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.
Explore your search results using the filter checkboxes, or amend your search or start a new search.
A man has been arrested in Hazyview for being in possession of a Pangolin, following a tip-off from a local community member. On Tuesday September 27, a private game reserve near Hazyview received the tip-off that a white Bantam bakkie was driving around town looking for a buyer for the Pangolin which is the world's most trafficked animal species.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2022_09_Hazyview man arrested in possession of endangered Pangolin_Lowvelder.pdf | 399.63 KB |
Law enforcement agencies globally must address rhino horn trafficking as transnational organised crime, with an increased focus on the higher-level actors in the supply chain. This was the main message that emerged from a joint webinar hosted by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) SA and the Wildlife Justice Commission to mark World Rhino Day on Thursday. Malaysian customs officials say they have seized a stash of rare animal parts worth $18 million thought to have come from Africa, including elephant tusks, rhino horns and pangolin scales.
Die minister van justisie, me. Yvonne Dausab, het agterdog oor die verdwyning van 'n dossier in 'n saak waarin 'n Chinese burger van wildmisdaad beskuldig word, in die kiem gesmoor. Xuecheng is na bewering in 2014 vasgetrek met 'n jagluiperd- en luiperdvel in sy besit en is aangekla van die onwettige handel in vier olifanttande. Hy is maande later weer in hegtenis geneem nadat 'n ietermagovel, 'n luiperdkop en sewe sebravelle glo in sy besit by die China Town-inkoopkompleks in Windhoek gevind is.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2022_09_Dausab se oor verlore dossier_Republikein.pdf | 617.92 KB |
NAM_2022_09_Duasab says about lost dossier_Republikien_Eng.pdf | 499.5 KB |
Prosecutor general Martha Imalwa has responded to articles published in the New Era and The Namibian about the trial of a Chinese businessman, Hou Xue Cheng, and his Namibian co-accused Hamutenja Hamutenya, whose cases were struck from the court roll recently. The reason the charges on dealing in controlled wildlife products were dismissed was that neither the witnesses nor the docket was before the court. According to the PG, the information contained in the articles was incorrect.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2022_09_PG explains missing dockets case_New Era.pdf | 366.5 KB |
A businessman whose case involving alleged wildlife crimes was struck off the court roll last week has been summoned to return to the Windhoek Regional Court on the same charges in November.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2022_09_PG revives wildlife crimes case_The Namibian.pdf | 638.18 KB |
A federal court in Lagos on Friday sentenced a Vietnamese, Nguyen Huy, to three months in prison for trafficking in 200 kiogrammes of Pangolin scales.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NIG_2022_09_Nigerian court convicts Vietnamese for trafficking in Pangolin scales_Premium Times.pdf | 348.63 KB |
Two Mutoko men have been jailed nine years each for illegal possession of a pangolin.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2022_09_2 Mutoko men jailed over pangolin_NewsDay.pdf | 329.92 KB |
Regional Court Magistrate Leopoldt Hangalo yesterday struck the case of a Chinese businessman, Hou Xue Cheng and his Namibian co-accused Hamutenja Hamutenya on a count of dealing in controlled wildlife products, from the court roll. The reason was that no docket nor witnesses were before the court. The magistrate said the matter has been coming from 2014, and the State failed to get their affairs in order for it to start. He cancelled the bail of N$100 000 for Cheng and N$5 000 for Hamutenya, and ordered it to be refunded to the depositors.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2022_09_Chinese nationals docket disappears_New Era.pdf | 400.12 KB |
A Chinese businessman who has been facing charges of dealing in controlled wildlife products over the past eight years left the Windhoek Magistrate's Court as a free man yesterday, after his case was struck from the court roll. The state alleged that the five men illegally dealt in four elephant tusks in Windhoek on 11 June 2014.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2022_09_Accused man off hook on wildlife charges_The Namibian.pdf | 656.14 KB |
The owners of two cars that were used to transport pangolin skins are set to lose their vehicles to the state, following an order given in the Windhoek High Court yesterday. In terms of an order given by judge Shafimana Ueitele, a Nissan NP200 bakkie and Nissan Tiida sedan seized by the police in the Grootfontein district four years ago have now been declared forfeited to the state.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2022_09_Owners to lose cars over wildlife crimes_The Namibian.pdf | 503.14 KB |
Strides made with hefty sentences and fines for criminals endangering game rangers and animals. When Jimmy Mashopane of Winterveld, north of Pretoria, was arrested for shooting, killing and mutilating nine white rhino in a Free State game reserve, taking 14 horns estimated at more than R500,000, veteran prosecutor Antoinette Ferreira threw the book at him. That one of the rhino was a month away from giving birth "only enhances one's sense of abomination", judge Phillip Loubser said.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2022_09_Courts fire shots across the bows of poaching syndicates_Business Live.pdf | 485.82 KB |
Two villagers from Binga who were caught trying to sell a live pangolin in Zambia have been sentenced to a mandatory five years in jail each in the neighbouring country. Ephrain Mugande (35) and Simple Mugande (32) both of Manjolo Village under Chief Sikalenge illegally hunted the pangolin in Chizarira National Park on the boundary of Binga and Gokwe before crossing the Zambezi River with it to Sinazongwe town in Zambia with the intention to sell it.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
ZIM_2020-09_Two Binga villagers arrested for trying to sell pangolin_The Chronicle.pdf | 616.79 KB |
Six months into COVID-19 lockdown and with most southern African nations not having social safety nets for their citizens, there has been an uptick in wildlife poaching across the region.
Altesaam 19 vermeende wildmisdadigers is verlede week in hegtenis geneem en aangekla.
A total of 19 suspected wildlife criminals were arrested and charged last week.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2020-09_19 vir wildmisdaad aangekla_Republikein.pdf | 155.12 KB |
NAM_2020-09_19 charged with wildlife crime_Republikein_Eng.pdf | 52.35 KB |
Illegal trade in the endangered animals on the rise again as lockdown decreases. Several pangolins have already been rescued this year.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2020-09_Pangolin rescued and three people arrested in North West_The South African.pdf | 386.65 KB |
More than 150 illegal wildlife products were seized last week and 10 suspects were arrested, while six new cases were registered. Five of the suspects were arrested in connection with rhino poaching or trafficking cases.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2020-09_155 wildlife products seized_Namibian Sun.pdf | 294.98 KB |
A mature female Temminck's pangolin was retrieved out of the illegal trade by the South African Police Service’s Endangered Species Unit on April 25 in the Alldays region of Limpopo Province. She was transported to a Polokwane veterinarian which is where the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital’s Dr Karin Lourens drove to assist with the stabilising and initial examination. During an abdominal ultrasound, it was discovered that Ally was pregnant!
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2020-09_Rescued pangolin gives birth in Limpopo_Getaway.pdf | 542.81 KB |
’n Zambiese man, mnr. Tumone Biemba, is verlede week op Katima Mulilo glo met een olifanttand en 81 ietermagôskubbe vasgetrek.
A Zambian man, mr. Tumone Biemba, was allegedly caught on Katima Mulilo last week with one elephant tooth and 81 pangolin scales.