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The Skukuza Regional Court has handed down a stiff sentence to a 34- year-old man from Mozambique who was recently convicted of several poaching related crimes including the illegal hunting and killing of rhino.

A game farm in the Otavi area is offering a reward of N$50 000 for information that would lead to the arrest of the poachers who killed two nursing white rhino cows last weekend. Both rhinos had young calves. One calf was found, but another remains missing. Only one of the carcasses was dehorned. The other rhino escaped from the criminals, but died of her wounds in the bush.

While it was initially thought that the Rhino may have been shot, the post mortem team established that the rhino died of natural causes (fighting).

The brutal slaughter of two rhinos on Farm Ghaub in the area of Tsumeb in the past week not only left a huge void in the hearts and lives of their minders but also sabotaged job opportunities for people in the tourism industry of Namibia. The owners of Farm Ghaub decided to offer a reward of N$50 000 for information that would lead to the arrest and successful prosecution of the people responsible for the slaughter of Zanna and another rhino cow.

Ein Gastbetrieb im Otavi-Dreieck beklagt den Verlust von zwei Breitmaulnashörnern, die am vergangenen Wochenende Wilderern zum Opfer fielen. In beiden Fällen waren es Kühe, die junge Kälber mit sich führten - eines wurde gefunden, doch ein weiteres bleibt verschollen. Nur eines der Tiere wurde enthornt. Das andere entkam zwar den Verbrechern, verendete dann aber qualvoll im Busch in Folge einer Bauchverletzung.

Trauma and feelings of utter loss were laid bare by the owner of a white rhino cow that was brutally slaughtered by poachers. Joachim Rust of Farm Ghaub gives a heart-rendering eyewitness account of what he had to go through when he discovered the dead rhino on his property.

A gruesome discovery by a group of tourists on a night-drive in Kruger National Park earlier this month has raised questions about how a rhino died. The tourists spotted a man emerging from bushes holding a horn dripping with blood, chopped from a critically-endangered Black rhino carcass, just 15m away. He and another man, dressed in what appeared to be a uniform, have subsequently been confirmed by SANParks to be employed by the park.

'n Renosterkalfie is steeds soek nadat haar ma, wat met die hand grootgemaak is, en nóg ‘n witrenoster die afgelope naweek op ‘n gasteplaas gestroop is. ‘n Hartseer mnr. Joachim Rust van Ghaub Nature Reserve and Farm het gister vertel hoe hulle die tweejarige Zanna in 2014 as 'n kalfie gered en met ‘n melkbottel moes grootmaak. Zanna se ma het ná swaar reën in diep modder op ‘n plaas naby Waterberg vasgeval en is van uitputting dood. Zanna se karkas is Sondag in die veld gevind. Sy is geskiet en onthoring. Haar kalfie van 18 maande kon nie opgespoor word nie.

Paulus Pendapala (48), who has been arrested in connection with the possession of a rhino horn with a pastor and a police officer, has died. His death on Saturday came two weeks after he was denied bail in the Ondangwa Magistrate's Court on the basis that he was facing charges of dealing in wildlife products. According to acting Oshikoto regional commander commissioner Petrus Shigwedha, Paulus complained that he was not feeling well at about 11h00 on Saturday.

South African National Parks (SANParks) has welcomed the finalization of two long running rhino poaching trials by the Skukuza Regional Court. One rhino poacher was sentenced on 14 May whilst three, including a former SANParks employee, were sentenced on 17 May respectively. Nito Mathebula was arrested in Tshokwane Section in January 2019 while hunting in the Park illegally. Two of his accomplices managed to evade arrest. He was found guilty of trespassing in a National Park, breaking the Immigration Act and the killing of a rhino.

Namibia has recorded a drastic drop in poaching cases with only two rhinos poached so far this year compared to 13 poaching cases recorded at the same period last year, the Ministryof Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda said this week.

Namibia has recorded a drastic drop in poaching cases with only two rhinos poached so far this year compared to 13 poaching cases recorded at the same period last year, Environment Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said on Monday.

Kasane - Rhino poaching in Botswana is getting worse, and the government is not helping matters in any way due to its split attitude on the crisis. On the one hand, the government of President Mokgweetsi Masisi - in power since 2018 - acknowledges the seriousness of the crisis but, when it suits it, the administration ambivalently denies any calamity and neglects taking decisive action.

The rhino poaching trial of six Zimbabweans, four of whom are allegedly in South Africa illegally, will proceed in the high court sitting in Makhanda on Thursday. Francis Chitiyo, 31, Trymore Chauke, 26, Micheck Chauke, 23, Simba Masinge, 23, Nhamo Muyambo, 28 and Abraham Moyane, 23, - all of whom live in East London - face some 38 charges related to the poaching of about eight rhino in the Eastern Cape between 2017 and 2018. They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A Windhoek resident who admitted he possessed rhino horns in the city nearly five years ago suffered an expensive loss at the end of his trial in the Windhoek Regional Court on Friday, with a luxury vehicle which the police had seized from him declared forfeited to the state.

