals were shot, butchered and their parts removed, leaving only heads, legs and some meat behind. "Blue wildebeest are protected, and I gave no one permission to cut my fence or hunt on my farm. I want a police investigation and prosecution," he told the police. But farmers in the area say they expect little action.

On International Cheetah Day, 4 December, conservationists have sounded the alarm about the rapid decline of the valuable species. Namibia is home to about 1,500 to 2,000 of the world's remaining 7,500 wild cheetahs. But they are threatened with extinction as human activities and the loss of their habitat push them closer and closer to the edge of the abyss. Globally, cheetahs are classified as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with two subspecies considered "critically endangered".