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Namibian Wildlife Crimes article archive

This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:

  • provide easy public access to published information and statistics
  • enable easy stakeholder access to articles
  • provide a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia

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.

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Displaying results 1 - 15 of 15
Wednesday, 29 April 2015
Smit E 2015. Ndeitunga calls for stricter park controls.

Police Inspector-General Sebastian Ndeitunga has called for the establishment of a database of all trespassers in national parks and nature reserves to establish whether there are links with poachers and possible buyers of rhino horns and elephant tusks. Ndeitunga made these remarks at the Etosha National Park while addressing Heads of Criminal Investigation, Operations, Special Branch and Special Field Force Directorates as well as regional commanders from the Oshana, Oshikoto, Omusati, Kunene and Otjozondjupa regions.

Monday, 20 April 2015
2015. Rhino poaching skyrockets.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism has announced that 31 rhino carcasses have been found since April 8. In a statement issued over the weekend, Permanent Secretary Simeon Negumbo said the illegal hunting of rhino in Namibia must be brought under control rapidly. Negumbo said an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the deaths, as some carcasses were old and still had their horns.

Monday, 20 April 2015
2015. Shock spike in Etosha rhino deaths.

The threat looming over Namibia's rhinoceros population is even bigger than previously thought, with 38 rhino carcasses having been discovered in the Etosha National Park so far this year. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism announced in a media statement on Friday that another 31 rhino carcasses have been found in the Etosha National Park since 8 April.

Friday, 17 April 2015
2015. More than 30 rhino carcasses discovered in Etosha last week.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) said on Friday that a total of 31 rhino carcasses were discovered in the Etosha National Park during the course of last week. Most of the carcasses were found in the western part of Etosha.

Friday, 17 April 2015
2015. Rhino trust staff not involved in poaching.

An independent investigator found no evidence of suspicions of any of the Save the Rhino Trust Namibia (SRT) staff being involved in poaching, according to an official SRT statement released on Wednesday. Last December the SRT launched an internal investigation in response to newspaper reports that alleged that its staff was involved in rhino poaching in the Kunene region.

Thursday, 16 April 2015
Smit E 2015. Smuggling, poaching feed money laundering.

Suspicious accounts amounting to N$329 million were halted by the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) last year in the ongoing battle against money laundering. The possible offences that were identified during the analyses of the reports included corruption, fraud, tax evasion, contravention of exchange control regulations, rhino poaching, theft, diamond smuggling, illegal scams and illegal casino gambling.

Monday, 13 April 2015
2015. Etosha rhino losses rise to 11.

Namibia continues losing rhinoceroses and elephants to the greed of poachers, with seven carcasses of poached rhinos having been discovered in the Etosha National Park so far this year. The discovery of the carcasses of seven poached rhinos in the Etosha National Park since the start of this year brings the number of rhinos killed by poachers in Namibia's premier wildlife refuge since October last year up to 11, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Simeon Negumbo, announced in a media statement on Friday.

Thursday, 9 April 2015
Smit E 2015. Elephant, rhino poaching continues unabated.

The escalation of rhino and elephant poaching in Namibia continues unabated, with yet another case reported at the weekend. This follows the discovery of an elephant carcass in a village located in the Bwabwata National Park in the Kavango East Region.

Tuesday, 7 April 2015
Smit E 2015. Honeymoon over for poachers - Shifeta.

While several new cases of rhino poaching have been discovered in Namibia the new Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, says he will not tolerate complacency from staff members, especially in areas where repeated poaching is happening. Five rhino carcases were discovered about two weeks ago during a rhino dehorning exercise in the Kunene Region. Four of these rhinos had been poached, the ministry confirmed. The rhinos were presumably shot last year already and the carcasses were found in the area of Omatendeka.

Saturday, 29 March 2014
Smit E 2014. Rhino recaptured after accident escape.

A team has recovered the last of the four rhino that escaped from a truck that overturned in the //Karas Region this past Saturday The truck was transporting five rhino from South Africa to Namibia, destined for a farm near Outjo. According to Deputy Commissioner Johannes Tsuseb, the truck overturned at 06:50 on Saturday about 60 km from Keetmanshoop to Tses. He said the right front wheel of the truck had burst. The driver then lost control, because he could not handle the heavy load.

Wednesday, 26 March 2014
2014. No bail for Chinese rhino horn suspects.

The three Chinese nationals who were arrested at the Hosea Kutako National Airport for trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns out of the country have been refused bail. The Chinese men appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court just before 17:00 on Tuesday. One of the men claimed that he had nothing to do with the crime and should be allowed out on bail. Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing and Pu Xuexin are charged with the possession and export of controlled wildlife products. The three were caught at the Hosea Kutako Airport on Monday morning with 14 rhino horns and a leopard skin in their…

Wednesday, 26 March 2014
Menges W 2014. Chinese men charged with rhino horn smuggling.

Three Chinese men appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court yesterday in connection with the discovery of 14 rhino horns in luggage at the Hosea Kutako International Airport on Monday.

Wednesday, 26 March 2014
Menges W 2014. Chinese men charged with rhino horn smuggling.

Three Chinese men appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court yesterday in connection with the discovery of 14 rhino horns in luggage at the Hosea Kutako International Airport on Monday.

Wednesday, 26 March 2014
2014. No bail for Chinese rhino horn suspects.

The three Chinese nationals who were arrested at the Hosea Kutako National Airport for trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns out of the country have been refused bail. The Chinese men appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court just before 17:00 on Tuesday. One of the men claimed that he had nothing to do with the crime and should be allowed out on bail. Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing and Pu Xuexin are charged with the possession and export of controlled wildlife products. The three were caught at the Hosea Kutako Airport on Monday morning with 14 rhino horns and a leopard skin in their…

Monday, 24 March 2014
2014. Chinese arrested for rhino horns.

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