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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The tides may finally be turning for Pangolins, often referred to as one of the most exploited creatures on Earth. In a move that's sending waves through conservation communities, China has announced that it will remove Guilingji, a traditional medicine containing pangolin ingredients, from its official 2025 Pharmacopoeia. The decision, confirmed in the revised edition released on the 25th of March, signals a significant step forward in wildlife protection and aligns with a growing global push to end the use of endangered animals in medicine.
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INT_2025_04_A gentle creature_a brutal trade_and finally_a reason to hope_Good things guy.pdf | 89.53 KB |
Wildlife trafficking in Việt Nam has grown increasingly sophisticated and harder to detect in recent years as traders shift their operations to digital platforms. According to a Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network's (TRAFFIC) report, Việt Nam recorded approximately 22,500 online advertisements for wildlife and wildlife products from June 2021 to July 2023. Facebook dominates as the primary platform, accounting for 51.3 per cent of the activity, followed by Zalo at 35.5 per cent.
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VIETNAM_2025_04_Digital platforms fuel rise in illegal wildlife trade_Viet Nam News.pdf | 112.23 KB |
Demand for pangolins in Asia, where populations of these scaly mammals have dwindled, hasdriven traffickers to Africa, the only other continent where the increasingly endangered animals canbe found. Nigeria has become a hub for pangolin trafficking and other illegal trading of wildlife. Butauthorities have been cracking down, recently arresting a Chinese national suspected of being ahigh-level pangolin trafficker and targeting a supply network in a market in Lagos this month.
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NIG_2025_04_Can Nigeria help save the pangolins amid a Global Wildlife Crime Crisis_NY Times.pdf | 245.94 KB |
Number of smuggling cases involving ivory, pangolin scales and rhino horn has 'dropped significantly' since 2021, government says. Hong Kong has seen no "significant seizures" of smuggled ivory and pangolin scales since 2021, the government has said, attributing it to heavier penalties while animal rights groups pointed to international efforts in tackling the illegal wildlife trade as also helping.
Speaking to journalists, the Customs Area Controller, MMA command, Micheal Awe, said the operation, which was with the support of the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), led to the arrest of five suspects involved in the illegal wildlife trade. According to the Customs boss, the 3,765kg pangolin scale seizures mark the first major global seizure of its kind in 2025. He argued that the seizure highlighted both the persistent threat to pangolin species and the heightened vigilance of the NCS in dismantling these criminal networks.
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NIG_2025_04_Customs intercepts 3765kg pangolin scales In Lagos_Leadership.pdf | 71.08 KB |
People have asked us, "why pangolins?" We answer: they are the most trafficked mammals in the world - they matter, and need our help. But what does trafficking mean? It means pangolins are stolen - stolen from their habitats, stolen from the people whose traditions depend on them, stolen from the fabric of nature and culture. Driven by greed, ignorance and depravity, trafficking is a crime without mercy. The International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP)'s Paul Hilton has published his account of a recent bust of pangolin smugglers in Indonesia.
The frequent seizure of Pangolin scales from smugglers by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) further reinforces Nigeria’s notoriety as a place where illicit wildlife trade thrives with minimal checks. Available reports indicate that the collaboration between the NCS and the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) has led to the seizure of about 25,000 tonnes of pangolin scales in the last four years. Last Friday, the NSC Comptroller General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, announced the arrest of a notorious trafficker in possession of 9,493 kg of pangolin scales believed to be about 7.2 tonnes…
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NIG_2025_04_Illicit trade in pangolin scales_This day live.pdf | 61.2 KB |
Three men travelling through Kadoma will rue the day they caged a pangolin after they were caught in possession of the mammal on Saturday.
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ZIM_2022_05_Three men arrested for pangolin poaching_NewsDay.pdf | 431.99 KB |
Midrand police arrested nine suspects on May 19 on New Road, Midrand after they were found with a female pangolin weighing 0.9kg valued at R250 000.
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SA_2022_05_Nine suspects arrested for possession of a pangolin valued at R250 000_MidrandReporter.pdf | 341.09 KB |
Offenders convicted of crimes related to wildlife species classified as extinct in the wild, or critically endangered, face the highest penalty under Uganda's Wildlife Act 2019 of a Shs20-billion (about US$5,5-million) fine or life imprisonment, or both. Despite this, pangolins are being heavily targeted for poaching and trafficking in the East African country. Data from global wildlife trade monitoring organisation Traffic indicates that between 2012 and 2016, more than 1,400 pangolins were seized by Ugandan authorities.
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UGA_2022_05_Ugandas fight to stop pangolin poaching_Oxpeckers.pdf | 512.25 KB |
Police in Mchinji have arrested two men for allegedly being found in possession of a live Pangolin. The two have been identified as Mavuto Jophris aged 33 and Mandera Masauso aged 34. The arrest of the two suspects follows a tip off police received on May 12, 2022 that the two were offering for sell a live Pangolin which was concealed in an empty sack and placed in a backpack.
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MAL_2022_05_Two found with pangolin in Mchinji_Malawi24.pdf | 163.63 KB |
Twee wildmisdadigers appelleer teen hul skuldigbevinding en vonnisoplegging van twee jaar.
Two game criminals are appealing against their two-year conviction and sentence.
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NAM_2022-05_Wildsmokkelaars staan vonnis teen_Republikein_0.pdf | 528.12 KB |
NAM_2022_05_Game smugglers oppose sentance_Republikein_Eng_0.pdf | 529.57 KB |
Last week's sting operation not only saved a young female Temminck's pangolin from the clutches of poachers, but her unborn pangopup too.
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SA_2022_05_Pregnant pangolin survives poachers_focus now on her pangopup_SowetanLive.pdf | 2.73 MB |