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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
Thursday, 27 July 2023
Smit E 2023. Special wildlife crime courts highly effective.

Assets and goods seized and forfeited to the state during the finalisation of wildlife crime cases at special courts last year were valued at more than N$4 million. The seized items included illegal wildlife products, firearms and vehicles used in wildlife crimes. According to the Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement Report in Namibia, the judicial system faces a range of challenges in dealing with high rates of crime and ensuring justice is served; a central hurdle is a growing backlog of cases on the court rolls. "This has…

Wednesday, 26 July 2023
Mosikare L 2023. Zim duo in illegal possession of pangolin.

Francistown: Two men from Zimbabwe appeared in court Tuesday to face a count of capturing a protected game animal and another for entering Botswana unlawfully. According to the charge sheet, Kelvi Maposa, 43, and Matitshidza Sibanda, 33, both unemployed and from Plumtree in Zimbabwe, being persons not licensed, authorised or exempted unlawfully captured a pangolin being a protected game animal without a permit to do so.

Tuesday, 25 July 2023
Mukoya T 2023. Wildlife trafficking king pins sentenced.

Johannesburg - The Wildlife Justice Commission has heralded the conviction of four for the trafficking of pangolin scales and ivory as a "ground-breaking" move that has laid bare the modus operandi of the criminal networks trafficking wildlife commodities. The commission made the announcement following the conclusion of the trial against three Vietnamese and one Guinean national who were arrested by the Nigeria Customs Service in May 2022 for trafficking 7.1 tonnes of pangolin scales and 850 kilograms of ivory. Phan Viet Chi, Phan…

Thursday, 20 July 2023
2023. Court jails 4 foreigners for trafficking animals in Lagos.

The convicts were placed on trial for illegal possession, dealing in, assembling, storing, smuggling, and trading in pangolin scale and elephant ivory.

Tuesday, 18 July 2023
Reiter C 2023. Wilderei nimmt einfach keine Ende.

Männer stehlen Schuppentiere, Schafe, Oryxantilopen und Rinder.

Men steal pangolins, sheep, oryx antelope and cattle.

Tuesday, 18 July 2023
Smit E 2023. Schuppentier-DNA soll illegalen Handel aufdecken.

Momentan werden DNA-Daten von Schuppentieren in Namibia gesammelt, die dabei helfen sollen, geschmuggelte Schuppentiere aufzuspüren und das Ausmaß des internationalen, illegalen Handels festzustellen.

DNA data is currently being collected from pangolins in Namibia to help identify smuggled pangolins and the extent of the international illegal trade.

Tuesday, 18 July 2023
2023. More needs to be done to protect wildlife - National Report on Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement.

The country's anti-poaching and crime prevention initiatives managed to arrest 75 suspects in 106 cases related to rhino poaching in Namibia in 2022, a report released last week noted. The year 2022 saw the most rhinos poached in the country since 2015 when the first major poaching wave in independent Namibia peaked, the National Report on Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement in Namibia revealed. The released report is based on data compiled via the Integrated Database of Wildlife Crime in Namibia, as well as related firsthand information and observations by…

Tuesday, 18 July 2023
Smit E 2023. Ietermago - DNS ingespan teen onwettige handel.

DNS-data van ietermago's in Namibië word tans ingesamel, wat sal help om smokkelroetes te identifiseer en die omvang van die internasionale onwettige handel in ietermagospesies vas te stel. Volgens die 2022- verslag oor wildbeskerming en wetstoepassing in Namibië is dit onbekend hoeveel ietermago's suksesvol uit Namibië gesmokkel is. Daarvolgens dui die huidige beskikbare inligting daarop dat die verhouding laag is, maar meer navorsing is nodig.

Monday, 17 July 2023
Reiter C 2023. Wildtierverbrechen häufen sich.

Die Initiativen zur Bekämpfung der Wilderei konnten laut einem kürzlich veröffentlichten Bericht 75 Verdächtige in 106 Fällen von Nashornwilderei im Jahr 2022 festnehmen. Im gleichen Jahr wurden landesweit so viele Nashörner gewildert wie seit 2015 nicht mehr, so der Bericht "National Report on Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement in Namibia".

