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.
Explore your search results using the filter checkboxes, or amend your search or start a new search.
The trial is set to begin this September, close to three years after the 50 pieces of horns were seized not far from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The men sprung a surprise in court today when they opted for a trial. It was a reversal of the guilty plea they had recorded at an earlier court appearance last month. Media and conservation groups gathered at court on Wednesday (24 April) had expected a penalty to be given to the two men.
The Special Wildlife Office of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has intercepted a 40-foot container of illegal wildlife products in Vietnam. Three suspects were also arrested in connection with the crime, barely six weeks after a similar seizure by Vietnam authorities. The Nigeria Customs Service, in a statement made available to newsmen, and signed by Asst. Comptroller Abimbola Isafiade, said the operation was conducted by the combined efforts of the officers of the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone C, in a joint enforcement operation with the Wildlife Justice Commission, WJC…
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NIG_2024_05_Customs intercepts 40_ft container of illegal wildlife products_Daily Post.pdf | 439.1 KB |
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SA_2024_05_State of poaching in the Kruger National Park_Lifestyle.pdf | 1.43 MB |
Trotz Bemühungen um Eindämmung des Handels mit bedrohten Tierarten wie Elefanten geht der illegale Handel mit Wildtieren weltweit unvermindert weiter. Dies geht aus dem einem Bericht des Büros der Vereinten Nationen für Drogen- und Verbrechensbekämpfung (UNODC) hervor, der eine Bestandsaufnahme der weltweiten Anti-Wilderei- Maßnahmen enthält.
Despite progress to curtail the trafficking of iconic species such as elephants, illegal wildlife trafficking continues unabated on a global scale. This is according to the 2024 World Wildlife Crime Report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which takes stock of efforts to counter poaching worldwide. The report highlights that wildlife trafficking has not seen a significant enough decrease over the past two decades, prompting a call for enhanced enforcement of existing laws, including measures to combat corruption.
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NAM_2024_05_Illegal wildlife trade remains immense_UN_Namibian Sun.pdf | 66.33 KB |
The Nigeria Customs Service Special Wildlife Office, over the weekend, announced the arrest of a Shipper and supplier responsible for the illegal exportation of a 40ft container of illegal Wildlife to Vietnam. It was gathered that the illegal wildlife products were intercepted and reported in Vietnam in April 2024 while the arrest of the suspects was made by the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) and the enforcement officers of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone C, Owerri, Imo state.
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NIG_2024_05_Customs arrests shipper_supplier over illegal export of wildlife_Leadership.pdf | 492.35 KB |
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NAM_2024_05_Other cases relating to poaching to be joined in Brockerhoff case_Informante.pdf | 112.8 KB |
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NAM_2024_05_Five suspects arrested for rhino poaching in Gobabis_Informante.pdf | 253.66 KB |
Die beskuldigdes wat die afgelope naweek betrokke was by die stropery van ‘n witrenosterbul op 'n plaas in die Gobabis-distrik, bly in aanhouding. Volgens die hoofwoordvoerder van die Namibiese polisie, adjunk-kommissaris Kauna Shikwambi, het die beskuldigdes reeds in die landdroshowe van Gobabis en Katutura in Windhoek verskyn. Die name van die beskuldigdes soos verskaf deur Shikwambi is Micheal Shomeya Koshondatile (39), Barnabas Shitaleni Muzanime (35), die 31-jarige Petrus Petrus Nghifindaka, Victory Henghono (ook 31) en die 34-jarige Imanuel Stafanus Nangwasha.
The suspects involved in the poaching of a white rhinoceros bull on a farm in the Gobabis district remain in custody. According to the spokesperson of the Namibian police, Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, the suspects have already appeared in the magistrate's courts of Gobabis and Katutura in Windhoek over the past weekend. The names of the suspects as provided by Shikwambi are Micheal Shomeya Koshondatile (39), Barnabas Shitaleni Muzanime (35), 31-year-old Petrus Petrus Nghifindaka, Victory Henghono (also 31), and 34-year-old Imanuel Stafanus Nangwasha.
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2024_05_No bail for rhino poachers from Gobabis bull_Namibian Sun.pdf | 296.26 KB |
Namibia's precious wildlife is under threat from criminals, as illegal wildlife trade has become the world's fourth-largest form of transnational crime. This was said by Ana Beatriz Martins, the European Union's ambassador to Namibia, at a press debriefing for 'Operation Saving Wildlife through Multilateral Cooperation in Africa' (Sama) in Windhoek yesterday. She said dozens of wildlife species have been pushed ever closer to extinction by habitat loss and illegal trade.
