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Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera has granted a presidential pardon to Lin Yunhua, a Chinese national sentenced to 14 years in prison for wildlife trafficking. Lin was among 37 inmates who received a presidential pardon as part of Malawi's 61st independence anniversary celebrations on July 6. Conservationists have since expressed their disappointment, warning that Lin's pardon might demotivate frontline officers working to protect Malawi's wildlife.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a shipment containing 10,603 donkey penises, presumed headed for China, highlighting the scale of illicit wildlife trafficking through the country’s borders, The Cable has reported. The 40-foot container was seized on June 5 along the Kaduna–Abuja Expressway, following an intelligence-led operation. According to a briefing by customs officials, the seizure was executed by the Special Wildlife Office in collaboration with the Customs Intelligence Unit.

The body of an alleged poacher was found in the Kruger National Park on July 12. According to Mpumalanga police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane, the body was found at about 08:30, and it is suspected that he was killed during an exchange with field rangers the previous night, July 11, around 21:00.

Operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service have intercepted a 40-foot container loaded with donkey genitals along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway, the Service said on Thursday. The interception, suspected to be destined for illegal export, was uncovered on Friday, June 5, 2025, at about 9 pm following a coordinated surveillance operation by officers of the Special Wildlife Office and Customs Intelligence Unit. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.

The High Court of Kibera (Nairobi) on April 8th, 2025, dismissed the appeal of Lawrence Kinoti who, the previous November, had been sentenced to life imprisonment with a second prison warder, Paul Muranu Mwangi. Judge Diana Kavedza-Mochache found “the appeal to be lacking in merit and is dismissed in its entirety”. Kinoti and Mwangi had been arrested at the Rio Hotel in Nairobi West on August 11th, 2015 after KWS investigators had received intelligence that the two and one other were selling ivory. A third prison warder, Kipkoech Cheruiyot escaped but was arrested a few days…

In its 2024 annual report, the Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA) organisation says last year was marked by both hardship and meaningful progress in desert-adapted elephant conservation. "It was a year of learning and growth that reinforced our motivation to create lasting impact for elephants and communities we work with,” EHRA's managing director, Rachel Harris, notes in the foreword of the report. She added that the prolonged drought brought new challenges for EHRA: "In response to the drought, the government announced a controversial wildlife cull.

The Namibian Police in the Kunene Region have arrested a 41-year-old suspect who allegedly used a steel wire to trap a black-faced impala in the Otjimbundu village of the Ehomba policing area. The crime was discovered when a game guard went to count the impalas and found one impala, valued at N$6,500, trapped with a wire around its neck and fighting for its life. It eventually died.

Kruger rangers face armed poachers daily while investigating elephant killings and recent poaching camps in a 2-million-hectare wilderness. Rangers undergo six-week intensive training, including 15km bush patrols and survival skills, but job opportunities are limited by budget constraints

The conviction of four people in the Northern Cape for the illegal poaching of the miracle bush lily reveals that criminal syndicates are targeting a wider array of South Africa's unique flora for international markets. The Calvinia Regional Court in the Northern Cape has convicted four foreign nationals for poaching 303 Clivia mirabilis, more commonly known as the miracle bush lily or the Oorlogskloof bush lily, worth an estimated retail value of between R6-million and R30-million.

But there's a hidden crisis unfolding across Africa that dwarfs these headlines. Every single day, across every habitat. While around 20,000 elephants are killed annually for ivory. Millions of African animals disappear into the bushmeat trade. This is bushmeat hunting, and it's happening everywhere. The Congo Basin alone consumes up to 4 million tons of wildlife every year. Scientific research has identified 301 mammal species threatened by bushmeat hunting. From common antelope to zebras to iconic species, nothing is safe.

Three male suspects, aged between 30 and 46, were apprehended by the police in Mariental on Saturday while they were allegedly looking for a buyer for an elephant tusk they had in their possession. One of the suspects was shot during the arrest and was initially taken to the local hospital, but was afterwards transferred to a hospital in Windhoek for further treatment. The three suspects are accused of dealing in controlled wildlife products without a permit, disguising the origin of unlawful property, and assisting another to benefit from the proceeds of illegal activities.

President Lazarus Chakwera is facing a torrent of criticism after controversially pardoning two convicted Chinese wildlife traffickers, in what civil society leaders and environmentalists have branded a shameful betrayal of Malawi's fight against corruption, wildlife crime, and executive accountability.

Rangers say poachers are starving young men who kill animals for meat, not traditional medicine, and dry the meat inside the park. More than 120 vultures were poisoned after eating meat from a dead elephant laced with toxic chemicals used by poachers. Hungry and desperate, people living near Kruger National Park are turning to poaching to survive. About 80% of the population in the area depend on illegal hunters who sneak into the park to kill wild animals for food. The meat is either eaten or sold to local butchers who pass it on to poor community members at low prices.

