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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 - 17 of 17
Tuesday, 25 January 2022
Kriel H, Pinnock D 2022. Beyond its exceptional beauty, Kruger National Park is on the ropes and hurting.

The Kruger National Park has a major rhino-poaching crisis, but that's just one of many mounting problems - and it's extremely worrying.

Monday, 24 January 2022
2022. Ivory, rhino horns, pangolin and tiger parts seized in transit from Africa to Asia.

Singapore - An eight-week INTERPOL operation against wildlife crime and trafficking resulted in arrests and seizures across Asia and Africa. Codenamed Golden Strike, the operation - which ended late last year - targeted the criminals and networks smuggling wildlife protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) from Africa to Asia.

Thursday, 20 January 2022
2022. Kruger rhino poaching update: 75% population reduction in 10 years.

Despite back-breaking work from a dedicated and passionate SANParks team, Kruger National Park rhino populations have continued to plummet - as per the latest population count from 2020. Recently published research estimates that there are about 2,607 white rhinos remaining in the Kruger National Park, while black rhinos are estimated to number just 202. This represents a population decline of 75% for white rhinos since 2011 (from 10,621) and 51% for black rhino since 2013 (from 415).

Wednesday, 19 January 2022
Williams C 2022. Mozambique court sentences poaching boss to 30 years.

A court in Mozambique has sentenced the leader of a poaching gang to 30 years in prison on Wednesday. The man was convicted of the crimes of poaching, illegal possession of weapons and association to commit offences, the ministry said in a statement, noting that he had also been sentenced to pay a fine of 1 percent of minimum wage for 28 years, news website Club of Mozambique wrote. The accused was arrested on May 3, 2021, "when he was returning from an attempt to hunt rhinoceros for the second time illegally", authorities said.

Tuesday, 11 January 2022
2022. Wildlife vet says it's rhino "murder" not poaching.

Rhino poaching in South Africa is at a critical level despite a "deafening" silence from official government communications and mainstream media, one of southern Africa’s most dedicated and respected wildlife vets Dr Dave Cooper maintains. Referring to the violent killing of rhino as "murders" rather than the mild, mundane "poaching", he issued a massive cry for action before it's too late, begging the world to wake up, see and stop what is happening in South Africa, according to Rhino Review. His plea comes days after witnessing possibly the "worst…

Friday, 30 September 2016
Smit E 2016. State wants 6 years for Chinese smugglers.

The State has asked that the four Chinese men found guilty of trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns and a leopard skin from Namibia should be sentenced to six years in prison.

Friday, 30 September 2016
Menges W 2016. Rhino horn smugglers get 14 years in prison.

Four Chinese citizens convicted of having tried to smuggle 14 rhinoceros horns and a leopard skin out of Namibia in March 2014 were sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment each at the end of their trial today.

Friday, 30 September 2016
2016. Chinese smugglers sentenced.

Magistrate doubles up on State's request in rhino case. Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing and Pu Xuexin were each sentencef to 14 years imprisonment of which 30 months were suspended for 5 years. The so- called kingpin Wang Hui, also got 14 years of which 28 months was suspended for 5 years. The suspensions came with conditions.

Tuesday, 27 September 2016
Menges W 2016. Poaching could wipe out rhino population.

Namibia could lose its entire rhinoceros population in the next 10 years if the rate at which poachers have been killing these endangered animals in recent years continues unchecked. Poachers have killed 201 rhinos in Namibia since 2011, and their crimes have not only had an environmental impact, but also an economic one.

Monday, 26 September 2016
2016. Rhino poaching case drags on.

The poaching case of former Brave Warriors team medic Gerson Kandjii and five other accused on Friday was postponed to 27 February 2017 for plea and trial in the Okahao Magistrate's Court.

Wednesday, 21 September 2016
2016. Two of five rhino horn accused sentenced.

Two of the five men arrested in Opuwo last year for being found in possession of rhino horns were on Friday sentenced to 11 years and six months’ imprisonment in the Opuwo Magistrate's Court.

Monday, 19 September 2016
Smit E 2016. Chinese rhino smugglers guilty.

The evidence of the Chinese nationals who were arrested in Namibia’s biggest rhino horn smuggling case to date, was rejected by Magistrate Alexis Diergaardt as false and they were found guilty of the possession and export of controlled wildlife products. The landmark case, which has been dragging on for more than two years, finally came to an end on Friday when Diergaardt made her judgment at the Windhoek Regional Court in Katutura finding the four Chinese nationals guilty on two of the three counts they were charged with. Diergaardt said that she found the four men…

Monday, 19 September 2016
Menges W 2016. Chinese men guilty over rhino horns in luggage.

The discovery of a hoard of rhino horns and a leopard skin in two suitcases at Hosea Kutako International Airport in March 2014 led to the conviction of four Chinese citizens on two criminal charges in the Windhoek Regional Court on Friday.

Friday, 16 September 2016
Menges W 2016. Chinese foursome convicted over rhino horns.

Four Chinese citizens who were accused of having tried to smuggle a hoard of rhino horns and one leopard skin out of Namibia in March 2014 were found guilty on two charges in the Windhoek Regional Court today.

Thursday, 15 September 2016
Grobler J 2016. A mysterious dead hand driving Namibia’s poaching.

After a two-year investigation, John Grobler exposes the totem-based networks facilitating transnational rhino horn smuggling and defeating the criminal justice system’s pursuit of suspects.

Monday, 5 September 2016
Hartman A 2016. Black rhino poached at Erindi, 4 arrested.

Three Zambians and a Namibian, the latter suspected to be a former policeman, were arrested last Friday after poaching a black rhino at the Erindi private game reserve near Omaruru.

Thursday, 1 September 2016
Menges W 2016. Chinese man fined over rhino horn in parcel.

A Chinese citizen who tried to send a piece of rhino horn out of Namibia in a parcel was sentenced to pay fines totalling N$40 000 or serve a two-year prison term yesterday.

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