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NAM_2024_05_Namibian precious wildlife is under threat from criminals_The Namibian.pdf | 550.94 KB |
'n Karkas van 'n groot witrenosterbul is Sondagoggend op 'n plaas in die Gobabis-distrik ontdek wat
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NAM_2024_04_Neue Nashorn_Initiative_Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 211.91 KB |
NAM_2024_04_New rhino initiative_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 182.44 KB |
Two suspected poachers were shot to death in an exchange of fire with members of the anti-poaching unit in the Etosha National Park on Wednesday. The incident occurred at the Scorpionbelt, Western Zone, when a patrol of the anti-poaching unit observed shoeprints that had entered the park through the park's fence. According to the police, the suspects' tracks were pursued for a distance of 60 km up to a water point where Rhinos mostly feed on small shrubs.
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NAM_2024_05_Suspected poachers killed in exchange of fire with cops in Etosha_Informante.pdf | 63.5 KB |
The three Chinese men charged with trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns out of Namibia at the end of March had their hopes of being released on bail dashed yesterday.
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NAM_2014-05_No bail in rhino horn smuggling case_The Namibian.pdf | 634.14 KB |
I am part of the public voice bidding that the three Chinese men found with 14 rhino horn in their bags – at Hosea Kutako airport (well done, Security!) – must remain in prison without bail. Thus far, I feel and believe that the judge has made the right decision in keeping them there.
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NAM_2014-05_Dont Hand our Legacy to Chinese_The Namibian.pdf | 296.47 KB |
Zoo Park was fittingly the venue for Namibia's first anti-rhino poaching protest, bringing together more than 60 demonstrators fighting the cause of the threatened species yesterday.
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NAM_2014-05_Namibians protest against rhino poaching_The Namibian.pdf | 973.59 KB |
The three Chinese nationals accused of trying to smuggle rhino horns worth more than N$2 million out of Namibia have been denied bail. They were remanded in custody and their case was postponed until August 6 for further investigation. Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing and Pu Xuexin appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court on charges of the possession and export of controlled wildlife products.
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NAM_2014-05_No bail for Chinese smuggling suspects_Namibian Sun.pdf | 84.29 KB |
Poachers have struck again in the Kunene region where the carcasses of two black rhinos were found in the Palmwag concession early this week.
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NAM_2014-05_Two more black rhinos killed_The Namibian.pdf | 223.45 KB |
Two more rhinos have been killed in the Kunene Region, bringing to five the number of rhinos poached in Namibia so far this year. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism has described the spate of poaching in the country as barbaric and says the country is ready to confront anybody caught poaching and that they will face the full wrath of the law. This comes while a group of about 60 people yesterday gathered at the Zoo Park in Windhoek to protest against bail being granted to three Chinese men who were caught in March this year with 14 rhino horns in their luggage.
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NAM_2014-05_Two more rhinos poached at Palmwag-Namibian Sun.pdf | 114.1 KB |
DNA tests done in South Africa indicate that the rhino horns allegedly discovered in the luggage of three Chinese men at Hosea Kutako International Airport at the end of March were of Namibian origin.
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NAM_2014-05_DNA links rhino horns to Namibia_The Namibian.pdf | 704.14 KB |
The head of the Namibia Protective Resource Unit says there is evidence that the three Chinese men arrested for trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns out of the country are part of a much larger international syndicate. Detective Chief Inspector Barry de Klerk also testified last Friday during the bail hearing of the three accused that a Chinese investigator will arrive in Namibia within the next few weeks to assist with investigations.
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NAM_2014-05_Rhino horn smuggling syndicate targets Namibia_Namibian Sun.pdf | 106.39 KB |
One of the Chinese men accused of trying to smuggle two suitcases containing rhino horns out of Namibia near the end of March told a magistrate yesterday that four of his front teeth were knocked out when he was assaulted by detainees in police custody.
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NAM_2014-05_Alleged rhino horn smuggler reports cell assault_The Namibian.pdf | 941.6 KB |
A total of 11 rhinos have been killed by poachers in the past six years with eight animals poached in the past two years, a further two in 2021 and one in 2011 and 28 horns recovered during that period, a workshop on wildlife that was held in Windhoek was told.
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NAM_2014-05_Government and experts meet to tackle poaching_The Namibian.pdf | 319.37 KB |
The 14 rhino horns, valued at N$2.3 million and which were confiscated from three Chinese nationals recently, were poached in Namibia. This was confirmed at the bail hearing Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing and Pu Xuexin last week, when they appeared on charges of possessing and attempting to export controlled wildlife products. They were allegedly caught with the rhino horns, as well as a leopard skin valued at N$50 000, in their luggage on 23 March at Hosea Kutako International Airport.
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NAM_2014-05_Chinese rhino horn suspects in bail bid_Namibian Sun.pdf | 75.28 KB |