Two men have been arrested for trying to sell elephant tusks worth R200,000 in Limpopo. The suspects, brothers Peter and Phanuel Mokgalaka, were caught during a police sting in Selwane Village outside Phalaborwa on Wednesday. The operation was led by the Hawks in Limpopo, with help from the Sani Sand Nature Reserve and the Kruger National Park's Environmental Crime Investigation unit. Police got a tip-off that the men were selling ivory. Officers contacted them and pretended to be buyers. The brothers agreed to meet the supposed buyers in Selwane.

Three suspects aged between 35 and 45 have been arrested for the illegal possession and selling of rhino horns, following a joint operation by law enforcement agencies in the Western Cape. The arrests took place on Wednesday 2 July, during an undercover operation conducted by the Hawks' Bellville-based Economic Protected Resources (EPR) unit, with assistance from the SAPS K9 Unit, Overberg, and the Stock Theft and Endangered Species unit based in Swellendam.

The leaders of a prolific Chinese wildlife trafficking gang have been pardoned in Malawi, sparking concern that renewed poaching will help spread diseases including coronaviruses. Lin Yunhua and his wife Qin Hua Zhang, who led the notorious Lin-Zhang syndicate that operated across southern Africa, were among 15 people sentenced to jail as part of a major crackdown on ivory trafficking.

A male elephant has been killed by poachers in Hwange National Park, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has said. The carcass was discovered in the Main Camp area of the park with one tusk missing and flesh removed from its leg. ZimParks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo said the jumbo might have been dead for about two days at the time of discovery. He said a distinctive shoe spoor was found at the scene, and a joint investigation with the Zimbabwe Republic Police is now underway.

In the wild heart of Africa there is a dwindling group of savannah elephants so traumatised by decades of war, poaching and conflict with humans, that when they see a helicopter, they don't run away, they charge. While the choppers are a means of providing vital conservation measures, such as collaring programmes to monitor under-threat animals for their own protection, these majestic animals have learned to defend themselves in an area so wracked with human conflict it’s been dubbed the "Triangle of Death".

Two villagers from Binga who were caught trying to sell a live pangolin in Zambia have been sentenced to a mandatory five years in jail each in the neighbouring country. Ephrain Mugande (35) and Simple Mugande (32) both of Manjolo Village under Chief Sikalenge illegally hunted the pangolin in Chizarira National Park on the boundary of Binga and Gokwe before crossing the Zambezi River with it to Sinazongwe town in Zambia with the intention to sell it.

'n Angolese man en twee Namibiërs is verlede week glo met twee olifanttande in hul besit vasgetrek.

An Angolan man and two Namibians were allegedly caught with two elephant tusks in their possession last week.

Three men were arrested for allegedly possessing elephant tusks on 22 September at Mukwe in the Kavango East Region.

Six months into COVID-19 lockdown and with most southern African nations not having social safety nets for their citizens, there has been an uptick in wildlife poaching across the region.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, World Rhino Day will be marked with a talent show virtual event this year. "Even though Covid-19 is keeping us from our usual celebrations, this year we hope we can get as many people as possible from here in Namibia and around the world to show their pride and talent by joining us in a virtual campaign," said Clemens Naomab, regional project coordinator for the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF), on Saturday. World Rhino Day is an international event, recognised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),…

The bail hearing of self-proclaimed preacher Jackson Babi and his co-accused Ananias Ananias is scheduled to take place next week in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court. The two are seeking bail in their second case where they face bribery charges for allegedly offering a N$13 000 bribe to investigation officers. Babi and Ananias made an appearance before magistrate Samunzala Samunzala yesterday where they were informed investigations are not yet finalised in their matter. 

Around the world countries are adjusting to what their "new normal" looks like in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. For rhinoceros conservationists in Africa, it means coping with fewer resources while fighting an increase in the risk of poaching. Illegal hunting is nothing new for the dwindling rhino species, but the pandemic has amplified the threat and left their future more uncertain than ever.

22 Nashörner und zwei Elefanten wurden in diesem Jahr in Namibia von Wilderern getötet. Das ist weniger als in den beiden Jahren zuvor, teilte Romeo Muyunda, Pressesprecher im Ministerium für Umwelt, Forstwirtschaft und Tourismus, jetzt mit.

22 rhinos and two elephants were killed by poachers in Namibia this year. That is less than in the previous two years, said Romeo Muyunda, press spokesman in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.

This year a total of 22 rhinos and two elephants have been poached. During the same period last year, poachers killed46 rhinos and 13 elephants.

After a study on black rhinos in Namibia, new software has been developed by researchers in the United States that could help conservationists keep a watchful eye on the black rhino. The interactive software was jointly developed by researchers at Duke University and analytics software specialist SAS and analyses the footprints left behind by black rhinos. This can be used to monitor their movements and enable conservationists to help keep the animals safe from poachers.

A well-known Mpumalanga farmer was sentenced in the Middelburg Regional Court yesterday for selling rhino horns without a permit.

Twenty-two rhinos and two elephants have been killed by poachers thus far in 2020, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Environment has said.

