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When it comes to protecting our rhinos from poachers, there's not a one-size-fits-all solution. There are several ways that national parks, game reserves and organisations are fighting rhino poaching, from fitting rhinos with tracking devices, having anti-poaching units on the ground actively monitoring them, rhino dehorning, education drives, and more. And these do not happen in isolation either, as often a combination of methods are needed to successfully deter poachers. Naturally, all of these hero organisations doing the hard work protecting our rhinos need funds to operate…

Five people found guilty of rhino poaching and related charges were handed down sentences ranging from 16 years to 18 years behind bars.

Corruption is a key enabler of the illegal wildlife trade and its effects can be seen in every stage of this crime chain. This is according to a new report by the wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC, which said by reviewing past wildlife crime court cases, the relationship between these crimes and corruption can be better understood. It noted that thoroughly investigating corruption in these cases can potentially identify higher-level individuals for investigation, arrest, conviction and appropriate sentencing, disrupting organised criminal groups to a greater extent.

Aiming an immobilizing dart at a rapidly moving animal while leaning out of an airborne helicopter seems like an absurd undertaking, but this is how wildlife veterinarians are able to sedate a charging rhino. It's hair-raising work, but can save the rhino's life. Once the rhino lies down, the helicopter lands and a team of experts from Mozambique Wildlife Alliance (MWA) race towards the immobilized animal. They gently cover its eyes with a cloth, keeping it calm.

Cape Town - Poaching continues to decimate the rhino population with 451 rhinos poached in South Africa last year, 327 of them from government reserves and 124 from private property.

South African National Parks (SANParks) today, 19 March 2022, welcomed the sentence meted out by the Skukuza Regional Court to a man convicted on 12 counts associated with poaching. The accused, Mike Nyathi, a 39 year old Mozambican man with a South African citizenship, faced 14 charges relating to two separate cases of rhino poaching.

Rural communities in the Okavango Delta in Botswana have accused the country's government of not engaging them in efforts to combat rampant poaching in the area. Since 2018, more than 100 rhinos have been gunned down by poachers in the Delta and communities in the region say the situation might have been better had the government engaged them in anti-poaching work.

Pretoria - Sixty dogs have been dispatched across the Kruger National Park to help curb poaching. The almost 2 million-hectare park has a major problem with poachers targeting rhinos, lions and elephants.

Our analysis of wildlife crimes data, supported by numerous interviews, finds evidence of systematic failure by Nigerian law enforcement and the judicial system to hold wildlife poachers and traffickers accountable.

Pretoria - The Tembisa Regional Court has convicted and sentenced 49-year-old Ping Wu to five years direct imprisonment for money laundering. Spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi, said in April 2019, the Hawks serious organised crime investigation team based in Middelburg registered an undercover investigation into allegations of illegal trade in rhino horn. "The scope of the project was to address a syndicate in Gauteng who were illegally dealing in rhino horns," said Sekgotodi.

The slaughter of Namibia’s rhino continues, with yet another being poached - this time on a privately owned game farm in the Otjozondjupa Region. This was the third white rhino that has been poached on Farm Okamahoro since the middle of last month. The farm is situated approximately 35km west of Okahandja. Okamahoro Farm no. 20 is privately owned and farms with a variety of game, including rhinos. According to Otjozondjupa police spokesperson Warrant Officer, Maureen Mbeha, a female rhino carcass was discovered last Thursday.

The arrest of a Chinese national suspected of co-ordinating rhino horn smuggling from Namibia is among the major successes that has been achieved by an international law-enforcement operation combating wildlife crime. The operation - codenamed ‘Operation COBRA III’ - was conducted during May and involved a series of raids conducted across Asia, Africa and Europe, resulting in more than 300 arrests of suspects, including kingpins, and over 600 seizures of assorted wildlife contraband. There have also been more tip-offs leading to the unearthing of criminal networks and their…

Yet another black rhino was poached in the Omatendeka Conservancy in Southern Kunene over the weekend, bringing the total number of poached rhinos in the country to 69 this year. The rhino is the fifth to be poached in the same area within a couple of months. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism confirmed yesterday that five people were arrested in connection with the incident after they were discovered with two rhino horns in their possession.

In a move to control rhino poaching, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism started constructing a proper boundary fence to protect animals in the Etosha National Park. The fencing is expected to cost an estimated N$700 000 per kilometre. Etosha measures 824 kilometres, and the ministry would need about N$576 million to fence it all. The ministry, however, does not have enough funds for the project and has requested an additional N$167 million during this financial year. It was allocated about N$643 million in the 2015/2016 national budget.

Five Namibian men were arrested on Saturday afternoon in the Kunene Region after they were found with a freshly sawn off black rhinoceros horn and a rifle, allegedly used to shoot the rhino. The five appeared before Magistrate Leena Iyambo at Opuwo on Monday afternoon.

The Chinese Embassy in Windhoek, through its office of the director of political affairs, Wang Xuguang (Tony), responded to a request by Nampa on the Embassy's stance after another Chinese national appeared in court for alleged rhinoceros horn smuggling.

Four Chinese suspects, who were arrested in connection with allegedly trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns out of the Namibia, will now be appearing together in the Windhoek Regional Court in Katutura at the end of the month. This follows a decision by the Office of the Prosecutor-General that 40-year-old Wang Huii, who was arrested last month at the Windhoek Country Club, should appear together with three other Chinese suspects who were arrested last year.

A Chinese, who police believe to be the 'kingpin' in one of Namibia's biggest rhino horn smuggling cases, was denied bail by the Windhoek Magistrate's Court in Katutura yesterday. Wang Hui (40), who was remanded in custody at the Windhoek Correctional Facility, had his case transferred to the Regional Court where he is expected to appear on 25 June.

The Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) says it has ensured that none of its staff are carrying personal firearms at its establishments inside Namibia’s national parks. This follows a recent directive by Environment and Tourism Minister, Pohamba Shifeta, that no ministry or NWR employee should keep personal firearms within national parks. NWR said in a statement it has made an effort to ensure that this directive is enforced at all its establishments inside national parks.

The Opuwo Magistrate’s Court has applied for a warrant of arrest for a Chinese national, who was arrested for dealing in illegal rhino horns last year. The warrant will be executed it if he fails to appear before the court within the next two weeks. Dejin Xu, who was allegedly found with two rhino horns during a sting operation in February last year, was due to appear in the Opuwo Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for plea and trial. Prosecutor Obert Tavengwa Masendeke said the court was yesterday presented with a doctor’s letter stating that he is unable to attend the proceedings…

Ninety-five black rhinos and eight white rhinos have been poached in Namibia since 2005, the ministry of environment and tourism revealed yesterday. Minister of environment Pohamba Shifeta said this, when he revealed the outcome of tests conducted on the latest rhino and elephant carcasses discovered since 2014. 
Shifeta said over the last 10 years, 294 black rhinos died of natural causes, while 95 others were poached and seven others were killed for trophy hunting.