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A government proposal to exclude South African National Parks from having to get environmental authorisation for some developments in the Kruger National Park has slipped in almost unnoticed. Just five responses were received to this proposal that was gazetted by Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) Minister Barbara Creecy in mid-February, with a public comment period of 40 days.

In 2020, a bank in Singapore found that one of its customers had paid $130,000 to a South African supplier for 11 cheetahs. Though the animals were transported directly from the source country to the destination country and never transited through Singapore, the money passed through the customer’s bank account here. The bank, which was not named by the authorities, filed a suspicious transaction report (STR) and terminated the customer relationship.

There was no judgement for the third time. Since the last sitting of this matter, the presiding magistrate, Senior Principal Magistrate Joe Mkutu Omido has successfully attained the appointment as a Judge of the High Court. This matter is now "on notice", meaning that involved and interested parties will be notified when the judgement will be given. As a point of interest, the three magistrates that have handled this case have all been promoted to the High Court.

On May 31, 2024, the Special Court of Libreville will open a correctional hearing to try several individuals involved in an international ivory trafficking network connecting Gabon, Cameroon, and Nigeria. This complex case highlights the challenges of fighting poaching in Central Africa.

The trial is set to begin this September, close to three years after the 50 pieces of horns were seized not far from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The men sprung a surprise in court today when they opted for a trial. It was a reversal of the guilty plea they had recorded at an earlier court appearance last month. Media and conservation groups gathered at court on Wednesday (24 April) had expected a penalty to be given to the two men.

The Special Wildlife Office of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has intercepted a 40-foot container of illegal wildlife products in Vietnam. Three suspects were also arrested in connection with the crime, barely six weeks after a similar seizure by Vietnam authorities. The Nigeria Customs Service, in a statement made available to newsmen, and signed by Asst. Comptroller Abimbola Isafiade, said the operation was conducted by the combined efforts of the officers of the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone C, in a joint enforcement operation with the Wildlife Justice Commission, WJC…

In a landmark joint operation, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), supported by the Wildlife Justice Commission has successfully arrested two major wildlife traffickers in Nigeria. These arrests are linked to the significant seizure of 1.58 tonnes of ivory at Lach Huyen International Port, Hai Phong, Vietnam on 27 March 2024. Comprehensive intelligence-led investigations by the Wildlife Justice Commission in response to the Hai Phong seizure led to the identification and location of both the alleged shipper and supplier of the ivory.

Trotz Bemühungen um Eindämmung des Handels mit bedrohten Tierarten wie Elefanten geht der illegale Handel mit Wildtieren weltweit unvermindert weiter. Dies geht aus dem einem Bericht des Büros der Vereinten Nationen für Drogen- und Verbrechensbekämpfung (UNODC) hervor, der eine Bestandsaufnahme der weltweiten Anti-Wilderei- Maßnahmen enthält.

The International Programs Office delivered two countering illegal logging skills-building workshops to the Zambia Illegal Logging Law Enforcement Network. The workshops were aligned with forthcoming revisions to the Zambia Forestry Act and were designed to help Zambian law enforcement agencies better engage with communities and with each other to counter illegal logging.

Despite progress to curtail the trafficking of iconic species such as elephants, illegal wildlife trafficking continues unabated on a global scale. This is according to the 2024 World Wildlife Crime Report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which takes stock of efforts to counter poaching worldwide. The report highlights that wildlife trafficking has not seen a significant enough decrease over the past two decades, prompting a call for enhanced enforcement of existing laws, including measures to combat corruption.

The Nigeria Customs Service Special Wildlife Office, over the weekend, announced the arrest of a Shipper and supplier responsible for the illegal exportation of a 40ft container of illegal Wildlife to Vietnam. It was gathered that the illegal wildlife products were intercepted and reported in Vietnam in April 2024 while the arrest of the suspects was made by the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) and the enforcement officers of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone C, Owerri, Imo state.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers have arrested two men with 10 pieces of elephant tusks weighing 89 kilogrammes valued at Sh8.9 million. The officers from Mwingi, accompanied by a KWS covert team from the headquarters in Nairobi were acting on intelligence information. The officers intercepted the vehicle the two were in at around 1 pm. KWS said one of the suspects, who was driving the vehicle, was an officer with a government agency.

