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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.

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Displaying results 1 - 19 of 19
Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Kraai Z 2023. Pangolin poacher convicted.

Tsabong Police Station Commander, Superintendent Christopher Tlhapi-David says the recent interception of poachers by his team in which the suspects were later found in possession of a pangolin, signals concern for other protected species.

Tuesday, 27 June 2023
Reiter C 2023. Schuppentierpanzer beschlagnahmt.

Am vergangenen Freitag wurde ein 43-Jähriger bei Outapi verhaftet. Dem Polizeibericht zufolge wurde der Mann im Besitz eines Pangolinpanzers gefunden, den er verkaufen wollte. Der Mann soll vor Gericht erscheinen und die polizeilichen Ermittlungen gehen weiter. Ferner wird behauptet, dass ein Bericht eingegangen ist, dass eine Elenantilope im Wert von 13 000 N$ im Mayuni-Hegegebiet in der Sambesi-Region von einem unbekannten Verdächtigen gejagt und getötet wurde; die polizeilichen Ermittlungen dauern an.

Wednesday, 21 June 2023
Moyo N 2023. Trio in court over pangolin.

Three Bulawayo residents have been dragged to court over illegal possession of a pangolin worth US$5 000.

Monday, 19 June 2023
Reiter C 2023. Schuppentier-Dame gerettet und freigelassen.

Die "Pangolin Conservation and Research Foundation" konnte ein weiteres Schuppentier, das in der vergangenen Woche beschlagnahmt wurde, freilassen. "Das Tier war glücklicherweise in einem so guten Zustand, dass das Team alles stehen und liegen ließ, um zu ihr zu eilen und sicherzustellen, dass sie sofort freigelassen werden konnte." Das Tier wog gesunde 10,25 kg und wurde anhand der Größe und des Abnutzungsmusters ihrer Schuppen auf zwischen 5 bis 10 Jahre geschätzt.

Thursday, 15 June 2023
Chioma U 2023. Court convicts Clearing Agent arrested with container load of pangolin scales, elephant tusks.

The convicted clearing agents, according to the prosecutors, David Ereh and Mike Osong, was arrested on January, 2021, at Apapa Port, Lagos, for being in possession of 1X20ft Container marked CSLU 2362640, containing 158 sacks of pangolin scales and 57 sacks of elephant ivory, horns and bones.

Thursday, 8 June 2023
2023. Police arrest Kruger Park ranger for trying to sell a pangolin.

A field ranger from the Letaba section of the Kruger National Park was caught trying to sell a live pangolin. The ranger was arrested along with his accomplices this morning.

Monday, 5 June 2023
Coetzer M 2023. Pangolin trafficking and related arrests on the uptick.

Multiple arrests have been made recently in connection with pangolin trafficking in operations in Gauteng, Free State and Mpumalanga. Prof Ray Jansen, founding member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Pangolin Specialist Group, and his partners rescued a trafficked pangolin in Midrand in a sting operation last week. It was the 12th pangolin rescued this year. Jansen said the pangolin was in a critical condition and might not survive.

Monday, 5 June 2023
Ishola M 2023. Customs impounds pangolin scales worth N432m.

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigeria Customs Zone D, Bauchi has declared that its
operatives have arrested and seized 216 kgs of Pangolin scales worth the sum of N432m.

Saturday, 3 June 2023
Tiwane B 2023. Four suspects nabbed for possession of a pangolin.

The suspects were arrested in Vryburg yesterday, after being found in possession of a pangolin. Just a few days after four men were arrested for trying to sell pangolins at a mall in Mahikeng, another quartet has been apprehended for being in possession of the endangered species in Vryburg, North West.

Thursday, 1 June 2023
2023. Seven arrested in relation to three wildlife crimes.

Seven people have been arrested in relation to three wildlife crimes that took place between 17 and 23 April. According to the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, these incidents occurred in the Kavango East, Kunene, and Erongo Regions. Two out of the three cases reported during that period involve high-value species. In the first case, registered at the Opuwo Police Station in the Kunene Region, the police arrested three men for possessing four counterfeit rhino horns.

Wednesday, 29 June 2022
Maromo J 2022. PICS: Cop arrested while using SAPS vehicle to deliver 'injured and traumatised' pangolin for sale.

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.

Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Smit E 2022. Meer bronne nodig teen stropery.

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.

Monday, 27 June 2022
2022. Kwale police arrest two illegal pangolin hunters.

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.

Monday, 27 June 2022
2022. Namibia plagued by lack of data on pangolin growth and mortality rates.

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.

Thursday, 23 June 2022
2022. New data provides a glimpse into SA's illegal pangolin trade.

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.

Wednesday, 22 June 2022
Movirongo C 2022. Conservation groups join forces to ramp up efforts to curb illegal wildlife trade.

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.

Wednesday, 22 June 2022
2022. The long and tricky road to prosecuting wildlife-trafficking kingpin Moazu Kromah and his network.

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.

Sunday, 12 June 2022
Brenda L 2022. Trial begins for four Zimbabweans arrested for possession of live pangolin with intent to sell.

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.

Friday, 3 June 2022
2022. How pangolins are smuggled from southern Africa.

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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