Search results

Poachers beware, local wildlife law enforcement has just taken a big leap with the acquisition of two Land Cruiser bakkies, courtesy of the American army, to bolster existing anti-poaching measures. The two bakkies were presented to conservation officials in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism by Lieutenant Colonel John Lacy, the United States Defence Attaché in Namibia. The vehicles were donated by the US Department of Defence as part of the US Foreign Military financing programme for biodiversity.

KZN Ezemvelo Wildlife says they have seen a decrease in poaching since the start of the national lockdown. But the conservation body says they remain on high alert as poachers continue to operate in the province. Last week, a suspect was arrested in Mtubatuba, North of KZN for the illegal possession and sale of elephant ivory in the KwaMsane Township.

North West District Council Chairperson, Kebareeditse Ntsogotlho is likely to face a poaching charge after being discharged from hospital, The Voice has learnt. Ntsogotlho was recently attacked and injured by a buffalo in his home area, Khwai during an alleged incident of illegal hunting and killing of a protected wild animal. He is currently nursing thigh wounds at Nyangabwe referral hospital in Francistown.

Sixteen suspects who were arrested will appear in the Hofmeyr magistrate's court on Tuesday to face a charge of illegal hunting. The 16 suspects, who range between the ages of 23 and 48 years, were arrested on Sunday for illegal hunting on the farm Gruisheuwel, in the Hofmeyr district.

Statement by the MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube on the arrest of a suspect with elephant tusk valued at R150 000.

Zimbabwe has realised a spike in wildlife poaching as the wildlife management authority has redirected efforts towards combating the spread of Covid-19 during the current lockdown period, a top lobby has said.

Most people understand that the poaching of rhinos is cruel and could, quite possibly, drive rhinos to extinction. But why the inordinate fuss about rhinos? Are they special enough from an ecological point of view, that ecosystems need them to be around? Of course, no species should go extinct due to man, and rhinos are iconic symbols and tourism draw-cards.

The illegal wildlife trade is one of the highest value illicit trade sectors globally, threatening both human well-being and biodiversity. A prominent example is ivory poaching, leading to an estimated 30% decline in African elephant populations between 2007 and 2014 and costing African states an estimated US$25 million annually in lost tourism revenues.

Between 11 and 17 May, only one new case of wildlife crime was registered with four suspects arrested and charged, according to the latest wildlife crime statistics compiled by the Intelligence and Investigation Unit within the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism and Protected Resources. Two of the suspects were arrested on rhino poaching/trafficking, including conspiracy of rhino poaching. One springbok horn was seized.

Internasionale Biodiversiteitdag word jaarliks op 22 Mei volgens die Verenigde Nasies se Konvensie oor Biologiese Diversiteit (UNCBD) herdenk.

International Biodiversity Day is commemorated annually on May 22, according to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD).

An extension of two weeks has been granted to the public to make submissions on the work of the high-level panel established to review policies, legislation and related practices on the management, breeding, hunting, trade and handling of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros.

A retired police officer, a former scout and a Zambian national have been jailed for nine years for killing a black rhinoceros in Bubye Valley Conservancy near Beitbridge last year.

While the rest of the country has been locked down for a considerable time, the rangers and game guards who protect Namibia’s wildlife could not drop their vigilance for a day.

The coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic has created a profound crisis for conservation efforts in eastern and southern Africa as a result of the sudden cessation of all international travel in a region where nature-based tourism and conservation are closely interdependent.  The region’s unique wildlife populations and other natural assets — centered on spectacular landscapes such as the Serengeti and Okavango — underpin a multi-billion dollar 'wildlife…

Nyaradzo Hoto was just 20 when, with no money and nowhere to go, she was forced to drop out of school and get married. Over the next two years, she suffered at the hands of her violent husband; enslaved by his family, forced into hard labour, and used as a punch bag during his drunken fits of rage. But while she feared she may never escape her 'prison', Nyaradzo told LADbible how she gained the courage to find her voice and is now part of an elite squad in Zimbabwe, fighting to protect the world’s most endangered animals from extinction.

Conservationists' fears that poachers have been taking advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to roam and
hunt for endangered species have been confirmed after two recent sting operations by CapeNature and the SAPS stock theft unit led to arrests. Poachers were caught in illegal possession of an estimated 11000 endangered succulent plants destined for the illegal plant trade.

’n Man (25) is laas Woensdag in Windhoek in hegtenis geneem met ’n beseerde ietermagô glo in sy besit. Volgens die ministerie van die omgewing, bosbou en toerisme was die ietermagô in ’n stresvolle toestand en met beserings op die lyf.

A 25-year-old man was arrested in Windhoek on Wednesday with an injured pangolin in his possession.