A Namibian (28) and an Angolan national (32) were arrested over the weekend for allegedly being found in possession of pangolin skin without permits, says national police spokesperson deputy commissioner Kauna Shikwambi.

One of the two suspected rhino poachers killed in a recent shootout at the Etosha border fence near Oshivello was out on bail for two previous poaching cases in the Okahao Court in 2020. The police identified the two poachers as Iishulu Johannes (30) and Mashuna Timoteus (40) and confirmed that the two were related. The police revealed that Timoteus had no other pending cases against him, while Johannes had a criminal history, with four pending cases, two of which were related to poaching.

The suspects involved in the poaching of a white rhinoceros bull on a farm in the Gobabis district remain in custody. According to the spokesperson of the Namibian police, Deputy Commissioner Kauna Shikwambi, the suspects have already appeared in the magistrate's courts of Gobabis and Katutura in Windhoek over the past weekend. The names of the suspects as provided by Shikwambi are Micheal Shomeya Koshondatile (39), Barnabas Shitaleni Muzanime (35), 31-year-old Petrus Petrus Nghifindaka, Victory Henghono (also 31), and 34-year-old Imanuel Stafanus Nangwasha.

Die beskuldigdes wat die afgelope naweek betrokke was by die stropery van ‘n witrenosterbul op 'n plaas in die Gobabis-distrik, bly in aanhouding. Volgens die hoofwoordvoerder van die Namibiese polisie, adjunk-kommissaris Kauna Shikwambi, het die beskuldigdes reeds in die landdroshowe van Gobabis en Katutura in Windhoek verskyn. Die name van die beskuldigdes soos verskaf deur Shikwambi is Micheal Shomeya Koshondatile (39), Barnabas Shitaleni Muzanime (35), die 31-jarige Petrus Petrus Nghifindaka, Victory Henghono (ook 31) en die 34-jarige Imanuel Stafanus Nangwasha.

'n Karkas van 'n groot witrenosterbul is Sondagoggend op 'n plaas in die Gobabis-distrik ontdek wat

A former Namibian Police inspector charged with conspiracy to commit rhino poaching has failed in his challenge against a decision that he is unfit to serve on the force. Wersimus Haipa approached the Windhoek High Court and argued that his dismissal was "illegal" and "unfair". He demanded that he be reinstated and that the safety and security ministry compensate him for the salaries he would have received had he not been fired. Haipa was a member of the Namibian Police for 26 years before he was fired in September 2021 based on criminal charges against him.

Namibia's precious wildlife is under threat from criminals, as illegal wildlife trade has become the world's fourth-largest form of transnational crime. This was said by Ana Beatriz Martins, the European Union's ambassador to Namibia, at a press debriefing for 'Operation Saving Wildlife through Multilateral Cooperation in Africa' (Sama) in Windhoek yesterday. She said dozens of wildlife species have been pushed ever closer to extinction by habitat loss and illegal trade.

KWS investigates the bulk of wildlife crime generally but it does happen that the National Police Service and the Directorate of Criminal also become involved in the same. The DCI, in fact, becomes the lead agency in the more serious wildlife investigations such as large, transnational, ivory seizures. A 2018-2019 courtroom monitoring report by Wildlife Direct indicated that of data analyzed, 31% of arrests under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act were made by the NPS.

Chief of the Namibian Police, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo confirmed a deadly encounter between poachers and members of the anti-poaching operation in Etosha National Park. According to Shikongo, the incident occurred on 1 May between 12:00 and 13:00 at Scorpionbelt – Western Zone within the confines of the park. While conducting patrols alongside the park's fence, members of the poaching unit spotted shoeprints indicating the illegal entry of individuals into the park.

