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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Two men were arrested in possession of two elephant tusks and five pangolin scales at Magunje Growth Point.
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ZIM_2023-11_Two arrested in possession of elephant tusks and pangolin scales_The Chronicle.pdf | 497.1 KB |
The consequences for local ecosystems and communities are serious, [including the] deterioration of natural capital, social stability and cohesion; extinction of animal species; and erosion of sustainable economic development. South Africa is home to the world's largest rhino population and is a key source for the illicit supply chain. In the first six months of this year, 231 rhinos were killed in South African game reserves. Of these, 143 were in KwaZulu-Natal.
Caught with a mother pangolin and its child in his home village near Nata on 19 November 2022, 33-year-old Othusitse Baile will forgo his freedom for the next four years.
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BOT_2023_11_Pangolin Pain_The Voice Botswana.pdf | 287.34 KB |
Tawanda Kakora of Nyamaropa Village in Mt Darwin will spend the next nine years in jail afer he was arrested while trying to sell a live pangolin. Kakora (34) of Nyamaradzo Village under Chief Nembire was sentenced to a mandatory nine-year jail term afer being convicted on charges of possession or selling a live pangolin. In passing sentence, Bindura magistrate Mrs Nomgugu Sibanda said there were no special circumstances warranting the court to be lenient. The prosecutor, Mr Carson Kundiona proved that on September 30, detectives from…
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ZIM_2023_11_Mt darwin man caged 9 years for pangolin_The Herald.pdf | 306.39 KB |
Am Dienstag wurde ein 29-Jähriger in Nkurenkuru in der Kavango West-Region verhaftet, nachdem dieser mit zwei Schuppentierpanzern im Wert von 100 000 N$ in seinem Besitz vorgefunden wurde. Laut der namibischen Polizei hatte der Verdächtige keine Genehmigung für den Handel mit solchen Produkten, woraufhin die Panzer beschlagnahmt wurden.
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NAM_2023_11_Illegaler Handel soll beendet werden_Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 318.04 KB |
NAM_2023_11_Illegal trade should be stopped_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 302.31 KB |
Another case of dealing in controlled wildlife products has been reported in Kavango West, involving a 29-year-old man who was found with two pangolin skins on Tuesday. This comes after two men, aged 36 and 44, were arrested for being in possession of a live pangolin in Kakoro village recently. NamPol spokesperson Inspector Raimbert Muronga said that the 29-year-old suspect was arrested around 13:00 in Nkurenkuru town.
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NAM_2023_11_Another arrest for pangolin trading in Kavango West_Informante.pdf | 94.32 KB |
Nigerian environmental activists have hailed the federal government's decision to publicly destroy a sizable amount of wildlife products that were seized, such as crocodile skins, pangolin scales, leopard skins, and python skins, as a clear indication of the end of an era marked by various forms of impunity against the safekeeping of wildlife.
Two men, aged 36 and 44, were arrested after being found in possession of a live pangolin in Kakoro village, Kavango West. NamPol Head of Media, Chief Inspector Elifas Kuwinga, reported that the arrests occurred on Sunday around 16:00. Both suspects are Namibian nationals. "They were apprehended after being discovered in possession of a live pangolin valued at N$50 000 during a police operation," he said. Kuwinga said that the duo is facing charges related to dealing with and possessing controlled wildlife products.
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NAM_2023_11_Two caught with live pangolin_Informante.pdf | 100.62 KB |
Cameroon ranked seventh out of 29 African nations in terms of being a source or transit point for illegal wildlife trafficking (IWT) during the decade spanning from 2009 to 2019, according to a new report. This is despite the measures taken by the law enforcement to curb the menace as increased involvement from the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF), CITES authorities and various other stakeholders, according to the report titled Analysis of Wildlife Court Cases in Cameroon: Jan 2010-Dec 2022. The most frequently…
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 |