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Sixteen suspects were arrested in connection with wildlife crimes in the past week. Eight of the suspects are Namibians and the rest Zambians. Statistics provided by the Protected Resource Division of the Namibian police and the Intelligence and Investigation Unit of the environment ministry indicate that a total of 21 wildlife products were seized last week.

The Namibian Police last week seized an array of wildlife products comprising elephant tusks, kudu horns and hides, civet skin and warthog carcasses, amongst others.

The Blue Rhino Task Team arrested two men in Rundu at the start of the weekend after they were caught red handed with four elephant tusks in their possession.

The hunt for the daring suspects who struck inside the Etosha National Park during Friday night has already started after the carcass of a black rhino that was shot and dehorned was found along the road that leads from Namutoni to Halali in the Etosha National Park early on Saturday morning.

One-hundred pieces of elephant tusk were seized and two suspects were arrested in Katutura during an operation by the Blue Rhino Task Team last week.

Namibia is among the countries with the lowest level of organised crime in Africa. This is according to a report by the Enact project, financed by the European Union (EU).

Members of the Blue Rhino Task Team arrested Viega Nghinaanye Shipahu as the sixth suspect in the matter where 34 rhino horns along with large amounts of cash in local and foreign currency were stolen from a safe in a house in Outjo at the beginning of August. 

Two men were arrested for being found in possession of 100 pieces of ivory, a summary of wildlife crime statistics from 30 September to 6 October details.

A business man based in northern Namibia who is charged over the poaching of two rhinos near Etosha National Park is facing an extended stay in jail, after his appeal against being denied bail failed in the Windhoek High Court last week.

Namibia's air, sea and land ports in have been identified as key hubs for the export of illegal wildlife products and training is crucial for officials to identify contraband when people and cargo move through checkpoints. In this regard customs officials and police officers from Windhoek and Walvis Bay received training in species identification during the use of baggage and container scanners to detect smuggled wildlife contraband.

While two suspects in a multimillion-dollar rhino-horn theft case were released on bail this week, an alleged poaching kingpin was denied permission to appeal against the refusal of his bail application. Petrus Shihepo Shimuningeni has been fingered as the mastermind behind a poaching syndicate which targeted a private game farm near Etosha National Park in the Kunene Region, where at least 13 rhinos have been poached this year.

The police this week arrested two Zambians and two Namibians in the Zambezi region after they were found with elephant tusks and rhino horns.

A poaching syndicate operating in Namibia is apparently posting rhino horns to China in parcels purportedly containing coffee. Twelve pieces of rhino horn mailed from Namibia were seized by Hong Kong customs officers last week. The horns, weighing 6.6kg, were found in two express airmail parcels at Hong Kong International Airport on 22 March. The shipping labels stated that the parcels contained coffee, a press release issued by the Hong Kong government stated. "Suspicious images were found under X-ray inspection.

he number of rhinos killed by poachers this year has risen to five after two more carcasses were found on the farm Okanenampanti belonging to businessman Frans Indongo. Environment ministry spokesman Romeo Muyunda yesterday confirmed these figures to Namibian Sun and said two rhino carcasses were found on Okanenampanti on 17 March. In January, a white rhino carcass without horns was discovered at the farm near Otjiwarongo, which is the location of the Frans Indongo Lodge. One of the carcasses discovered this month was still fresh while the other carcass was old, said Muyunda…

A man suspected of having travelled from Namibia was arrested at the Hong Kong International Airport on Friday in connection with 12 rhino horns found in express air parcels.

The lawyers of two Chinese nationals arrested for possession of rhino horns in January say their clients should be granted bail because the case against them is deeply flawed and would likely not lead to a conviction.

The carcass of another black rhino has been found in the Kunene Region, making it the third rhino poaching incident in Namibia this year. According to the spokesperson of the Namibian Police, Edwin Kanguatjivi, the carcass of a black rhino calf was discovered on 15 March at Kliprivier in the Grootberg area. "The horns of the rhino were hacked off with a sharp unknown object," said Kanguatjivi.

Tomorrow is the United Nations world wildlife day and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism has dedicated it to the protection of rhinos and elephants whose survival is threatened by poachers.

Rhino-poaching accused Gerson Kandjii and his five co-accused did not enter a plea before the Okahao Magistrate’s Court on Monday after their lawyer failed to make an appearance. Kandjii, 51, along with David Stephanus, 35, Karunga Martin, Hinu Lucky, Daniel Nghidinwa and Kakuva Tjeparu were arrested in November 2014 and charged with poaching four critically endangered black rhinos in Etosha National Park.