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.
Another two rhinos have paid the ultimate price as a result of ongoing poaching.The circumstances surrounding the poaching of two rhinos on a Limpopo farm are being investigated by the Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit. Rooiberg police, in the Waterberg District, have launched a manhunt for unknown perpetrators involved in the poaching of two rhinos on Pomo Estate.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_10_Graphic photos_Rhinos shot and killed on Limpopo farm_Caxton News.pdf | 210.45 KB |
Rhino populations in Kruger National Park continue to decline despite innovative strategies implemented to prevent rhino poaching. The latest population count, reported in the SANParks Annual Report 2022/2023, reveals that the total rhino population has declined by 16.2%, from an estimated 2,458 rhinos in 2021 to 2,060 in 2022.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_10_Kruger rhino population update_the losses continue_Africa Geographic.pdf | 1.07 MB |
The defence attorney in the case against a former police officer accused of being a rhino poaching kingpin has disputed that their client has 12 pending cases.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_10_Alleged rhino kingpins defence disputes charges against the accused_SABC News.pdf | 391.96 KB |
Die ministerie van die omgewing, bosbou en toerisme het vonnisse van minstens 13 jaar tronkstraf elk vir vier renosterstropers verwelkom. Die vonnisse is onlangs in die Windhoek-streekhof opgelê.
The Ministry of the Environment, Forestry and Tourism has welcomed sentences of at least 13 years in prison each for four rhino poachers. The sentences were handed down recently in the Windhoek Regional Court.
Despite declining national rhino poaching statistics, KwaZulu-Natal is becoming a new hotspot for these illegal activities.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_23023_10_KwaZulu_Natal becomes new hotspot for rhino poaching_CityPress.pdf | 261.01 KB |
A high-speed chase forced three suspects to abandon their vehicle, rhino horn, communications tower battery, silencer, firearm and ammunition while evading arrest. They were intercepted by Volksrust, Mpumalanga, police conducting a stop and search operation at 10pm in Mandela Drive on Monday, police said.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_10_Rhino horn traffickers foiled_TimesLive.pdf | 233.67 KB |
Zwei der Justizvollzugsbeamten, die wegen des Verdachts, an der Flucht des chinesischen Nashornschmugglers Wang Hui beteiligt gewesen und deshalb suspendiert worden waren, wurden für schuldig befunden. Ihnen wurde eine Geldstrafe auferlegt.
Two correctional officers who were suspended on suspicion of being involved in the escape of Chinese rhino smuggler Wang Hui have been found guilty. They were fined.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2023_10_Waerter bekommen Geldstrafe_Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 331.03 KB |
NAM_2023_10_Guards get fines_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 275.54 KB |
The environment ministry has welcomed sentences of at least 13 years in prison each for four rhino poachers. The sentences were handed down in the Windhoek Regional Court last week. Former Brave Warriors chiropractor Gerson Kandjii (51) was also involved in the case, but died in custody in 2021. The arrests stem from an incident in December 2016, when four white rhinos were poached on a private farm in the Gobabis district. On 22 December 2016, the suspects, allegedly without a hunting permit, killed four white rhinos - two…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2023_10_Co_accused in Kandjii poaching case get years behind bars_Namibian Sun.pdf | 344.63 KB |
Richter Johannes Shuuveni verurteilte vier Nashornwilderer am 18. September zu jeweils 13 Jahren Haft.
Judge Johannes Shuuveni sentenced four rhino poachers to 13 years in prison on September 18th.
Rhino Dehorning Debate Intensifies as Poaching Continues in Hluhluwe/iMfolozi Game Reserve. In the midst of an escalating rhino poaching crisis at the Hluhluwe/iMfolozi (HiP) game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, a contentious debate has arisen over whether dehorning rhinos is an effective strategy to protect them. While some argue that dehorning could deter poachers, others express concerns about its effectiveness and potential consequences. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, responsible for overseeing the park, has voiced reluctance regarding the dehorning approach.
Two correctional officers who were suspended after the escape of Chinese rhino-horn smuggler Wang Hui have been found guilty by an internal disciplinary process. Deputy Commissioner-General Mariana Martin of the Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) told Namibian Sun that based on an investigation, three officers were suspended after Wang's escape. "All three correctional officers suspended were eventually charged, with at present two found guilty of misconduct under the Correctional Service Act."
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2023_10_Prison wardens fined for chinese inmates escape_Namibian Sun.pdf | 354.82 KB |
Since 2020, snaring has tripled in the crown jewels of South Africa's Big Five reserves. This suggests economic hardship, although it is not the sole factor to blame. Responding to questions by the Democratic Alliance’s Hannah Winkler on the park’s snaring trends, Environment Minister Barbara Creecy reported the removal of thousands of snares: In 2020, 2,407 snares were removed; In 2021, 4,454 snares were removed; In 2022, 7,270 snares were removed.
Two of the correctional officers who were suspended due to the suspicion that they had a hand in the escape of the Chinese rhino horn smuggler, Wang Hui, have been found guilty.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2023_10_Prison officers guilty after smuggler escapes_Republikein_Eng.pdf | 192.95 KB |
The Windhoek Magistrate Court has handed down prison sentences of up to 15 years to four individuals involved in a heinous rhino poaching case. The culprits were found guilty for their involvement in a poaching incident dating back to December 2016, where four white rhinos were ruthlessly killed on a private farm in the Gobabis District. On 22 December 2016, the suspects allegedly, without a hunting permit, killed four white rhinos - two bulls and two pregnant cows - each valued at N$1.25 million, with a total value…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2023_10_Poachers sentenced to 15 years_Windhoek Observer.pdf | 284.34 KB |
However, the park's key strategy to combat poaching has been to dehorn its entire rhino population - with great success. The Pilanesberg has had no poaching incidents in the three years since 2020.
