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A 37-year-old man is expected to appear in the Krugersdorp Magistrates Court on Monday for illegal possession of lion bones worth approximately R2.3 million. The man was arrested after members of the Hawks' Serious Organised Crime Investigation in Germiston, Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) Dog unit, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development conducted a sting operation last Friday in Krugersdorp.

Joseph "Big Joe" Nyalungu, an alleged poaching kingpin, has in the past 10 years racked up numerous charges against him, none for which he has been found guilty or received jail time. His latest court appearance, along with his co-accused, was in the Nelspruit Regional Court. The charges over the years include murder, kidnapping, theft of seven white rhino horns from the Kruger National Park (KNP), using a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent, fraud, obstruction of justice, possession of unlicensed firearms and being in possession of stolen property.

'n Ietermagôsmokkelaar is vanoggend in die Rundu-landdroshof tot 'n boete van N$200 000 of vier jaar agter tralies gevonnis. Joseph Mukuve is weens die oortreding van die onwettige handel in beheerde wildprodukte, naamlik een lewende ietermagô en twee -velle, ter waarde van sowat N$150 000 gevonnis.

The Criminal Investigations Department of police has conrmed to the arrest of David Kisitu, a suspect that has been on the run since December 2020, on charges of possession of prohibited wildlife species. Authorities from the Wildlife Centre equate the trunks [sic] to 22 kgs of Ivory. Wildlife trafcking has over the years become a lucrative transnational crime and Uganda Police has since joined global efforts in ensuring that this illegal wildlife trade is curtailed.

Namibia's over-burdened criminal justice system is struggling to keep up with rhino-poaching court cases, some of them delayed by up to six years. Is a special wildlife crime court the answer? 

Die ministerie van die omgewing, bosbou en toerisme het bevestig dat geen van sy personeel by wildstropery betrokke was nie en stropery het in nasionale parke afgeneem. Die woordvoerder, mnr. Romeo Muyunda, sê volgens die ondersoek na die vuurwapens wat in die Etosha Nasionale Park gekonfiskeer en vir ballistiese toetse gestuur is, is geen personeellid aan enige stroperysaak verbind nie. Die hoof van die Blue Rhino-taakspan, komm. Barry de Klerk, het dit aan Republikein bevestig.

Five suspects have been arrested for illegal possession of ivory and a live Pangolin. They were arrested in separate operations conducted on Sunday by the Uganda Wildlife Authority-UWA and the Uganda Police in Lira and Agago Districts.

The scaly creature is among the most-trafficked group of wild animals on earth. The small mammal, named after the Malaysian word 'penggulung', which means 'roller', is an endangered and relatively unknown species. Pangolins everywhere are relentlessly collected in the wild and trafficked to markets in Asia, where they are served as a delicacy in restaurants, and their scales are used in medicinal products. It's this consumption at end markets that drives the trade.

The environment ministry has confirmed that thus far no ministry staff have been linked to rhino poaching cases in Namibia, while rhino poaching has declined in national parks over the years. Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said confiscated rifles from staff in the Etosha National Park and ballistic tests conducted is an investigation with the police and, so far, no staff member has been linked to any poaching case. "Should there be any such case, we will take action including criminal charges against that staff member."

Too low, too slow: SA's rhino convictions.

An intelligence-driven operation by the Hawks has resulted in the arrest of six suspects caught with elephant tusks in Durban. Police said the suspects, aged between 27 and 40, face charges for contravening the National Environmental Management of the Biodiversity Act.

The Hawks have arrested two men after they were found in possession of rhino horn and suspected stolen property in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape.

Two men allegedly desperately trying to find a buyer for a rhino horn appeared in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate's Court on Monday. Jeremy Perring, 36, and Keanon Tereblanche, 27, were arrested at a beachfront restaurant in possession of a rhino horn on Friday. The two were each released on R3 000 bail and the case has been postponed to 29 April.

Wildstropery het in 2020 ’n afname getoon, met altesaam 31 renosters en elf olifante wat gestroop is en 654 vermeende wildstropers wat vasgetrek is. Die 654 verdagtes bestaan uit 597 Namibiërs, 26 Zambiërs, 22 Angolese, een elk uit Botswana en Zimbabwe asook sewe ander burgers wat betrokke is by 308 wildmisdaadsake wat in 2020 aanhangig gemaak is.

Pretoria - More than a decade ago, Limpopo game farmer Dawie Groenewald and his co-accused were arrested on a multitude of rhino poaching-related charges, yet their criminal trial is yet to start - and a judge wants answers. Groenewald and his eight co-accused once again briefly appeared in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria this week, and their case was postponed to March 1.

According to statistics, 371 wildlife crime cases were finalised with convictions in court during the five-year period and 565 suspects were found guilty, while 63 suspects were acquitted on charges. A total of 2 950 suspects was arrested in the 1 326 wildlife crime cases reported in the past five years, of which 579 cases related to high-value species. This is according to wildlife crime summary statistics for the period 1 January 2015 until to 3 December 2020, provided in the revised National Strategy on Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement.

Rhino poaching down from 59 cases in 2013 to zero in 2020, says Kenya Wildlife Service.

Rhino poaching declined sharply in South Africa last year, according to the latest official data, and the data also shows that rhinos on state land were far more vulnerable than those in private hands. In South Africa, if you are a rhino on a state reserve, your chances of getting whacked by a poacher are about nine times greater than if you roam a private one.