Two suspected poachers were shot to death in an exchange of fire with members of the anti-poaching unit in the Etosha National Park on Wednesday. The incident occurred at the Scorpionbelt, Western Zone, when a patrol of the anti-poaching unit observed shoeprints that had entered the park through the park's fence. According to the police, the suspects' tracks were pursued for a distance of 60 km up to a water point where Rhinos mostly feed on small shrubs.

In less than eight years, white sharks in South Africa have all but disappeared from their historical hotspots in False Bay and Gansbaai, on the Western Cape coast. These areas were once known as the "white shark capital of the world" and were home to a flourishing ecotourism industry. One possible explanation for this change would be a declining white shark population. We are part of an international research team with expertise in shark ecology, genetics, fisheries and conservation, researching sharks for more than 20 years.

Large-scale commercial operators are evading Liberian forestry regulations by illegally processing wood destined for export on-site in forests. Timber milled in forests with chainsaws is legally restricted to the production of boards by artisanal loggers for sale on the domestic market, but reporting by Liberian newspaper. The Daylight and research by U.S.-based NGO Forest Trends has found large-scale operators producing thicker blocks of high-value wood for export.

An intelligence driven operation has landed three suspects in jail after they were found with six rhino horns.
The operation comprising of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation, Detectives, Crime Intelligence, Tactical Response Team, Tracking Team and the Local Criminal Record Centre ensued after it emerged that three were allegedly dealing in rhino horns.

Ryan Tate is supposed to be in South Africa right now helping to fight off poachers who hack horns off rhinos and kill elephants for their ivory tusks. But since the country announced a national lockdown in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Tate is stuck in the U.S. He can't join his team out in South Africa's wilderness and can't meet with private donors in the U.S. for his anti-poaching nonprofit organization, which is seeing donations dry up.

Five of the suspects were arrested for rhino poaching and/or trafficking cases, while two wildlife products, five firearms and 63 rounds of ammunition were seized during operations.

Beslag is op altesaam 63 patrone, vyf vuurwapens en twee muskeljaatkatvelle gelê.

A total of 63 cartridges, five firearms and two Cape Genet skins were seized.

Guyanese finches are almost always smuggled in hair curlers from Guyana to New York, while pig-nosed turtles are trafficked in high amounts, declared as a marine species, and flown from a regional Indonesian airport to Jakarta before flying to China. The greatest variation in wildlife trafficking in air transport doesn’t necessarily occur between regions but between the species or wildlife products trafficked, the specific methods used with the routes taken by wildlife traffickers heavily dependent on wildlife type, says the Runway to Extinction report:…

The effects of poaching and climate change are keenly felt In Zambia and Zimbabwe. This ecological
frontline is manned by innovative, but under-funded conservation units, with tourism supporting the survival
of some of Africa’s rarest species.

Beslag is op altesaam 64 patrone, vyf vuurwapens en twee muskeljaatkatvelle gelê.

A total of 64 cartridges, five firearms and two Cape Genet skins were seized.

North-West, Namibia, April 2020/  - In an ongoing partnership with Save the Rhino Trust Namibia (SRT) and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), Wilderness Safaris is proud to report the success of their most recent entirely airborne anti-poaching operation, forming part of a campaign launched last year. Involving two helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft, the aim of the campaign is to monitor, dehorn and protect black rhino in north-west Namibia.

A group of four men entered a farm in the Severn area and were caught red-handed trying to poach rhinos for their horns by members of the Kuruman Stock Theft unit. The Tswalu Anti- Poaching unit provided aerial and ground support to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and managed to apprehend the suspects. One of the suspects was killed during the gun-fight, with two others injured. A fourth man was arrested, with a weapons stock confiscated.

