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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 - 22 of 22
Thursday, 30 November 2023
Gaveni K 2023. Two arrested in possession of elephant tusks and pangolin scales.

Two men were arrested in possession of two elephant tusks and five pangolin scales at Magunje Growth Point.

Friday, 24 November 2023
McCain N 2023. Locking horns with crooks: Wildlife crime on the rise in Southern Africa, driven by poaching in SA.

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.

Tuesday, 14 November 2023
Motlhabane C 2023. Pangolin pain.

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.

Friday, 10 November 2023
2023. Mt Darwin man caged 9 years for pangolin.

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…

Thursday, 9 November 2023
Reiter C 2023. Illegaler Handel soll beendet werden.

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.

Thursday, 9 November 2023
David M 2023. Another arrest for pangolin trading in Kavango West.

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.

Thursday, 9 November 2023
Bisong EM 2023. Conservationists applaud Nigeria's action to confront illegal wildlife trade.

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.

Tuesday, 7 November 2023
David M 2023. Two caught with live pangolin.

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.

Monday, 6 November 2023
Chaco S 2023. Wildlife crimes in Cameroon: Prosecution needs to be bolstered as poaching remains a menace despite measures.

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…

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.

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