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.
Pretoria - The number of rhino in the Kruger National Park has increased. This after the use of technology and sniffer dogs to deter poaching. In the past financial year, the park reported about 180 cases of rhino poaching, a decrease of 45% compared with previous years. Security camera were installed and 12 more installations are expected.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_06_Kruger National Park conservation efforts see number of rhino increase_IOL.pdf | 289.85 KB |
Conservationists are raising serious questions about crime scene protocols - and the sense in stockpiling rhino horn - after a report claimed the police took eight hours to respond to a burglary at the North West Parks Board on Monday. In what is being described as a well-planned heist executed with military precision, thieves broke into the Heritage House headquarters of the North West Parks Board in the early hours of Monday and stole 51 rhino horns worth millions of rands on the Asian black market.
The recent sentencing of six Zimbabweans - members of the so-called Chitiyo Rhino Poaching Gang - to prison terms ranging from 16 to 20 years suggests that authorities are slowly but steadily making inroads in tackling the poaching scourge.
In Limpopo, which shed over 90 000 jobs between January and March, the impact of rhino poaching was hugely felt by its nearly 6.8 million population. More than 80 rhinos were killed through poaching in Limpopo parks and game reserves between 2020 and 2022 - which is of major concern for the Limpopo economics development, environment and tourism department.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_06_More rhinos poached in Limpopo_The Citizen.pdf | 302.87 KB |
Nampol in Omusati thwart a rhino poaching expedition and confiscate the rifle.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2023_06_Nampol in Omusati thwart a rhino poaching expedition and confiscate the rifle_informante.pdf | 236.66 KB |
Cape Town - Members of a rhino poaching gang were sentenced to heavy direct imprisonment sentences by the Eastern Cape High Court sitting in Makhanda. The Zimbabwean nationals, Francis Chitho, 35; Trymore Chauke, 30; Meshack Chauke, 27; Simba Masinge, 32; Nhamo Muyambo, 32; and Abraham Moyane, 36, were convicted of conspiracy to commit theft of rhino horn and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_06_Rhino poaching gang receive hefty sentences_IOL.pdf | 237.68 KB |
A 32-year-old poacher, Freedom Siyabonga Ndlovu, was sentenced to 32 years of direct imprisonment for offences related to poaching by the Skukuza Regional Court. The accused had a hand in the killing of three rhinos.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_06_Freedom Ndlovu handed a 32_year sentence for poaching offences_The South African.pdf | 348.6 KB |
Cameras and vehicle recognition devices assist in picking up vehicle movement and how many vehicles are circulating in a specific area of the park. Solar powered hubs, cameras and alarm speakers are just some of the few modern technologies erected in the Kruger national park's (KNP) Skukuza campsites to bolster the fight against theft, poaching and other crimes. KNP has incorporated modern technology into its vast terrain ravaged with smugglers and poachers.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_06_Kruger National Park incorporates tech in fight against poaching_The Citizen.pdf | 459.67 KB |
The Namibian police have reported another wildlife crime, as two rhinos were poached in the Outjo district on an unknown date in June. According to the weekend crime bulletin, the incident involved the hunting of specially protected game species without a permit and theft of rhino horns. It is alleged that unknown suspects unlawfully and intentionally hunted and killed two white rhinos, with a value estimated at N$660,000. The carcasses were recovered, no arrests have been made, and police investigations are ongoing.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2023_06_Two rhinos poached in Outjo_Informante.pdf | 105.98 KB |
Six Zimbabwean nationals, found guilty of rhino poaching, appeared at the Makhanda High Court on Wednesday, 14 June 2023, for their long-awaited sentencing. The six felons were first arrested in July 2018. Almost five years after their arrest, Francis Chitiyo, Trymore Chauke, Misheck Chauke, Simba Masinge, Nhamo Muyambo, and Abraham Moyane have been sentenced to between 16 to 20 years for conspiracy to kill rhinos so that they could steal their horns and for possession of an unlawful firearm and ammunition.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_06_Six rhino poachers sentenced to between 16 to 20 years_Grocotts Mail.pdf | 402.32 KB |
