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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Three people have been arrested after they were found selling pangolin scales.
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ZIM_2021_07_Pangolin scales land 3 in court_NewsDay Zimbabwe_2021.pdf | 220.92 KB |
A pregnant Temminck's pangolin was rescued from suspected poaching and handed over to the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital recently. The Hospital stated that she was 'retrieved from a community handover' through a collaborative effort between the African Pangolin Working Group, South African Police Service (APWG), Endangered Species and Stock Theft Unit, and the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism.
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SA_2021_07_Pregnant pangolin rescued from suspected poaching_safely released_Getaway.pdf | 912.52 KB |
Rundu - A 30-year-old man, who was arrested through a police sting operation on Saturday at Zigizi village in Kavango West, was granted bail of N$3 000 for alleged possession and dealing in pangolin scales when he appeared in court yesterday.
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NAM_2021_07_NS3 000 bail for selling pangolin scales to cop_New Era.pdf | 482.71 KB |
Cameroonian police say they have for the first time during the pandemic seized parts of an estimated 2,000 pangolins poached in Cameroon and neighboring Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Police say travel restrictions had slowed trafficking of the endangered anteater to Asia, where its meat is considered a delicacy and the scales are used in traditional medicine. At least 12 bags of Pangolin scales and leopard skin are in a police warehouse at Nlonkak, a neighborhood in Cameroon's capital, Yaounde.
At Sangwali, a Namibian was arrested on 6 July for being in possession of one impala carcass. Oscar Munyandi was charged with illegal hunting of special protected species. In another matter, a Namibian, Simuna Kankona, was arrested on 12 July with two python skins, and charged for the illegal possession and dealing of controlled wildlife products. On 13 July, Mathews Hamusira, a Namibian citizen, was arrested at Rundu for being in possession of a pangolin skin.
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NAM_2021_07_10 more arrested for wildlife crimes in July_Namibian Sun.pdf | 72.29 KB |
Eight suspects were arrested in connection with six wildlife crime cases in the past week. According to the Ministry of Environment's wildlife crime statistics, 13 wildlife products were confiscated. On July 12, a Namibian with two python skins was arrested. The following day, a Namibian national was arrested in Rundu for being in possession of a pangolin armor. A Zambian national with four tusks was also arrested in Katima Mulilo on July 15. On the same day, a man with three tusks was arrested in Kahenge, as well as a Namibian in Outjo, because he was in possession of an oryx…
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NAM_2021_07_Acht Festnahmen in einer Woche_Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 418.95 KB |
NAM_2021_07_Eight arrests in a week_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 419.84 KB |
Op 20 Junie is 'n Namibiër op Rundu in hegtenis geneem toe 'n ietermagovel in sy besit gevind is. By die Etosha Nasionale Park se King Nehale-hek is twee Namibiërs op 21 Junie in hegtenis geneem omdat hulle onwettig in die besit van 'n elandkarkas was. In 'n ander voorval by Omahenene is 'n Angolese burger en 'n Namibiër op 22 Junie in hegtenis geneem toe hulle met 22 ietermagovelle betrap is terwyl daar op 'n handwapen sowel as vyf rondes ammunisie beslag gelê is. Intussen is nog 'n Namibiër op 24 Junie op Oshakati in hegtenis geneem nadat hy met drie olifanttande…
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NAM_2021_07_Nege verdagtes weens wildmisdaad vasgetrek_Republikein.pdf | 379.27 KB |
NAM_2021_07_Nine suspects arrested for game crime_Republikein_Eng.pdf | 283.64 KB |
Am 20. Juni wurde ein Namibier in Rundu verhaftet, weil er im Besitz eines Schuppentierpanzers war. Am König-Nehale-Tor des Etosha-Nationalparks wurden am 21. Juni zwei Namibier wegen illegalen Besitzes eines Elenantilopen-Kadavers verhaftet. Bei einem weiteren Vorfall beim Grenzkontrollposten Omahenene wurden am 22. Juni ein angolanischer Staatsbürger und ein Namibier mit 22 Schuppentierpanzern verhaftet, während ein Revolver sowie fünf Schuss scharfe Munition beschlagnahmt wurden. In der Zwischenzeit wurde in Oshakati am 24.