Tuesday, 11 July 2023
Hembapu O 2023. Soldier, farm worker nabbed with pangolin, python skin.

An Otjozondjupa police intelligence-led operation caused the successful arrest of a soldier and farm worker, who were separately caught red-handed with controlled wildlife products worth a combined amount of almost N$200 000. At Grootfontein's Build Together location, police shared that a 49-year-old female member of the Namibia Defence Force (NDF) was on Sunday caught with a live pangolin, worth N$50 000. The suspect is a corporal officer in the army, stationed at the Grootfontein Military Base.

Saturday, 8 July 2023
Ngwenya A 2023. Two more pangolins rescued from trafficker.

A suspect has been arrested after being found with two endangered pangolins inside his home in Kuruman in the Northern Cape.

Sunday, 2 July 2023
2023. Hawks arrest foreign national for dealing in pangolin scales in Durban.

Durban - The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) arrested a 35-year-old man for dealing in a protected species without a permit. Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo said that on Thursday Hawks members from Port Shepstone Serious Organised Crime Investigation arrested Sifiso Magagula for dealing in African pangolin without a permit.

Saturday, 1 July 2023
2023. Kenya vows to combat illegal trade in iconic species via enhanced partnership.

Kenya will enhance partnerships with neighboring countries and regional blocs in a bid to protect abundant natural resources like wildlife from the clutches of organized crime, an official has said.

Thursday, 30 March 2023
David M 2023. No more poaching in Etosha, says Sakaria.

Commissioner Naftal Lungameni Sakaria, the Oshana Regional Police Commander, was recently named the Gold Commander for the Etosha National Park Anti-poaching Safety and Security squad. Sakaria was named on March 23 and will, for the next six months, be in charge of directing the joint Nampol/NDF operational work in the Etosha National Park. He said that he will concurrently be in charge of the Oshana Region and also the anti-poaching operations in Etosha. "I have already been to Etosha, rotated the personnel and properly briefed them," he said.

Thursday, 30 March 2023
Ndeyanale E 2023. I can't guarantee you will leave Etosha alive.

Oshana police commissioner Naftal Sakaria says armed poachers found in the Etosha National Park should surrender to the police or they will be shot. Police inspector general Joseph Shikongo last week appointed Sakaria as the commander of the anti-poaching unit in Etosha National Park for a period of six months. While in this position, he will also remain the Oshana regional commander. Sakaria is tasked with commanding the police and military forces deployed in the flagship park to protect animals, especially iconic animals such elephants and rhinos, from being poached.

Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Manyinyire T 2023. Private rangers recover 24 pangolins, 118 elephant tusks from poachers.

Akashinga rangers, domiciled in Zimbabwe's Zambezi Valley have recovered 24 pangolins and 118 elephant tusks from raids on poachers since last year in Mashonaland West.

Friday, 24 March 2023
Terblanché N 2023. Pangolin skin lands two in jail.

An intelligence-driven operation earlier this week led to the arrest in the Oshikoto Region of two residents of Windhoek who stand accused of trading in controlled wildlife products. According to a report about the arrest, provided by the commander of the Namibian Police in Oshikoto Region, Commissioner Teopoline Kalompo-Nashikaku, information received by investigators suggested that the two suspects were on their way to the south after completing a transaction where they were seen selling a pangolin skin.

Thursday, 23 March 2023
David M 2023. Two arrested for alleged possession of a pangolin skin.

Two people were detained Wednesday after they were found in possession of a skin of a pangolin which is a protected species. The two were apprehended at a temporary roadblock on the Omuthiya-Ondangwa main road. They are both from Windhoek. According to the regional commander of the police in Oshikoto, Commissioner Teopolina Kalompo-Nashikaku, the skin is valued N$50 000.

Monday, 20 March 2023
Taylor D 2023. Chinese, South African 'mafia' decimating wildlife in Kruger National Park.

A new report from the European Union-funded international crime response group, Enact, says organized crime groups from South Africa and China - in collaboration with corrupt wildlife officials - are "decimating" big game animals in one of the world's premier game reserves. 

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