Johannesburg - The Eastern Cape High Court sitting in Makhanda imposed heavy prison sentences on six Zimbabwean nationals in what game reserve owners in the Eastern Cape have called a major breakthrough in the war against rhino poaching syndicates. In sentencing the six, Judge GH Bloem referred to the men as a well-organised group of criminals, arrested after stellar investigation by the SAPS, in particular Captain Morné Viljoen of the Eastern Cape Stock Theft Unit. Viljoen and his team, acting on information, apprehended the poachers while they were travelling on the…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_06_Major victory in rhino poaching war_IOL.pdf | 321.81 KB |
Six members of the so-called Chitiyo rhino-poaching gang received lengthy jail sentences in a landmark judgment in the Makhanda High Court on Wednesday. They were convicted last September on charges of conspiring to poach rhinos and the illegal possession of heavy-calibre firearms and ammunition. Makhanda High Court judge Gerald Bloem handed down sentences ranging from 16 to 20 years, in front of a courtroom packed with conservationists who turned up in their numbers to show how they feel about wildlife crimes. Sentencing proceedings…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_06_Lengthy jail terms for rhino poachers following landmark EC judgment_Algoa FM.pdf | 279.06 KB |
Sixteen suspects appeared before the Nelspruit Commercial Crimes Court on 31 May 2023 to face charges related to money laundering and corruption connected to the illicit trade of rhino horns. The accused were apprehended during the course of "Project Blood Orange", which saw an investigation conducted by the Serious Corruption Investigation unit of the Hawks in Mpumalanga.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_06_16 suspects appear in court after being bust for illicit rhino horns trade_The Citizen.pdf | 356.25 KB |
Durban - Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife says it has adopted a number of measures in its efforts to deal with rhino poaching in many of its parks. However, opposition parties have questioned the entity's urgency to deal with the poaching threat. The entity recently made a presentation before the meeting of the economic development portfolio committee in the KZN legislature where members decried the failure to deal with rhino poaching and the declining standards at Ezemvelo-owned facilities. A total of 244 rhino were killed in poaching incidents in KZN last…
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2023_06_Call for urgent action on rhino poaching at KZN reserves_IOL.pdf | 331.14 KB |
Seven people have been arrested in relation to three wildlife crimes that took place between 17 and 23 April. According to the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, these incidents occurred in the Kavango East, Kunene, and Erongo Regions. Two out of the three cases reported during that period involve high-value species. In the first case, registered at the Opuwo Police Station in the Kunene Region, the police arrested three men for possessing four counterfeit rhino horns.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2023_06_Seven arrested in relation to three wildlife crimes_Informante.pdf | 173.55 KB |
Minister of Environment Barbara Creecy today released the latest rhino poaching statistics for South Africa, whilst also paying tribute to SANParks' rangers, including those rangers who tragically died over the past year. Minister of Environment Barbara Creecy today released the latest rhino poaching statistics for South Africa, whilst also paying tribute to SANParks’ rangers, including those rangers who tragically died over the past year.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2021_07_Rhino Poaching Update as SA Pays Tribute to Brave and Fallen Rangers_SA People.pdf | 1.07 MB |
There was a 50% increase in the number of rhinoceroses killed in the first six months of 2021 in South Africa compared to the same period last year, but the figure is still lower than pre-pandemic years, the country's government announced Saturday. Barbara Creecy, the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, said 249 rhinos have been poached for their horns from Jan. 1 through the end of June. That's up from the 166 poached in the same time period in 2020, but still a marked decline from 2019, which saw 318 rhino poaching.
