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Namibian Wildlife Crimes article archive

This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:

  • provide easy public access to published information and statistics
  • enable easy stakeholder access to articles
  • provide a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia

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.

Displaying results 1 - 24 of 24
Saturday, 31 July 2021
Chingarande D 2021. Pangolin scales land 3 in court. NewsDay Zimbabwe

Three people have been arrested after they were found selling pangolin scales.

Thursday, 29 July 2021
Froneman A 2021. Pregnant pangolin rescued from suspected poaching, safely released.

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.

Tuesday, 27 July 2021
Muyamba J 2021. N$3 000 bail for selling pangolin scales to cop.

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.

Thursday, 22 July 2021
Kindzeka ME 2021. Cameroon police intercept pangolin scales trafficked from 3 central African states.

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.

Thursday, 22 July 2021
Smit E 2021. 10 more arrested for wildlife crimes in July.

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.

Thursday, 22 July 2021
2021. Acht Festnahmen in einer Woche.

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…

Friday, 16 July 2021
Smit E 2021. Nege verdagtes weens wildmisdaad vasgetrek.

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…

Thursday, 15 July 2021
2021. Wildtierprodukte beschlagnahmt.

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.

Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Smit E 2021. Nine arrested with 28 illegal wildlife products.

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.

Tuesday, 13 July 2021
Nyika L 2021. Two men jailed nine years each for poaching pangolin.

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.

Monday, 12 July 2021
Muiruri P 2021. From poacher to the end user - the intricate web of wildlife criminals.

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.

Sunday, 11 July 2021
2021. Poachers caught with humongous live pangolin.

Two poachers who were in possession of a female pangolin weighing over 13kg were nabbed by wildlife activists in Hwange on Thursday last week.

Thursday, 8 July 2021
Smith E, Reiter C 2021. Leichter Rückgang - Wildtierkriminalität dennoch eine Bedrohung.

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).

Friday, 23 October 2020
Ngobeni L 2020. Two arrested in Pretoria CBD for allegedly trying to sell pangolin for R350 000.

Two men were arrested in the CBD for allegedly trafficking and trying to sell a pangolin for approximately R350 000. Preliminary investigations revealed the pangolin was from Thabazimbi.

Thursday, 22 October 2020
Steynberg F 2020. China se rookskerm vir ietermagogs.

Vier maande gelede het Chinese staatsmedia aangekondig ietermagôskubbe is van tradisionele medisynelyste verwyder, maar navorsing weerspreek dat dié benadering in werklikheid toegepas word. Volgens ’n verslag getiteld “Smoke and Mirrors” van die Omgewingsondersoekagentskap (EIA) wat vandeesmaand gepubliseer is, word ietermagôprodukte steeds in tradisionele medisyne gebruik.

Wednesday, 21 October 2020
Smit E 2020. Seven apprehended for wildlife crimes.

At Opuwo, two Namibians were arrested on 13 October for being in possession of a pangolin. At Grootfontein, a Namibian, Raimo Kakongo, was arrested on 11 October on a charge of conspiring to poach a rhino. The case dates back to August this year. He has been charged with contravening the Riotous Assemblies Act. At Opuwo, two Namibians were arrested on 13 October for being in possession of a pangolin. Uaninazo Muheke and Mavetumbuavi Mutambo were charged with contravening the Controlled Wildlife Products and Trade Act.

Monday, 19 October 2020
Ledger E 2020. Stop The Illegal Wildlife Trade: The detection dogs sniffing out wildlife crime (Malawi).

Until an illegal wildlife trade report was published in May 2015, Malawi's role in one of the world's largest transnational organised crimes was largely unknown. The landlocked southeast African nation - bordered by countries with large wildlife populations - was revealed to be a major trafficking hub for ivory, pangolin scales, rhino horn and other illegal wildlife commodities. Malawi's weak identification and enforcement systems were being systematically exploited by criminals to export their products to China, Vietnam and other demand countries. In response…

Tuesday, 13 October 2020
Smit E 2020. 363 arrested for wildlife crimes in 2019.

Pangolins are the most poached and trafficked animal species in Namibia, crime statistics show. A total of 174 wildlife crime cases involving high-value species were registered last year and more than 360 suspects were arrested. According to the 2019/2020 annual progress report of the environment ministry, 92 of these cases related to pangolin, 54 related to elephants, 32 related to rhinos and 17 to conspiracy to poach rhinos.

Thursday, 8 October 2020
2020. Ligte strawwe vir wildmisdadigers.

Vier wildmisdadigers het ligte vonnisse in Namibiese howe gekry. ‘n Angolees John Emmanuel, ‘n Rwandese burger, Theogen Nkuruziza, en Namibiër Vilho Mwahafa is op 10 Desember 2018 met ‘n lewende ietermagô in hul besit op Otjiwarongo in hegtenis geneem. Die drie is skuldig bevind en op 21 September elk gevonnis tot ‘n boete van N$8 000 of 28 maande tronkstraf waarvan 1 jaar vir 60 maande opgeskort is. Hul Angolese medebeskuldigde, mnr. Albino Shipipes, is vrygespreek. Ietermagogs is die mees gesmokkelde soogdier ter wêreld.

Thursday, 8 October 2020
Smit E 2020. 14 caught for wildlife crimes.

Fourteen suspects have been arrested in connection with wildlife crimes and seven new cases have been registered. Three of the suspects were arrested in connection with rhino poaching or trafficking. According to the information provided by the intelligence and investigation unit within the environment and tourism ministry and the protected resources unit within the safety and security ministry, 11 illegal wildlife products were seized.

Thursday, 8 October 2020
2020. Angolese, Zambiërs vas oor wildmisdaad.

Altesaam 14 vermeende wildmisdadigers is verlede week in hegtenis geneem en sewe nuwe sake is aanhangig gemaak.

A total of 14 suspected wildlife criminals were arrested last week and seven new cases were filed.

Saturday, 3 October 2020
2020. Wilderness Safaris supports Scorpion Anti-Poaching Unit in Hwangwe.

Despite COVID-19 bringing global travel to a standstill, Wilderness Safaris has rearmed its dedication to conserving and restoring Africa’s wilderness by continuing to support vital conservation projects in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. This included a recent donation from Wilderness Safaris' Sustainability Fund to support the operating costs of the Scorpion Anti-Poaching Unit (SAPU) until end December 2020.

Saturday, 3 October 2020
Ncube L 2020. Pangolin peddling villagers arrested.

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.

Thursday, 1 October 2020
Smit E 2020. Six arrested for wildlife crimes.

Six suspects have been arrested in connection with wildlife crimes and two new cases were registered last week. Three of the suspects were arrested for elephant poaching and one suspect was arrested for rhino poaching. According to information provided by the intelligence and investigation unit in the environment ministry and the protected resources unit in the safety and security ministry, three illegal wildlife products were confiscated. At Mukwe in the Kavango East Region, three Namibians were arrested on 22 September for being in possession of two elephant tusks.

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