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Durban - Criminals continue to be a major problem for Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife game reserves, according to Ezemvelo communications manager Musa Mntambo, who said poachers were breaking fences to catch bush meat, and criminals in neighbouring areas were stealing fence materials and poles. Conservation was given an added boost by Zulu King Misuzulu, who called on traditional leaders to take decisive action against those who endangered the natural heritage. Mntambo said they had engaged with community leaders to address the problems, but this did not always yield good results.

hree rhino poachers have been sentenced to 50, 33 and 21 years for killing rhinos in the Kruger National Park. Dominic Mnisi, Lwazi Malambe and Ayanda Ngomane were recently convicted of trespassing, possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of a firearm to commit a crime, conspiracy to commit a crime, and animal cruelty. Mnisi was sentenced to 50 years effectively, with several charges running concurrently. Malambe was given 33 years effectively, and Ngomane 21. Mnisi and Malambe were arrested in January 2017 with a rifle, ammunition and four fresh rhino horns.

A convicted rhino poacher has blamed his syndicate bosses after receiving a 50-year jail term for illegal hunting in the Kruger National Park (KNP). Dominic Mnisi, 36, Ayanda Ngomane, 31, and Lwazi Malambe, 31, were sentenced to 50, 21 and 33 years direct imprisonment by the Skukuza Regional Court on Thursday. The trio were convicted by the same court in early June after being found guilty by the presiding magistrate Jan Ngobeni.

Three rhino poachers were sentenced to 50, 21 and 33 years respectively in the Skukuza Regional Court on July 25 after being found guilty on several charges relating to rhino poaching in the Kruger National Park during 2017 and 2019. Their trial started on July 23, 2023. They were convicted on May 23 of this year on rhino poaching-related charges such as trespassing in a national park, hunting of rhinoceros in a national park, possession of an unlicensed firearm and conspiracy to commit a crime.

When Edward Ndiritu joined Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, central Kenya, as a rhino monitor in 1996, poaching had already reduced the nation's black rhino population from 20,000 in 1970 to fewer than 300. Driven by a fear that they might disappear completely, Edward worked his way up the ranks to become the head of Lewa's anti-poaching unit. In 2015, his team’s community-minded approach to conservation won him the first Wildlife Ranger Award from conservation charity Tusk. While a rhino hasn't been killed by poachers in Lewa since 2020, the threat endures.

A farmer in the Okahandja district encountered rhino poachers for the third time after discovering the carcass of a white rhino bull on his farm on Monday afternoon. Initially, the poachers injured the bull in a failed attempt last week. Two renowned veterinarians, Drs HO Reuter and Ulf Thubbesing, visited the farm last week to treat the injured rhino after the poachers shot him in the forehead. The eight-year-old bull was then marked with a large cross on his back to facilitate easy identification and monitoring from the air.

Two men who were arrested with 27 rhino horns at the OR Tambo six years ago have been handed down a hefty sentence. The men were on their way to Vietnam to sell the poached rhino horns with an estimated value of R2.9 million. Some South Africans were dissatisfied that the men received 15 years for poaching and believed they deserved to be locked up for longer.

'n Witrenosterbul se karkas is gistermiddag op 'n plaas in die Okahandja-distrik gevind nadat hy aanvanklik deur stropers gekwes is. Die gekweste bul is verlede week op die plaas ontdek. Twee veeartse het die plaas besoek om die agtjarige renoster te behandel nadat hy deur die stropers in die voorkop geskiet is. Die eienaar van die plaas het aan NMH gesê hy het nog Sondag omstreeks 18:00 oor die plaas met sy girokopter gevlieg en die bul lewend gesien.

Surging organised wildlife crime syndicates, limitations in wildlife protection, prosecution and sentencing, and inappropriate sentencing are just some of the wildlife crime challenges authorities grapple with in Namibia. According to the Namibia National Report on Wildlife Protection 2023, organised criminal activity appears to be increasing in various sectors involving Namibia's natural resources. The report said that during 2023, complex syndicate operations were investigated related to rhino poaching, live-plant trafficking, illicit timber harvesting and trophy shooting.