Prophet Jackson Babi has been remanded in custody again after High Court Judge Harald January dismissed his bail appeal. The judge did not make available the full judgment, saying it will only be available later after it has been edited. Babi has been in custody since last year after he was arrested on poaching charges.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_07_Prophet Babi remanded in custody_Informante.pdf | 555.91 KB |
SANParks and security partners in the Greater Kruger Region are jointly implementing a range of interventions as part of an integrated wildlife management approach to counter the effects of wildlife crime, in particular rhino poaching.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2021_07_SANParks and Greater Kruger partners to strengthen their anti_poaching approach_Lowvelder.pdf | 443.61 KB |
Judgement in the matter where Prophet Jackson Babi is appealing a decision that denied him bail will be handed own later this week. Babi is appealing a judgment handed down by a magistrate in the lower court.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_07_Babis bail appeal judgment is not ready_Informante.pdf | 1.46 MB |
Namibia has lost nine rhinos to poaching in various national parks this year, according to the environment ministry. The statistics show three black, and six white rhinos were poached this year alone. The three black rhinos were killed in the Etosha National Park, while six rhinos were poached for their horns at private-owned white rhino reserves. Environment spokesperson Romeo Muyunda also issued national elephant poaching statistics per year from 2014 to 2021.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_07_Nine rhinos poached in 2021_New Era Live.pdf | 408.64 KB |
This year to date only four elephants have been poached in comparison to the 12 elephants that were poached last year. In 2014, when poaching started to increase in Namibia, 78 elephants were killed, peaking at 101 poached elephants in 2016.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_07_Poaching numbers drop_Namibian Sun.pdf | 345.95 KB |
Environment Ministry press secretary Romeo Muyunda announced the latest rhino and ivory poaching figures yesterday. According to this, the safety of the animals has improved somewhat over the past few years.
Rhino and elephant poaching has declined significantly this year in Namibia, home to the only free-roaming black rhinos left in the world, government data showed on Monday. Nine rhinos have been illegally killed by hunters so far in 2021, the lowest number in eight years for the period, according to the figures from the ministry of environment and tourism. Four elephants have been killed this way, a five-year low
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021-07_Rhino and elephant poaching declines in Namibia-KFGO.pdf | 262.03 KB |
Poaching has risen sharply in the recent years across Africa, fueled by rising demand in Asia for ivory and rhino horns, coveted as traditional medicine and a status symbol and acquisition and adaptation of advanced technologies in the fight against poachers is not yielding the desired results.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
PAN AFRICA_2021_07_Rhino Poaching Worsens in Africa_PAN AFRICAN VISIONS.pdf | 250.54 KB |
Twee mense is op Katima Mulilo en Kahenge met altesaam sewe olifanttande in hul besit betrap, terwyl nog twee mense gevang is toe hulle onderskeidelik luislangvelle en krokodilvelle van die hand wou sit.
Two people were caught on Katima Mulilo and Kahenge with a total of seven elephant tusks in their possession, while two more people were caught trying to dispose of python skins and crocodile skins respectively.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021-07_Stropers met sewe olifanttande gearresteer_Republikein.pdf | 177.53 KB |
NAM_2021_07_Poachers arrested with seven elephant tusks_Republikein_Eng.pdf | 176.34 KB |
The men were arrested on Wednesday afternoon for the illegal possession of 19 rhino horns.
A local game breeder has earlier today been charged with the illegal possession and the selling of rhino horns after a combined intelligence operation involving several law enforcement units.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2021_07_Game breeder arrested for possession_trade in rhino horns_Review.pdf | 1.83 MB |
Two suspects, aged 19 and 48, who were found allegedly in possession of 19 rhino horns, are expected to appear at the Nelspruit Magistrate’s court in Mpumalanga, on Thursday. The horns are estimated to have a value of R2.6 million.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2021_07_Two arrested with 19 rhino horns to appear in Mpumalanga court_SABC News.pdf | 1.09 MB |
The two men who were arrested for the illegal possession and selling of rhino horns on Wednesday, appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on Thursday afternoon. They are Schalk Abraham Steyn (48), better known to Lowvelders as AB, and Limpopo game farmer, Dawid Groenewald (52).
