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A 33-year-old man made his first appearance in the Karibib Magistrate's Court yesterday after he was found in possession of oryx meat believed to have been poached.

Police in the Zambezi region are calling on community members who have a missing relative to come and identify the body of a suspected poacher who was killed during a chase over the weekend in the Bwabwata National Park. Zambezi regional police commissioner Karel Theron yesterday said the man was killed during a shoot-out between the police, members of the anti-poaching unit, and suspected poachers on Saturday.

Africa's rhino population figures are at a critical all-time low. In 2015, Cites reported that only about 19 000 - 21 000 white rhinos and 5  000 - 5 500 black rhinos remain in Africa. Namibia and South Africa have the largest rhino populations, with a total of approximately 2 760 rhinos in Namibia, and 20 300 rhinos in South Africa. Smaller rhino populations can be found in Kenya, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

The case involving four Chinese men accused of smuggling 14 rhino horns worth more than N$2 million out of Namibia has been postponed to today. Li Zhibing, Li Xiaoliang and Pu Xuexin were caught with 14 rhino horns worth N$2.3 million as well as a leopard skin worth about N$50 000 in their luggage on March 24 last year at Hosea Kutaku International Airport. Wang Hui was arrested later this year at the Windhoek Country Club and Resort. 

One of the Chinese men arrested for trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns worth more than N$2 million out of Namibia has taken full culpability for the crime, saying his three co-accused knew nothing about it. The trial started yesterday at the Regional Court in Katutura. Li Zhibing pleaded guilty to the unlawful export or attempt to export rhino horns and a leopard skin.

One of the Chinese men accused of trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns out of Namibia in March last year admitted yesterday that he knew he was carrying controlled wildlife products in two suitcases which he was planning to take to China.

A 10-month-long investigation by John Grobler uncovers the political and commercial agendas driving the world’s largest black rhino population towards extinction.

The police are determined to get to the bottom of the rhino poaching problem regardless of the status of the people involved, Commissioner Ndahangwapo Kashihakumwa, who is leading an anti-poaching operation in the Etosha National Park and surrounding areas in Omusati and Kunene, has warned. On Wednesday, a team of investigating officers was sent from pillar to post by three suspected poachers who had pledged to give their full cooperation to the police.

International tourism to Africa reached record levels in 2013, with 56 million tourists bringing in N$410 billion. Significantly, 80% of them came to see the continent's wildlife. This valuable economic injection could increase by 10% a year – provided poachers don't wipe out the iconic species that safari goers travel here to see.

The Tourism minister has accused some traditional leaders and businesspeople of being used as middlemen by poaching syndicates.

Government yesterday condemned the random shooting of Namibian citizens suspected of being poachers at the Botswana border, saying the authorities in that country are too quick to pull the trigger.

The police have made significant progress in their investigation of the recently discovered mass killings of rhino in the Etosha National Park. The death toll is expected to rise, if information at the sites of buried carcasses prove to be correct. A large number of suspects have been arrested and the list includes employees within the park. The Oshana police regional commander, Commissioner Ndahangwapo Kashihakumwa, is heading a team of investigators permanently deployed in Etosha since June 1.