Altesaam 19 vermeende wildmisdadigers is verlede week in hegtenis geneem en aangekla.

A total of 19 suspected wildlife criminals were arrested and charged last week.

The vigilance of the farming community around Kamanjab led to the arrest of a gang of poachers that were on their way to hunt rhinos in the Etosha National Park. According to the crime bulletin provided by the Public Relations Division of the Namibian Police, the five suspects were arrested on Farm Marinhohe in the Kamanjab policing area on Thursday evening after members of the community spotted them being dropped off by a suspicious vehicle.

Drie Namibiese mans wat glo ‘n renoster in die Etosha Nasionale Park wou stroop, bly in aanhouding nadat hulle vandag in die Outjo-landdroshof op vyf klagte verskyn het.

Three Namibian men who allegedly wanted to poach a rhino in the Etosha National Park remain in custody after appearing in the Outjo Magistrate's Court today on five charges.

Botswana's National Assembly has rejected a call to rearm its game rangers that was driven by a surge in rhinoceros poaching in recent years. Guns were taken away from the rangers in 201, but an opposition party lawmaker had moved a motion to rearm the wildlife officers.

Drie verdagtes wat glo ’n renoster in die Etosha Nasionale Park wou stroop, verskyn môre op verskeie klagte in die landdroshof op Kamanjab. Hulle is Donderdag tussen Kamanjab en die plaas Marinhohe in dié distrik vasgetrek.

Three suspects who allegedly wanted to poach a rhino in the Etosha National Park will appear in the Kamanjab Magistrate's Court tomorrow on various charges. They were caught on Thursday between Kamanjab and the farm Marinhohe in the district.

Illegal trade in the endangered animals on the rise again as lockdown decreases. Several pangolins have already been rescued this year.

The police in Lulekani have launched a manhunt for the alleged poachers who shot and killed two rhinos on different locations on one of the game farms near Swelane village.

We are working with conservation charity Space for Giants to protect wildlife at risk from poachers due to the conservation funding crisis caused by Covid-19. Help is desperately needed to support wildlife rangers, local communities and law enforcement personnel to prevent wildlife crime.

COVID-19 has had significant effects in Namibia, as it has in every other country on planet Earth. The Namibian tourism industry has been temporarily disrupted, which has halted the tourism income which usually upports conservation initiatives. One may expect this would result in an immediate surge in wildlife crime. This is not the case. In spite of the massive challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic, Namibia has not experienced a spike in wildlife crime, as the number of registered cases is not higher than the same period last year.

Drie Namibiese mans is verlede week in verband met renosterstropery en twee oor horingsmokkelary in hegtenis geneem. Volgens die weeklikste wildmisdaadverslag van 31 Augustus tot 6 September van die Namibiese polisie en die ministerie van die omgewing, bosbou en toerisme, is altesaam tien vermeende wildmisdadigers in hegtenis geneem en ses nuwe sake aanhangig gemaak.

Three poachers brutally killed eight calves and mutilated six more on the farm Randveld of Jacques Swartz at around 02:00 on Sunday. The calves were attacked with spears and axes, and their intestines were ripped out. Swartz said he and a few watchmen were doing their night patrol - something they started doing regularly after a similar incident last month when four cattle were killed in a similar incident.

Interactive software that 'reads' and analyzes footprints left by black rhinoceroses can be used to monitor the movements of the animals in the wild, giving conservationists a new way to keep watch on the endangered species and help keep it safe from poachers, according to a new study.

Drie Namibiese mans is verlede week in verband met renosterstropery en twee oor horingsmokkelary in hegtenis geneem.

Three Namibian men were arrested last week in connection with rhino poaching and two for rhino horn smuggling.

More than 150 illegal wildlife products were seized last week and 10 suspects were arrested, while six new cases were registered. Five of the suspects were arrested in connection with rhino poaching or trafficking cases.

Early in October, four ranger from Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) will show the rest of the world what it takes to be out in the wild, day in day out, tracking rhinos, deterring poachers, and earning an income for them and their families.

A mature female Temminck's pangolin was retrieved out of the illegal trade by the South African Police Service’s Endangered Species Unit on April 25 in the Alldays region of Limpopo Province. She was transported to a Polokwane veterinarian which is where the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital’s Dr Karin Lourens drove to assist with the stabilising and initial examination. During an abdominal ultrasound, it was discovered that Ally was pregnant!

Two armed poachers were shot dead at Chirisa Game Park in Gokwe over the weekend in a gun combat with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) rangers. ZimParks is now using drones to patrol its vast estate, and so far this year, 800 poachers have been detected and more than 600 arrested by follow-up patrols.

Notorious Congolese poacher Mobanza Mobembo Gérard, who is said to have poached some 500 elephants in the Republic of Congo, was last month sentenced to a 30-year jail term in an unprecedented wildlife crime conviction in that country.

Two abalone smugglers were each sentenced to xve years in prison this week, just over two months after they were arrested in a joint police operation on the N1 near the Huguenot tunnel in the Western Cape in June.