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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 - 14 of 14
Thursday, 31 October 2024
2024. Wildlife law enforcement briefing.

4 ivory traffickers arrested with 3 tusks in Congo in a crackdown on judicial corruption. One of them is the head clerk of the high court of Dolisie who used his position to traffic seized ivory from the court’s evidence room. He was denounced by the other traffickers and a raid was carried out his home the following morning when he arrested. Two of the tusks bear markings corresponding to our operation from 2021. This is an important step in combatting corruption in the judicial system. 2 traffickers arrested with 3 elephant tusks, 41 ivory statues, and 13 hippo teeth in Togo.…

Monday, 21 October 2024
2024. Wildlife poaching arrests decline.

The country has recorded a decrease in arrests related to the poaching of rhinos, elephants, and pangolins, but authorities say more work is needed to combat the ongoing threat from international poaching syndicates. Speaking at a handover of donated vehicles last week, the Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta said combined arrests for rhino and elephant poaching dropped from 143 last year to 91 this year. Pangolin-related crimes also saw a decline, with 30 cases recorded this year compared to 60 last year, Shifeta added.

Monday, 21 October 2024
Dishena L 2024. 46 Ethosha rhinos poached in 2024.

A total of 46 rhinos, including 35 black and 11 white rhinos, have been killed in the Etosha National Park by poachers so far in 2024, minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta has said. He made the announcement in the capital last week during the donation of 22 vehicles and information technology (IT) equipment, valued at N$19.8 million to the ministry by the Integrated Wildlife Protection Project. The donation was co-financed by the German state-owned KfW Development Bank.

Saturday, 19 October 2024
Tlou L 2024. Pangolin rescued by Sandton SPCA in Morningside.

A dehydrated pangolin was rescued from the captivity of alleged traffickers in Morningside at the end of September. Sandton SPCA's senior inspector Ronald Ramalata acted swiftly following being tipped-off about the endangered animal on September 29.

Friday, 18 October 2024
2024. Customs seizes 9,493 kg of pangolin scales in landmark wildlife crime bust.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has taken another bold step in the global fight against wildlife trafficking, seizing 9,493 kg of pangolin scales in one of the largest wildlife crime busts in recent years. The Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed these developments at a press briefing held at the Customs Training College in Lagos on Wednesday, 16 October 2024, as part of the service’s ongoing enforcement activities.

Thursday, 17 October 2024
2024. Warehouse raids in Nigeria lead to historic seizure of over 9.4 tonnes of stockpiled pangolin scales.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), with support from the Wildlife Justice Commission, successfully conducted two major operations on 8 August 2024, resulting in the combined seizure of over 9.4 tonnes of pangolin scales and arrests of four suspects. These operations mark a significant achievement in the ongoing efforts to dismantle wildlife trafficking networks in Nigeria.
Wednesday, 9 October 2024
Mtembu X 2024. Two Botswana nationals in court for possession and dealing in pangolin.

Two Botswana nationals, Rhine Morgan Kemsley, 35, and Mothusi Malcom Lefa, 49, suspected of illegally possessing and dealing pangolin, an endangered species, have had their day in court. An all-encompassing law enforcement team, according to Captain Lloyd Ramovha of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), made the arrest.

Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Reiter C 2022. Wilderei der vergangenen Woche.

In der vergangenen Woche wurden vier neue Fälle der Wildtierkriminalität gemeldet, und sechs Verdächtige wurden im Zusammenhang mit diesen Straftaten verhaftet. Dies geht aus einem Bericht der Abteilung für geschützte Ressourcen, der namibischen Polizei, des Innenministeriums und des Umweltministeriums hervor. Am 22. November wurde der 46-jährige Tende Ngongo bei Rundu festgenommen, weil er im Besitz von 37 Kudu-Fleischstücken war. Der Mann wurde angeklagt, gegen die Naturschutzverordnung verstoßen zu haben und nicht in der Lage zu sein, den Besitz zufriedenstellend zu erklären…

Thursday, 24 November 2022
Smit E 2022. Seven arrested for old wildlife crime cases.

Seven suspects were arrested last week in connection with old wildlife crime cases. This is according to weekly wildlife crime statistics issued by the protected resource division and the intelligence and investigation unit within the safety and environment ministries. On 19 November, two Namibian men, Festus Amunyela and Mekondjo Tsillinus, were arrested at Oshivelo for conspiring to poach a rhino on 16 June. In another incident, Angolan national Ndango Nicolaus was arrested on 17 November in Rundu for being in possession of a pangolin on 4 August.

Thursday, 24 November 2022
Vatileni E 2022. Seven arrested for wildlife crime in one week.

Six people were arrested for rhino poaching, and one suspect for being in possession of a pangolin skin, states the report.

Monday, 21 November 2022
2022. Zimbabweans arrested at border with an elephant tusk and pangolin.

Two Zimbabwean nationals were arrested after crossing into South Africa on a boat and were found in possession of a pangolin and an elephant tusk.

Thursday, 17 November 2022
Motlhoka T 2022. Botswana man arrested for possession of live pangolin.

Botswana' Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) has confirmed the recent arrest of a man found in possession of a live pangolin in the capital Gaborone. The department says the incident was reported to them by the Botswana Police, raising concern about the continued poaching of pangolins.

Thursday, 3 November 2022
2022. Botswana records 30 cases of illegal pangolin trade between 2015 and 2022.

Gaborone, Nov. 2: Pangolin poaching activities in Botswana over the last seven years are a cause for concern, an official with Botswana's Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) said on Wednesday. Kabelo Senyatso, the director of the DWNP, told Xinhua in an interview that Botswana is grappling with illegal pangolin trade.

Wednesday, 2 November 2022
Swaby N 2022. 2 foreign nationals sentenced in Seattle for trafficking ivory and rhinoceros horn.

The multi-billion-dollar industry of illegally trafficking wildlife was front and center in federal court on Tuesday morning. The Homeland Security investigation led to two foreign nationals being arrested in Edmonds in November of 2021. On Tuesday, Herdade Lokua learned he would spend the next 20 months in prison, and Jospin Mujangi was sentenced to 14 months. The investigation led to the seizure of $3.5 million worth of elephant ivory, white rhinoceros horn, and pangolin scales.

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