South African traders with China are illegally selling thousands of wild animals threatened with extinction and endangered, under the guise of legal exports, according to an investigation. Monkeys have been stolen from the wild, and together with cheetahs, tigers, rhinos, lions and meerkats, they have been trafficked to circuses, theme parks, laboratories, zoos and "safari parks", researchers found.

The arrests were carried out by the Malmesbury Stock Theft Unit, Vredendal Crime Intelligence and members of the Cape Nature Reserve.

A 27-year-old Mushumbi poacher was jailed 9 years by Guruve resident magistrate Shingirai Mutiro yesterday. Alan Pagan’a of Sedze village, Chief Chisunga in Mbire pleaded guilty to the charge. Prosecutor Albert Mazhindu told the court that on May 11 members of Zimparks received a tip off that Pagan’a was selling a pair of elephant tusks. The team proceeded to Sedze village purporting to be buyers, they approached the convict and he led them to a pit where he had hid the ivory.

Four men are expected to appear in court on Tuesday after they were caught in possession of protected flora and a rhino horn. The arrests were carried out by the Malmesbury Stock Theft Unit, Vredendal Crime Intelligence and members of the Cape Nature Reserve.

Twee Angolese burgers, mnre. Daniel en Jobe Kambinda, is verlede Donderdag glo met ses olifanttande, 'n koedoevel en 112 ystervarkpenne by Rundu in hegtenis geneem.

Two Angolan citizens, Messrs. Daniel and Jobe Kambinda were arrested last Thursday with six elephant teeth, a cow-hide and 112 porcupine pens at Rundu.

Much has been written about the decimation of rhino populations in Africa due to poaching. Due to COVID-19, the problem has worsened as gangs in Mozambique take advantage of the lack of tourists and guards in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, killing nine rhino already. Since lockdown, six rhino in Botswana have been slaughtered for their horn. Why do the poachers do it?

A Kuruman man was convicted for being in possession of R250,000 worth of pangolin scales and the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition by the Kuruman magistrate's court on Friday. John Henry Rautenbach, 25, was arrested by the Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation unit in August last year after the unit received information that an illegal firearm was being kept at an address in the Northern Cape.

One of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s sons, Kudakwashe, has been implicated in the poaching of wildlife in Nyangambe, in the Save Valley Conservancy, Chiredzi, located in the south-eastern part of the country.
Legal representative of the Nyangambe Community Wildlife Project, Farai Chauke made the allegations in his defence to the fraud charges he is facing for allegedly forging title deeds to the project, which is run by Nyangambe villagers. Chauke, who is a practising lawyer in the capital Harare, also hails from the Nyangambe area.

Residents in Seronga village in Botswana’s North-West District have been warned of poisoned elephant carcasses. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks on Friday cautioned that there are elephant mortalities recorded in the areas surrounding the villages of Seronga, Gunotsoga and Eretsha.

In Botswana, at least six rhinos have been poached since it closed its borders to limit the spread of coronavirus.

The escalating killing of rhinos in the Okavango Delta which has forced government to invest resources to protect them has exposed lions to danger as they have become a target for poachers. …

Four hundred rhinos will have their horns cut off for their protection.

The ministry of environment has started an investigation after an elephant was found dead on a farm in the Kavango East region. According to ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda, the elephant was found dead in a crop field with its tusks intact at farm Nanava within the Linena constituency over the weekend. The elephant was reportedly found with a bullet wound above the right eye. The farm is approximately 90km southeast of Rundu. He said a follow up was done on Saturday by the ministry staff, the protected resources unit and the police special field force.

Four suspects believed to be part of a rhino poaching gang were granted N$5 000 bail each last week. Three suspects were arrested last week for wildlife crimes in two separate cases. Two of the suspects were arrested in connection with elephant poaching and/or trafficking cases. This is according to information provided by the intelligence and investigation unit in the environment ministry and the protected resources division in the safety and security ministry. During operations, police also seized one firearm and four rounds of ammunition.

Two elephants have been killed within a week of each other. One of the animals was killed during an illegal hunt, while the other was killed to address human-wildlife-conflict. It is suspected that an elephant found dead at a farm in the Ndonga Linena constituency in Kavango East last week was first shot somewhere else. The carcass of the elephant was discovered last Tuesday at Farm Nanava, approximately 90km southeast of Rundu.

‘n Man (25) is gistermiddag in Windhoek in hegtenis geneem met ‘n beseerde ietermagô glo in sy besit.

A 25-year-old man was arrested in Windhoek on Monday afternoon with an injured pangolin apparently in his possession.

Police say a tip-off led to the arrest of the suspect who was allegedly trying to sell the pangolin in the Musina CBD.

An elephant was shot and killed at a farm in the Ndiyona Constituency in the Kavango East Region last Wednesday, the police said. The Namibian Police crime investigations coordinator in the region, Deputy Commissioner Bonifatius Kanyetu, told Nampa on Tuesday they found the carcass of an elephant at the farm in the Ndiyona Constituency.

