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Indonesia's Forestry Ministry has foiled an international wildlife trafficking operation involving a Chinese national attempting to smuggle parts of protected animals through North Sulawesi. The suspect, identified by the initials BQ, was caught with a cache of illegal animal parts including rhino horns, tiger fangs, and gall bladders. Dwi Januanto Nugroho, Director General of Law Enforcement at the Forestry Ministry, said the case is part of a broader crackdown on transnational wildlife crime.

Mozambican national Nelson Sandile Sambo has been jailed for 20 years for rhino poaching in the Kruger National Park. Sambo (43) was arrested by SA National Parks field rangers in December 2020 after he and an accomplice shot and then hacked off the horns of two rhinos in the Stolznek section of the park. Sambo and Gabriel Chauke were granted bail soon after their arrest, but both suspects promptly jumped bail. While Chauke remains at large, Sambo was re-arrested in 2023 and has now been jailed for 20 years after he pleaded guilty to several charges in the Skukuza Regional Court…

While drones were previously allowed under stringent regulations, their unauthorized use has become more frequent. As reported by African Travel and Tourism Association, this new measure aims to mitigate visitor disturbances and combat potential poaching activities. Etosha National Park is home to 72% of Namibia’s black rhino population. However, it has recently experienced a troubling increase in poaching, with 19 rhinos reported killed in the first quarter of 2024.

Wildlife trafficking in Việt Nam has grown increasingly sophisticated and harder to detect in recent years as traders shift their operations to digital platforms. According to a Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network's (TRAFFIC) report, Việt Nam recorded approximately 22,500 online advertisements for wildlife and wildlife products from June 2021 to July 2023. Facebook dominates as the primary platform, accounting for 51.3 per cent of the activity, followed by Zalo at 35.5 per cent.

The Skukuza regional court on Thursday sentenced Mozambican Nelson Sandile Sambo to an effective 20-year jail term for poaching-related offences. Sambo, 43, was convicted on seven counts, including trespassing, killing a rhino and possession of a firearm.

A 54-year-old Zimbabwean fugitive, Thomas Chauke, also known as Sazu Nkambuya, has been sentenced to 110 years in prison after being convicted of multiple charges, including rhino poaching, escaping lawful custody, and illegal possession of firearms. Chauke was convicted by the Makhanda High Court following a thorough investigation by the SAPS Stock Theft and Endangered Species (STES) Unit. He pleaded guilty to six counts of rhino poaching and wildlife-related crimes, as well as three counts of escaping lawful custody.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has announced a complete ban on drones within Etosha National Park, citing escalating security concerns linked to rhino poaching. Colgar Sikopo, the ministry’s deputy executive director of Natural Resource Management, stated that while drones were previously permitted under strict conditions, the increasing misuse by visitors has necessitated a stricter approach. "Many visitors have been entering the park and using drones with no such permission.

The Namibian Police's regional commander in Oshana, commissioner Lungameni Sackaria, says poaching activities have reduced drastically since he took over the 'Yesa Ongava' anti-poaching operation in Etosha National Park. Sackaria on Thursday said police officers stationed in the national park have been working tirelessly to combat poaching activities with strong coordination among the police force. He said since taking over the reins of the operation, poaching incidents in Etosha National Park have decreased from 30 to eight incidents recorded only.

The value of proper training added to on-the-job gut feel paid off for two Kruger National Park (KNP) staffers with an 11-year sentence handed to a suspected rhino poacher this month, five years after the suspect was apprehended. KNP dog handlers stationed at the park’s Kruger and Phabeni gates, tasked as part of what SANParks said was "a special operation" in January 2020 flagged a suspicious vehicle on a gravel road linking Skukuza and Pretoriuskop. The driver ignored the stop request with Kruger personnel in a short-lived chase.

Number of smuggling cases involving ivory, pangolin scales and rhino horn has 'dropped significantly' since 2021, government says. Hong Kong has seen no "significant seizures" of smuggled ivory and pangolin scales since 2021, the government has said, attributing it to heavier penalties while animal rights groups pointed to international efforts in tackling the illegal wildlife trade as also helping.

Pretoria - In a significant victory against rhino trafficking and wildlife related cases, a 54-year old wanted fugitive Zimbabwean national, Thomas Chauke, also known as Sazu Nkambuya has been convicted and sentenced to 110 years' imprisonment. This follows a meticulous and extensive investigation by the detectives attached to the SAPS Head Office, Stock Theft and Endangered Species (STES) which led to successful conviction and sentencing of Chauke on six counts of rhino poaching and wildlife related cases, and three counts of escaping from lawful custody.

Two Zimbabwean nationals and their South African accomplice have each been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to a foiled rhino poaching operation in South Africa’s Limpopo province. The trio - Kholwani Mwembe (40) and Emmanuel Marombedze (36), both Zimbabwean, and Stephen Tshoeu (49), a South African - were arrested in March 2024 in the Steilloop following a joint sting operation involving police, SANParks officials and private security personnel.

Two Zimbabwean men and their South African associate have each been sentenced to five years in prison after being arrested while attempting to poach a rhino in South Africa's Limpopo province. The trio - Kholwani Mwembe (40) and Emmanuel Marombedze (36), both Zimbabweans, along with Stephen Tshoeu (49), a South African - were apprehended in March last year in the Steilloop area. Security officials recovered a firearm, ammunition, and a knife during the operation.

In just the first month after South Africa launched its aerial drone program in the iconic Kruger Park, 55 potential poachers were caught sneaking into the park. When I was just 11 years old, my South African-born father took me to Kruger Park for the first time… and I was hooked. Hooked on wildlife and hooked on Africa. Kruger boasts lions and elephants, Cape buffaloes and zebras, and much more.

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

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.

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).

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.

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…