Members of anti-poaching units are sometimes involved in poaching or trafficking themselves, a latest report shows. This is according to a protection and law-enforcement report released by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism last week. Moreover, the report says 83 people have been arrested in connection with poaching and conspiring to poach rhinos and committing other wildlife crimes last year. It states that 39 people were arrested after pre-emptive investigations in 2023, while follow-up investigations related to rhino poaching have led to 44 arrests.

The ongoing drought that has its grip on most parts of Namibia has not spared wildlife either, the environment ministry says.  The drought is also severely impacting conservation efforts, but has not yet led to increased mortalities, reduction of wildlife numbers or any endangered species, environment ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda stated.  While responding to questions by New Era, revealed the scarcity of rainfall in the affected regions has resulted in a dire shortage of water and grazing resources for wildlife.

The wildlife crime cases over the last two years have mostly involved antelopes, pangolins, small mammals, rhinos and elephants.

The Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, provided a detailed overview of ongoing efforts in wildlife protection and law enforcement at the 2024 Annual National Stakeholder Forum held this week. According to Shifeta, Namibia has long been recognized for its successful conservation strategies, which have significantly reduced poaching rates since the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly targeting iconic species such as rhinos and elephants.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement that Letswele was first arrested on December 8, 2022, and later released on bail. This is after Ermelo police received a tip-off about a Toyota double cab carrying rhino horns and firearms. When police stopped the vehicle, Letswele and his co-accused Junior Jorge Chauke, 42, tried to flee, but were quickly caught. A search of the vehicle revealed four rhino horns hidden in the bonnet, valued at R876,000. Despite being released on bail, Letswele continued his illegal activities.

The government convened a stakeholder forum on wildlife protection and relevant law enforcement issues. This initiative comes in response to the increasing concerns highlighted by international financial institutions, which have listed environmental crimes, including wildlife crimes and money laundering, among the top threats in Namibia’s national risk assessment. The forum is also partly aimed at preventing Namibia from being grey-listed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The Namibian authorities arrested 654 people linked to 389 wildlife-crime cases registered in the country last year. This is according to a 2023 national report on wildlife protection and law enforcement in Namibia completed by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism. The report shows that 96 wildlife-crime court cases were finalised. Twelve cases involving pangolins, eight cases for elephants, four cases involving trees and an additional four cases involving rhinos were finalised in court.

The Rhino Sanctuary Namibia, located about 60km from Windhoek will officially open its doors this September. Although they have already had guests at the lodge to experience the magnificent surroundings and to pay a visit to the white rhinos roaming the area, they are still busy with some final touches. Manager Stefanus Prinsloo explained that the idea for Rhino Sanctuary Namibia came from the lodge owner, Tom Kjær who wanted to assist in protecting the rhinos against increasing poaching in Namibia.

South African conservationists have begun implanting radioactive pellets into the horns of white rhinos in an effort to curb the illegal rhino horn trade. James Larkin, the leader of the project, says the £1,000 pellet is cheaper and less damaging than other anti-poaching measures such as removing the horn. The project takes advantage of the global nuclear surveillance system. Sensors installed at border posts will now be able detect the horns’ radiation and alert the authorities.

Durban - A 45-year-old man convicted of rhino poaching was sentenced to 28 years in prison by the Empangeni Regional Court.

Nairobi, Kenya - One of two Kenyans wanted for alleged involvement in wildlife and drug trafficking has been arrested in a joint U.S.-Kenyan operation. The U.S. government had announced a reward for information leading to the arrest of Badru Abdul Aziz Saleh. Saleh and Ahmed were accused in the transportation, distribution and smuggling of 190 kilograms of rhinoceros horns and 10 tons of elephant ivory from different African countries.