A pastor and a member of the Namibian Police, who were allegedly found in possession of a rhino horn, were last week granted bail in the amount of N$5 000 each when they appeared in the Ondangwa Magistrate's Court. Alfons Tjikuru of the Enlightened Christian Gathering at Otjiwarongo, which is led by the controversial 'prophet' Shepherd Bushiri, and officer Michael Muronga, as well as Herman Paulus were arrested on 13 March this year after they were allegedly found in possession of rhino horn.

The strict limits on travel, including international travel, imposed in March last year had the happy side effect of keeping poachers at bay. In 2020, 394 rhinos were poached, 30% fewer than the year before and the lowest yearly tally since 2011. But then South Africa began easing international travel restrictions in November. "Since November, December last year and into 2021, this landscape and particularly Kruger National Park has been experiencing serious numbers of rhino poaching incidents," said Jo Shaw, the Africa Rhino Lead for WWF International Network.

How long before rhino, pangolin and even elephants are wiped out in Namibia? An avalanche of poaching stories, of arrests and deaths, continue to flood the frontpages of Namibian newspapers.

Barely a month into the new year, the first rhino poaching in Namibia has been reported. When photos of yet another rhino killed by poachers were posted on Facebook yesterday the news spread like wildfire and the international and Namibian community expressed outrage about the ongoing problem and urging the government to take action.

A rhinoceros cow was found poached at a game farm south of Otjiwarongo on Monday. The white rhino cow, named Maria, was found dead with a gunshot wound to her neck, game farm owner WP Barnard told The Namibian yesterday.

A fourth suspect implicated in last month's Gobabis rhino poaching case, in which two white rhinos were killed and two critically wounded, was denied bail yesterday. David Stephanus (35) appeared before the Gobabis Magistrate's Court on charges of illegal hunting of specially protected game, possession of an unlicensed firearm, illegal possession of ammunition and illegal possession of game meat.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism has doubts whether a rhinoceros cow that was found dead at a game farm in the Otjiwarongo area on Monday was poached as initially thought.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism released a statement with regards the poaching incident on Otjiwa Game Ranch near Otjiwarongo on 23 January. According to the ministry's public relations officer Romeo Muyunda, there is no evidence that poaching ever took place. "The ministry has conducted an investigation in this case and preliminary findings indicate that there is no evidence the rhino was poached."

The two Chinese nationals who were arrested last week for possession of rhino horns worth more than N$400 000 appeared in court yesterday and their case was postponed to next month. Yonghui Lu (41) and Nan Chen (29) made their first court appearance before the Windhoek Magistrate Court yesterday. The two Chinese nationals appeared on charges of possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products. The case was postponed to 13 February for a formal bail hearing.

Undercover police operations last week led to the arrest of two Namibians near Outapi and two Chinese nationals in Windhoek for illegal possession of two rhino horns in each case. A joint operation lasting most of last week between Namibian intelligence units, the Namibian Police Protected Resource Unit (PRU) and City Police led to the raid on Thursday night of the Eros flat rented by the two Chinese, during which two rhino
horns wrapped in aluminium foil as well as a cache of weapons and ammunition were confiscated and the two men arrested.

Another two Chinese nationals caught in possession of rhino horns last Thursday will appear in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court today.

The Chinese national, who smuggled 18 rhino horns through the Hosea Kutako International Airport and was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, has pleaded guilty to all charges against him. Ye Zhiwei, 28, appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court in South Africa this week for dealing in rhino horn under the Endangered Species Act and will appear on 10 February again for sentencing.

Two Chinese men were arrested after they were found in possession of rhino horns in Windhoek this morning. Police chief Sebastian Ndeitunga told Nampa that the investigation is still at an infant stage and could not divulge more information regarding the matter.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the police have expressed doubts that a rhinoceros cow found dead at a game farm in the Otjiwarongo area on Monday was poached as initially thought.

While the poaching spotlight is intensely focused on rhino in Namibia, official poaching statistics released by the environment ministry this week show that rhino poaching declined in 2016 while elephant poaching doubled compared to 2015. In total, 216 black and white rhinos have been killed over the past four years, while 266 elephants have been killed by poachers since 2013. According to official figures released by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism this week, poachers killed 63 black and white rhinos in 2016, compared to 91 killed during the previous year and…

The case of three men accused of brutally killing two white rhinos and wounding two others on a farm near Gobabis in December has been postponed to 31 March. Gerson Uakaerera Kandjii (51), a former Brave Warriors football team medic, and his two co-accused, Domingo Justice Moma (32) and Erwin Tjiteere (37), appeared before the Gobabis Magistrate’s Court yesterday after a prison transfer from Windhoek last week.

Former national football team chiropractor accused of rhino poaching, Gerson Uakaerera Kandjii was denied bail in the Gobabis Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Four of the five suspects in a rhino-poaching case at Gobabis in December have been arrested. Former Brave Warriors football team medic Gerson Uakaera Kandjii – previously accused of rhino poaching and murder - is again behind bars after he and three other suspects were arrested for the killing of two white rhinos in the Omaheke Region in late December.

Former Brave Warriors football team medic Gerson Kandjii and two other men arrested over the killing of two rhinoceroses at a farm in the Gobabis district shortly before Christmas are due to make a first appearance in the Gobabis Magistrate's Court early next week.