An alleged rhino poacher has been sentenced to 30 years behind bars for killing three rhinos at Kruger National Park in Skukuza. Sydney Sibuyi, 40, was sentenced to thirty years of direct imprisonment in the Skukuza Regional Court on Thursday for poaching-related offences.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_10_Rhino poacher handed 30 years for killing three rhinos in Kruger National Park_IOL.pdf | 122.59 KB |
17 people sentenced for moving millions of dollars in tusks from West Africa as part of the biggest illicit network of its kind in China. Life terms show authorities are coming down hard on illegal trade, campaigner says.
‘n Bejaarde man is gister by die Swakopmundrivier-plotte glo met ‘n ou renosterhoring en vyf stukke olifanttande in sy besit vasgetrek. Volgens die Namibiese polisie se misdaadverslag volg die inhegtenisneming van die 69-jarige man nadat die volgende ander items ná ‘n soektog glo in sy besit gevind is: 27 patrone van ‘n .308-geweer, twee patrone van ‘n R1- outomatiese aanvalsgeweer en 33 patrone van ‘n .22-vuurwapen.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2020_12_Renosterhoring_ivoor op Swakop-plot gevind_Republikein.pdf | 191.31 KB |
NAM_2020_12_Rhino horn_ivory found on Swakop plot_Republikein_Eng.pdf | 201.27 KB |
A grant of 200 000 euro has been awarded to Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) Namibia to support local communities in protecting the world's last free-ranging black rhino population. It will also assist with the sustainability of initiatives that bring revenue to these communities. The project is funded by the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union (EU), through the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme. According to SRT, this two-year project will train and equip trackers and rhino rangers to…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2020_12_New project to protect black rhino_Namibian Sun.pdf | 345.09 KB |
Despite global economic uncertainty, the Save the Rhino Trust's long-standing donors continued international and national support and kept boots on the ground. This is according to the organisation's CEO, Simon Uri-Khob, who thanked the SRT team and all partners and donors for their hard work in dealing with the adverse effects of the coronavirus pandemic during the year. From April to August, Namibia was in various stages of government-mandated lockdown.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2020_12_Donors keep boots on ground_Namibian Sun.pdf | 446.06 KB |
BIOPAMA: 200000 Euro für Schutz des Spitzmaulnashorns. Knapp 3,8 Millionen N$ soll der Naturschutzfonds Save the Rhino Trust in den kommenden zwei Jahren zwecks verbesserter Ausbildung und Nachrüstung der Naturschutzbeamten in den Kommunalgebieten empfangen, in denen die letzten freilebenden Spitzmaulnashörner Namibias und sogar der Welt vorkommen.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2020_12_SRT großzuegig unterstuetzt_Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 2.51 MB |
NAM_2020_12_SRT generously supported_Allgemeine Zeitung_ENG.pdf | 2.51 MB |
At least five white rhinos were killed and dehorned on different occasions in November, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in Botswana confirmed Thursday.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
BOT_2020-12_Five white rhinos killed by poachers in November in Botswana_The Star.pdf | 79.96 KB |
Two teachers and five other people from Muanza district in Sofala province, including a smallholder and a public administration technician, were arrested this weekend while trying to sell two elephant tusks and the skin of a leopard for 44,000 meticais (24,000 for the tusks and 20,000 for leopard skin).
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
MOZ_2020-12_Seven arrested on poaching related charges in Sofala_Journal of African Elephants.pdf | 673.24 KB |
Every day about two rhinoceroses are killed in South Africa for their horns. Be it for traditional medical purposes, or to impress friends with gifts such as carved figurines and necklaces, the demand in East Asia is high for rhino horns and wealthy buyers are willing to pay a good price. South Africa, on the other hand, is home to two third of Africa's rhinos while nearly half of the adult population lives in poverty.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2020-12_NGO Poverty Fuels South African Wildlife Crimes_OCCRP.pdf | 460.93 KB |
KwaZulu-Natal wildlife is "under attack" by illegal hunters across the province says Blessed Gwala, the IFP spokesperson for community safety and liaison. Last week the carcasses of four dehorned rhinos were found in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2020-12_KZN wildlife under siege from illegal hunters_IOL.pdf | 104.59 KB |
It's clear why the illegal wildlife trade exists. Where there's consumer demand for products from endangered species, there are bound to be networks seeking to profit from that demand. But what about the motivations of individual offenders? TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade NGO, decided to simply ask them. The researchers interviewed 73 people in South African correctional centers, who had been convicted of crimes related to rhinos, abalone, or cycads (ancient palm-like plants that have been called "the world's most endangered plants").
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2020-12_Convicted poachers in South Africa explain why heavy policing is ineffective_Forbes.pdf | 350.26 KB |
A suspected rhino poacher has been arrested at Grootfontein, while a Windhoek man has been sentenced to an effective four years in jail for selling pangolin skins or a N$40 000 fine.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2020-12_Four years for pangolin trafficking_Namibian Sun.pdf | 282.63 KB |