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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Pretoria - Two men aged 37 and 52, one a police constable, charged with illegal dealing in pangolin and contravention of the National Environmental Management-Biodiversity (Nemba) Act, have appeared before the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court.
Kameras sal Etosha help polisieer. Die land se gewysigde oorkoepelende plan teen wildmisdade wil eenvormige benadering vir doeltreffende afdwing van wette verseker.
Cameras will help police Etosha. The country's amended overarching plan against wildlife crimes seeks to ensure a uniform approach to effective law enforcement.
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NAM_2022_06_Meer bronne nodig teen stropery_Republikein.pdf | 513.39 KB |
NAM_2022_06_More resources needed against poaching_Republikein_Eng_2022.pdf | 410.24 KB |
Kwale police have arrested two men who were illegally in possession of a pangolin. The two were nabbed at Malomani area in Samburu sub-county.
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KEN_2022_06_Kwale police arrest two illegal pangolin hunters_The Star.pdf | 645.82 KB |
A national report on Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement released recently said that Namibia has inadequate data about the Temminck's ground pangolin's distribution, density, and the impact poaching has on the population. The Temminck ground pangolin is one of the four species found in Africa and the only species in southern Africa. According to the report, only discovered carcasses of pangolins give a relative indication of the extent of poaching. Still, it is not known how many occur in Namibia nor how many are successfully trafficked out of the country.
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NAM_2022_06_Namibia plagued by lack of data on pangolin growth and mortality rates_Namibia Economist.pdf | 631.52 KB |
Intelligence operations in South Africa over the past five years have retrieved 160 live pangolins from the illegal trade, according to data from the African Pangolin Working Group. The group is mandated by the Department of Forestry Fisheries and Environment to oversee matters relating to illegal pangolin trade. Its role includes assisting in law enforcement operations, contributing expert evidence in court cases, rehabilitating pangolins retrieved from the illegal trade and releasing them in appropriate wild areas.
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SA_2022_06_New data provides a glimpse into SAs illegal pangolin trade_Oxpeckers.pdf | 489.25 KB |
Liberian Moazu Kromah - known as "Kampala Man" - led one of the most active wildlife-trafficking syndicates on the African continent before his arrest in the Ugandan capital in February 2017. Just more than five years later, in March 2022, more than 11,000km away from the city in which he based his operation and from which his alias derives, Kromah quietly entered into a plea bargain with the Southern District of New York (SDNY), which is known for tackling high-profile organised crime and corruption cases.
The Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) and Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF) recently announced a long-term landmark partnership focused on better comprehending the current state of knowledge about the illegal wildlife trade (IWT), and the economics of IWT in southern Africa.
Four suspects were arrested in Mwenezi District in southern Zimbabwe last month, for possession of a live pangolin, four lion teeth and a python skin, with intentions to sell them for more than US $ 5,000. The trial began on Thursday May 19, CITE has established.
Data on pangolin seizures and court cases in Southern Africa provide insights into the smuggling of pangolins destined for Asia, mostly China, via air, sea, land and mail. Analysis of published data on the illegal pangolin trade indicates Namibia has the highest number of pangolin seizures in 42 jurisdictions across Africa, while the highest number of related court cases in Southern Africa has been recorded in Malawi, and Zambia is among the top five countries on the continent to record seizures at airports.
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Oxpeckers_2022_06_How pangolins are smuggled from Southern Africa_Oxpeckers.pdf | 524.07 KB |
It’s estimated that at least 38 pangolins were poached during the pandemic as people become more desperate to make money.
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SA_2021_05_Pangolin poacher slapped with maximum sentence_SA Promopdf.pdf | 2.13 MB |
In the first incident at Rundu, a Namibian was arrested on 6 May for possession of a pangolin skin. Mukunga Leonard Mwamba was charged with illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products. At Kamanjab on 7 May, an Angolan national was arrested in possession of a pangolin skin. He was charged with contravening the Controlled Wildlife and Trade Act, illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products. Lastly, two Namibians were arrested at Oshakati on 14 May for being in possession of a pangolin skin.
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NAM_2021_05_Four nabbed with pangolin skins_Namibian Sun_0.pdf | 302.98 KB |
Olivia the pangolin's alleged poachers will have to remain behind bars until June after their case was postponed.The pangolin pulled through the weekend and was in a stable condition after being rescued from three alleged poachers at a Shell garage on the N1 road in Midrand last Friday.
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SA_2021_05_Midrand pangolin poaching case delayed_The Citizen.pdf | 422.02 KB |
Three alleged pangolin poachers were bust red-handed and arrested when they tried to sell an animal to a "potential client" at a Shell garage on the N1 in Midrand on Friday. Olivia was the seventh pangolin rescued this year from poachers.
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SA_2021_05_PICS Alleged poachers caught trying to sell pangolin in Midrand_The Citizen.pdf | 808.19 KB |
Within a period of two weeks there have been three wildlife crime cases recorded and four suspects have been arrested and charged. These cases were reported from 3 to 16 May, according to information provided by the intelligence and investigation unit within the environment ministry and the protected resources unit within the safety and security ministry. In the first incident at Rundu, a Namibian was arrested on 6 May for possession of a pangolin skin. Mukunga Leonard Mwamba was charged with illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products.
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NAM_2021_05_Four nabbed with pangolin skins_Namibian Sun.pdf | 293.65 KB |
Two people have been arrested in Mulanje for being found with pangolin, a protected animal which is trafficked for its scales.
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MAL_2021_05_Two arrested over pangolin possession_Malawi 24_Malawi news.pdf | 876.07 KB |
Five Mozambican citizens were detained by the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) in Tete city and Chitima, a village in Cahora-Bassa district, on Monday, having being found in possession of 11 elephant tusks, lions’ teeth, a leopard skin and a pangolin skeleton.