The 41-year-old man was arrested by members of the South African Police Service while trying to board a flight to Singapore. A security official at the airport alerted police to suspicious-looking items in the suspect’s hand luggage. Upon further investigation and interrogation of the suspect, police found that the suspect was carrying rhino horn weighing 26kg in his carry-on bag.

Three men convicted on 12 charges related to rhino poaching have been sentenced to a combined 63 years in prison.

Durban - with the number of rhinos killed for their horns in KwaZulu-Natal Ezemvelo Wildlife reserves this year set to surpass poaching deaths for the past two years, a report has been released on what should be done to protect the endangered species. The report was compiled six years ago by a task team that investigated the scourge of rhino poaching and recommended that Ezemvelo beef up its intelligence capacity to combat the crime. It said such an investigation unit could help police and prosecutors secure convictions against those implicated in poaching.

Durban: Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has expressed disappointment after a man caught with a rhino horn without a permit, received a suspended sentence in court this week.

Commissioned six years ago and kept under lock and key by the Office of the KZN Premier until now, the hidden report into rhino poaching in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has been partially released to the Democratic Alliance (DA) following extensive pressure. At last count, rhino poaching figures this year so far (just over four months) have surpassed the total for 2021, with 108 rhino killed by poachers for their horns which are smuggled to countries like China and Vietnam.

Revelations by Centre for Environment Justice that there are between 4,000 and 6,000 active poachers in Kafue National Park alone is very distressing not only to wildlife defenders but all Zambians. What is so heart-breaking is the fact that wildlife poaching is not a new phenomenon in Zambia. It dates back to the 1950s, from which time to date over 90 percent of the country's elephants have been killed. Estimates by experts indicate that in the 1980s, elephant numbers dropped from a quarter of a million to just 18,000.

Durban - Since the beginning of the year, 106 rhinos have already been poached according to KwaZulu-Natal Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs (Edtea) MEC Ravi Pillay. In a statement on Saturday, Pillay said this comes after a total of 93 rhinos were poached in KZN parks in 2020 and 102 were poached last year.

The United States has not decided on adopting an official position on claims that corruption within Botswana security agencies contributes to the rise of rhino poaching in the country. The US revealed this when commenting on a briefing document submitted by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) at a recent CITES' Standing Committee's 74th meeting (SC74). In its report, EIA claimed that, "corruption allegations within the agencies tasked with addressing the poaching of Botswana’s wildlife are especially concerning."

KwaZulu-Natal is slowly turning into a poachers' paradise with everything from rhinos to pangolins and even warthogs butchered in different parts of the province. A recent parliamentary response by the KZN department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (Edtea) revealed that while 97 rhinos were poached in the province in 2021, a startling 61 rhinos were killed between January 1 and March 25 this year. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife blames budget constraints for the inadequate resources to curb this scourge.

According to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s rhino poaching statistics available on the organisation’s website, a total of 99 have fallen victim to poachers this year.

Last year, 97 rhinos were poached in Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife reserves in 2021. Between January 1 and March 25 this year, 61 have been killed. According to some reports, the tally for the year so far is at least 75.

Two of South Africa's most notorious rhino poachers, the Van Deventer brothers, have been convicted and sentenced in a Limpopo court after pleading guilty to a long list of charges that link them to a trail of poached rhino carcasses discovered over the 2016/17 New Year weekend.

On April 1 the number of rhinos poached in Hluhluwe-uMfolozi Park, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), since the 1st of January was 60. It's just one month later, and that already horrific number has shockingly jumped to 94 (actually 95, as of yesterday). Imagine how many rhinos will now not be born because of those that have been killed in Hluhluwe-uMfolozi just this year! Every rhino counts.

More than 30kg of rhino horn was seized from a female passenger at OR Tambo International Airport after customs officials received a tip-off. But this is by far not the biggest haul - one delivery headed for Malaysia was just shy of 170kg. SARS says more 450kg of rhino horn has been seized from would-be smugglers at OR Tambo alone since mid-2020.