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2021_07_ Accused in Mbombela rhino horn bust identified_Lowvelder.pdf | 975.63 KB |
A bail appeal by three men accused of smuggling rhino horns failed in the Oshakati High Court when acting Judge David Munsu dismissed their appeal against the refusal of bail, by the Opuwo magistrate's court.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_07_Rhino horn accused bail appeal fails_New Era.pdf | 513.36 KB |
Last Monday, four men with nose horns were arrested in their car between Kamanjab and Opuwo. The Namibian Police (Nampol) issued a statement yesterday afternoon that the four suspects on the C35 were stopped at 3 p.m. at a roadblock with four rhino horns. The value of the horns has not yet been disclosed. The men are between 20 and 46 years old and the police investigation has yet to clarify where the nasal horns came from.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_07_Vier Nasenhoerner beschlagnahmt_Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 276.67 KB |
NAM_2021-07_Four rhino horns confiscated_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 276.02 KB |
The Protected Resources Sub Division of the Namibian Police has launched an investigation into the origin of four rhino horns found in possession of four suspects during an impromptu roadblock in the Kunene Region. According to a success report provided by NamPol’s Public Relations Division, the four men were travelling in a minibus taxi from Kamanjab to Opuwo when they were found in possession of four horns wrapped in tinfoil.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_07_Four men found in possession of rhino horn_Informante.pdf | 1.5 MB |
Four people were arrested in the Kamanjab area after they were found with rhino horns.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_07_Four caught with rhino horns_The Namibian.pdf | 580.6 KB |
A former Brave Warriors chiropractor, who was later charged with murder as well as poaching, has died in custody. Kandjii was being held in custody with two others suspected of killing two adult white rhinos on the farm Khainas near Gobabis in December 2016. They have also been accused of wounding two more rhinos
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_07_Murder_poaching accused dies in custody_New Era.pdf | 378.14 KB |
Vier mans tussen 20 en 46 jaar is in hegtenis geneem nadat die polisie Maandag op vier renosterhorings beslag gelê het toe 'n minibus onderweg na Opuwo by 'n padblokkade deursoek is. Die minibus is kort ná drieuur die middag by 'n padblokkade op die Kamanjab-Werda-pad afgetrek. Die polisie sê in 'n misdaadverslag vier mans is vir die besit van beheerde wildprodukte in hegtenis geneem. Die oorsprong van die renosterhorings en die waarde daarvan is nog nie bekend nie. Die polisie se ondersoek na die voorval duur voort.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_07_Vier renosterhorings in minibus gevind_Republikein.pdf | 219.04 KB |
NAM_2021_07_Four rhino horns found in minibus_Republikein_Eng.pdf | 227.24 KB |
Customs officers of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) seized 32 pieces of rhino horn, weighing 160kg, at a cargo transit shed at the OR Tambo International Airport on Saturday, 17 July.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2021_07_Rhino horn weighing 160kg seized at OR Tambo_The Citizen.pdf | 630.93 KB |
They were bust with about R500,000 worth of rhino horn. The regional court in Gqeberha sentenced Jonathan Jeremy Perring, 37, Keanon Terblanche, 28, and Christo Shaun Swartz, 30, on Thursday.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
SA_2021_07_Trio slapped with three_year jail sentences for rhino horn theft_Times Lives.pdf | 478.8 KB |
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), most of the poachers come from poor communities and are just looking for food. Such ones use snares, wire traps, poisoned watermelons or nails to catch elephants, and spears as weapons to kill the trapped animals.
In Namibia ging die Zahl der Wildtierverbrechen im vergangenen Jahr laut dem Umweltministerium leicht zurück. Dennoch bleibt dies weltweit ein Problem mit schwerwiegenden finanziellen Konsequenzen, so der jährliche Bericht des Internationalen Konsortiums zur Bekämpfung der Wildtierkriminalität (ICCWC).
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2021_07_Leichter Ruckgang_Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 363.81 KB |
NAM_2021_07_Slight decrease_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 361.48 KB |