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NAM_2021_07_Wildtierprodukte beschlagnahmt_Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 241.56 KB |
NAM_2021_07_Wildlife products confiscated_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 241.91 KB |
On 20 June, a Namibian was arrested at Rundu for being in the possession of a pangolin skin. At Etosha National Park's King Nehale gate, two Namibians were arrested on 21 June for illegally being in the possession of an eland carcass. In another incident at Omahenene, an Angolan national and a Namibian were arrested on 22 June with 22 pangolin skins, while a revolver pistol as well as five rounds of live ammunition were confiscated.
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NAM_2021_07_Nine arrested with 28 illegal wildlife products_Namibian Sun.pdf | 294.45 KB |
Two men from Madumabisa outside Hwange town have been sentenced to nine years in jail after they were caught in a bush in Matetsi with a live pangolin.
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ZIM_2021_07_Two men jailed nine years each for poaching pangolin_The Chronicle.pdf | 376.24 KB |
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), most of the poachers come from poor communities and are just looking for food. Such ones use snares, wire traps, poisoned watermelons or nails to catch elephants, and spears as weapons to kill the trapped animals.
Two poachers who were in possession of a female pangolin weighing over 13kg were nabbed by wildlife activists in Hwange on Thursday last week.
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ZIM_2021_07_Poachers Caught With Humongous Live Pangolin_Pindula News.pdf | 313.51 KB |
In Namibia ging die Zahl der Wildtierverbrechen im vergangenen Jahr laut dem Umweltministerium leicht zurück. Dennoch bleibt dies weltweit ein Problem mit schwerwiegenden finanziellen Konsequenzen, so der jährliche Bericht des Internationalen Konsortiums zur Bekämpfung der Wildtierkriminalität (ICCWC).
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NAM_2021_07_Leichter Ruckgang_Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 363.81 KB |
NAM_2021_07_Slight decrease_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 361.48 KB |
Die Namibiese polisie het verlede week op vyf olifanttande en een elk renosterhoring, ietermagôvel en ‘n voertuig beslag gelê.
Last week, Namibian police seized five elephant tusks and one rhinoceros horn, a pangolin skin and a vehicle.
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NAM_2020-06_5 olifanttande 1 renosterhoring gekonfiskeer_Republikein.pdf | 311.84 KB |
NAM_2020-06_5 pieces of ivory and rhino horn confiscated_Republikein_Eng.pdf | 219.59 KB |
A soldier was arrested after he was found in possession of a pangolin as he was looking for a buyer in Msasa,
Harare.
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ZIM_2020-06_A soldier was arrested after he was_NewsdzeZimbabwe.pdf | 154.4 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 |
Northern Cape-The Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation has resulted in the arrest of a 48-year-old suspect for allegedly trading in a pangolin. The suspect who originates from Botswana was arrested on Tuesday after information surfaced that he intended selling a pangolin that is an endangered species. A sting operation resulted in the suspect being arrested after he was found in possession of the said pangolin.
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SA_2020-06_Services_SAPS.pdf | 134.41 KB |
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 |
A tip-off led to the arrest of a man caught attempting to sell a live pangolin.
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SA_2020-06_Limpopo man arrested after trying to sell live pangolin_The South African.pdf | 344.55 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 |
China verwyder ietermagô van tradisionele medisynelys - Beter beskerming
A rhino horn, two elephant tusks, a pangolin skin and a crocodile skin were seized by the police last week. Thirteen suspects were arrested in connection with rhino poaching or trafficking and two for elephant poaching or trafficking. Five wildlife products were seized: a rhino horn, two elephant tusks, a pangolin skin and a crocodile skin.
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NAM_2020-06_17 arrested for wildlife crimes_Namibian Sun.pdf | 235.64 KB |
Serious crimes are being committed in Namibia - crimes against our precious wildlife, our natural heritage and, ultimately, our people. The criminal syndicates behind poaching are highly organised, professional and very clever. They are growing rich by stealing Namibia’s natural heritage, using poor Namibians to do their dirty work for them in return for less than 10% of the product’s market value. Those poaching on the ground thus bear all the risks associated with illegal activities, yet see precious little of the profit.
Each year in South Africa the African Pangolin Working Group (APWG) retrieves between 20 and 40 pangolins through intelligence operations with security forces. These pangolins are often-traumatised and injured and are admitted to the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital for extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation before they can be considered for release. In 2019, seven rescued Temminck’s pangolins were reintroduced into South Africa’s Phinda Private Game Reserve in the KwaZulu Natal Province. Nine months on, five have survived.
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…