The country's national parks will be closed for the duration of the lockdown until 5 May in compliance with the state of emergency declared by the President in reaction to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism, spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, in a statement last week said during the duration, tour operations and guiding activities will not be allowed in the national parks which also includes closure of accommodation establishments.

Parliament has recommended amendments to the Wildlife Act to provide protection for whistleblowers and ensure stiff penalties for those found in possession of cyanide, a dangerous chemical often used by poachers to poison elephants.

For the second week, statistics indicate that only one wildlife crime has been recorded per week. The tightening of anti-poaching security measures during the coronavirus state of emergency is paying off, with only one new wildlife crime case registered last week, while two suspects were arrested.

Wildmisdaad het tydens die Covid-19-hoktyd afgeneem met net een saak aangemeld en twee Namibiese mans wat in hegtenis geneem is. Volgens die weeklikse wildmisdaadverslag is mnr. Jason Hamutenya verlede Dinsdag op Usakos glo met twee lewende skilpaaie in sy besit vasgetrek. Die ander vermeende wildmisdadiger, mnr. Matias Kaurikengererua is verlede Woensdag by Osire in verband met die sameswering om 'n renoster te stroop, in hegtenis geneem.

According to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), 322 elephants were killed by poachers between 2016 and 2019, largely for their tusks. These are then shipped out to Asia, via South Africa, but the real number may be much higher, according to wildlife groups. Much of the poaching occurs in northern Zimbabwe in game reserves straddling the border with Zambia, according to ZimParks, a statutory body responsible for managing the country’s wildlife population.

Die Polizei hat am Dienstagmittag einen 31-jährigen Einwohner von Usakos festgenommen, der im Besitz von zwei Schildkröten gewesen sei und über keine Genehmigung verfügt habe. Laut Erongo-Polizeisprecher wird Jason Hamunyela ein Verstoß gegen das Wildtiergesetz beziehungsweise der illegale Handel mit Wildtierprodukten vorgeworfen. Den Wert der Tiere beziffern die Behörden mit 20000 Namibia-Dollar. „Die Schildkröten wurden an Beamte des Ministeriums für Umwelt, Forstwirtschaft und Tourismus in Omaruru überreicht, wo sie sicher aufbewahrt werden“, erklärte der Polizeisprecher.

Die ministeries van die omgewing, bosbou en toerisme en veiligheid en sekuriteit het verlede week hul wildmisdaadverslag van 2019 uitgereik. Verlede jaar is 45 renosters gestroop teenoor 74 in 2018. In 2019 is ook meer verdagtes (112) in verband met renosterverwante misdaad as in 2018 (84) in hegtenis geneem. Die verslag is deur die Blue Rhino-taakspan onder leiding van komm. Barry de Klerk saamgestel. Operasie Blue Rhino is in Julie 2018 van stapel gestuur.

A suspected poacher was killed while his accomplice escaped following a shootout with game rangers on Wednesday at Bubye Valley Conservancy, some 60km west of Beitbridge town. The two men allegedly killed a male lion, before rangers caught up with them while in the process of killing a black rhinoceros.

Arrests for wildlife crime involving high-value species like elephants, rhinos and pangolins, increased by 36% in 2019 compared to the year before.

A man was promised 20,000 South African rand (about S$2,000) to unlawfully transport 11 pieces of rhinoceros horns from Johannesburg to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a district court heard on Wednesday (April 8).

Handel mit Wildtierprodukten: Behörden nehmen fünf Tatverdächtige in drei getrennten Fällen fest. Die Behörden haben am vergangenen Wochenende mehrere mutmaßliche Schmuggler mit illegalen Wildtierprodukten verhaftet. Das geht aus dem gestern in Windhoek veröffentlichten Polizeibericht hervor, der von fünf Festnahmen in drei getrennten Fällen berichtet. Es seien bei den Einsätzen insgesamt vier Schuppentier-Panzer, zwei Leopardenfelle und zwei Elefantenstoßzähne sichergestellt worden.