Law enforcement agencies last week seized 119 wildlife animal products from two suspects arrested in connection with wildlife crime. Two Angolan nationals were arrested at Rundu on Thursday last week and six elephant tusks, one kudu skin and 112 porcupine quills were seized from them.

The dogs, who vary from a beagle to bloodhound, began training from birth before working at 18 months-old at the Southern African Wildlife College in Greater Kruger National Park.

In Botswana, which depends heavily on tourism, poachers have taken advantage of suddenly empty wildlife reserves to kill at least six endangered rhinos during the coronavirus pandemic.

Two Angolan nationals had been arrested in Namibia after they were found in possession of six elephant tusks and 112 porcupine quills, the environment ministry said on Tuesday.

Eight wildlife products were seized, which included six elephant tusks and two leopard skins. Six suspects were arrested and charged for wildlife crimes recently, while three new cases were registered. Two of the suspects were arrested for rhino poaching and/or trafficking cases while two others were arrested for elephant poaching and/or trafficking cases.

'n Zambiër en 'n Mosambiekse burger is verlede week glo met ses olifanttande in hul besit op Katima Mulilo in hegtenis geneem. Volgens die Namibiese polisie en die ministerie van die omgewing, bosbou en toerisme se weeklikse misdaadverslag van 27 April tot 3 Mei, is mnre. Pani Kavi van Mosambiek en Mulita Kapingro van Zambië die vermeende ivoorsmokkelaars. Hulle is twee van die ses verdagtes wat verlede week in verband met wildmisdaad in hegtenis geneem is.

Most conservation efforts fail to address poverty as a primary cause of the poaching crisis. Poachers can make more money from one kill than most sub-Saharan Africans earn in an entire year.

Already facing extinction at the hands of rampant poachers, the endangered rhino’s future is in more jeopardy in the wake of the escalating outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Namibia’s free-roaming black rhinos, extraordinary than any other herd globally, is bearing the biggest brunt, directly and indirectly, from the pandemic. Efforts to conserve this special species in Namibia largely depend on a vibrant tourism industry. With the sector among the hardest hit by the eruption of the COVID-19, the impact on initiatives to save the animal has been adverse.…

Wild animals are back. Kangaroos bounding through the streets of Melbourne, elephant herds passing through Indian villages, jackals in Johannesburg, leopards in Mumbai, wild boar in Bergamo and Verreaux eagles catching thermals above a silent Cape Town. And of course, inevitable cartoons of humans in surgical masks staring forlornly at animals playing on the sidewalk. Is lockdown good news for creatures - or for poachers?

A 23-year-old man has been arrested by the Hawks in Hartbeesfontein, near Klerksdorp in South Africa, in possession of lion skins, that could have come from the lion-breeding industry, and various drugs.

COVID-19 has brought the world to its knees and is believed to have been caused by the consumption of an endangered animal. Now, South African Government is proposing an amendment to the Meat Safety Act which expands the list of animals that may be legally consumed by humans.
The proposed amended list classifies animals for slaughter, consumption, import, export and sale. This list now includes many threatened species in South Africa including rhino, elephant and giraffe. It also includes undefined birds, reptiles and fish.

Conservationists have warned the country against adopting elephant contraception as a population management strategy given the negative social and ecological consequences. The ballooning elephant population estimated at over 80 000, rampant human wildlife conflict case, sophisticated poaching syndicates and the existing ban on ivory trade have become a major headache for Zimbabwe wildlife authorities.

Sestien vermeende stropers in hegtenis geneem. Die Namibiese polisie het ná ’n jaagtog van ongeveer 70 km op ’n grondpad drie mans in hegtenis geneem en op vier gemsbokkarkasse, ’n bakkie, twee jaggewere, messe en ’n byl beslag gelê.

Namibia police have arrested three men on a gravel road for about 70km and seized four deer carcasses, a pickup truck, two hunting rifles, knives and an ax.

Resettlement farms and other government owned land in rural areas of Namibia have become the secure staging ground from where syndicates can perpetrate serious crimes such as murder, poaching and stock theft with seeming impunity. As a result, members of the farming community have had to take on the added responsibility of continuously safeguarding animals and property against the relentless onslaught of criminals.

Wilderness Safaris Namibia sal met hul lugpatrollies met 'n vliegtuig en twee helikopters voortgaan om swartrenosters in die Noordweste te beskerm. Wilderness Safaris se vennootskap met die Save the Rhino Trust Namibia (SRT) en die ministerie van die omgewing, bosbou en toerisme se suksesvolle teenstropery-operasie wat deel vorm van 'n veldtog wat verlede jaar van stapel gestuur is, is 'n reusesukses.