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Eight suspected abalone poachers were arrested close to Robben Island on Wednesday morning by Border Police stationed at Cape Town harbour According to a statement by the police, on Tuesday evening, law enforcement started with random vessel patrols in the bay and around Robben Island during a dark moon and calm sea conditions. The 920 shucked abalone seized had an estimated street value of R345 000.

Police are urging residents in coastal cities or towns to assist in protecting endangered marine life. This comes after positive information from a member of the public led to the arrest of two men for illegal possession of abalone valued R28 000-00 in St Francis Bay today. On Wednesday, 07 July 2021 at about 06:40, it is alleged that a resident alerted a private security company about suspicious people, who were busy loading bags into a navy Toyota Avanza at Shark Point in St Francis Bay. A private security company dispatched a patrol vehicle.

Four men were each jailed for nine years after they were convicted of illegally possessing raw ivory which they intended to trade in Harare sometime last year.

A Voi court has sentenced three people found guilty of poaching 187 dikdiks in Tsavo East National Park to 16 years in prison each. In the ruling made on Monday, the court also imposed a fine of Sh2.2 million. Kaviha Charo, Katana Unda and Bugo Suluhu will serve their jail terms at Manyani Maximum Security Prison in Voi, Taita Taveta County.

Three men from Lupane appeared in court for possessing about 6kg of ivory without a licence.

Two Rwandese nationals identified as Habimana Sabanitah and Sobomana Augustine have been sentenced to 12 years in jail for illegal entry and killing of protected wildlife species. The two, both residents of Rwamwanja refugee settlement in Kamwenge district, were found in possession of a dead bush buck inside Katonga Wildlife Reserve.

Gunshots ensued when a private walking safari concession came across suspected poachers in the Kruger National Park. SANParks announced today that a suspected poacher was fatally wounded in a contact situation with guides of a private walking safari concession in the Kruger National Park (KNP). The incident took place in the early hours of Friday July 2. The guides were on a walk with one guest when they came across a group of three suspected poachers.

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.