Umweltminister Pohamba Shifeta präsentiert Zahlen und Statistiken, die eine deutliche Verminderung der Anzahl WildereiVorfälle anzeigt, aber andererseits eine ständige Zunahme der Verhaftungen vorweist. Er zeigt sich zufrieden mit den eingeführten Kontrollen, moniert aber die ständige Kritik an dem Programm des MEFT, das versucht die Dickhäuter unter Kontrolle zu bringen.

Namibia has registered a drop in rhino poaching from 52 cases in 2019 to 31 since the beginning of last year. In 2018, the country lost 81 rhinos due to poaching, 66 in 2016 and 97 in 2015. The 2020 figure is the lowest in the last five years. Addressing a media conference yesterday, environment minister Pohamba Shifeta said more resources have been allocated to fight poaching, and more stakeholders have come on board to support efforts to stop the gruesome practice.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism recorded fewer incidents of wildlife poaching and maintained a high number of arrests for wildlife crime in 2020, minister Pohamba Shifeta says.

Rhino populations are being hammered by poachers, steeping Africa in blood and pushing the species ever-closer to extinction to satisfy the demand for rhino horn in Vietnam and other countries - a demand largely based on the myth of the non-existent medicinal properties of rhino horn. For the record, rhino horn is entirely composed of keratin, also the chief component in hair, nails and animal hooves; you’ve as much chance of curing cancer by biting your nails as you have by drinking powdered rhino horn.

Despite more than 1 000 court hearings dealing with wildlife crimes taking place last year, environment minister said they continue to reverse the trends of poaching, with fewer cases recorded in the country.

The 18-pieces haul, destined for Malaysia, was found concealed in traditional clothing. The Hawks have conscated a shipment of rhino horns worth more than R53 million at OR Tambo International Airpot on Thursday, destined for Malaysia. This after the customs unit of the South African Revenue Service (Sars) at the airport bust the rhino horn after the detector dog unit selected a suspicious shipment declared as "HP Cartridges Developers", according to the statement from Sars.

"In 2020, we recorded a total of 31 rhinos poached compared to 52 in 2019, 81 in 2018, 55 in 2017, 66 in 2016 and 97 in 2015," Shifeta said. The minister added that by the same token, Namibia recorded a total of 11 elephants poached in 2020, 13 in 2019, 27 in 2018, 50 in 2017, 101 in 2016 and 49 in 2015. As for pangolin, eight live animals have been seized in 2020 as well as five full carcasses, 59 skins, five skin pieces and 924 scales, he added.

Zimbabwe needs to establish an independent and specialised environmental court to effectively deal with the environmental litigation cases and offer better quality of sentencing to safeguard and restore the country's environment, WWF - Zimbabwe country director, Dr Enos Shumba says.

Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries report back on Rhino poaching in South Africa in 2020. South Africa saw a marked decline in rhino poaching during 2020, with the killing of rhino declining by 33%.

Excellent cooperation between the farming community and the Namibian Police in the area of Kapps Farm saw the arrest of three men suspected of poaching wildlife. According to a member of the farming community, the owner of Farm Bellrode discovered that there are poachers on his property on Sunday afternoon when he saw two strange dogs running through the bushes.

A man suspected of being a poacher, 27-year-old Claudius Hameva, was fatally shot at a game farm around Okakarara earlier this morning following a scuffle between him and the farm's security guard.

Tanzanian police said on Friday they have seized 10 pieces of ivory weighing 23 kilograms and arrested two suspected poachers in connection with illegal possession of the ivory.

The artificial intelligence (AI) cameras installed in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park failed to detect poachers after four dehorned rhinos were found last week. The carcasses were found on different days and appeared to have been killed a few days earlier.

BDF is investigating a case in which the suspected poacher allegedly stabbed the soldier with a sharp object during an anti-poaching operation.

Farmer in der Umgebung von Usakos und Karibib müssen wachsam sein Seit. Monaten kämpfen Farmer in der Umgebung von Usakos und Karibib gegen eine besonders hohen Anzahl Fälle der Wilderei - das Ausmaß wird als alarmierend bezeichnet und die private Antiwildereieinheit arbeitet nahezu rund um die Uhr. Die Polizei untersucht das Ausmaß.

As part of its many anti-poaching efforts, the Kruger National Park (KNP) dehorns some of its rhinos to make them a less attractive trophy for poachers.

A HCMC court Friday sentenced a man to six years in jail for illegally transporting rhino horns weighing over six kilograms from Mozambique.

Poaching has risen to alarming levels in the Karibib district during the past three months, with dozens of large game animals having been butchered, injured and some having to be put down. "Covid-19 must have contributed to the sharp increase in poaching. People lost their jobs and are hungry, so there is a demand for meat. The festive season is also around the corner, so this also contributes to an increase," Butzi Kühne of Kühne Security and Anti-Poaching Unit told The Namibian.

There has been a continued downward trend in elephant poaching in parts of Africa, data shows. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) programme for Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) has published its annual report analysing trends regarding illegally killed elephants in Africa, based on data collected by MIKE sites on the continent. Namibia boasts two of these sites - in the Etosha National Park and in the Zambezi Region.

A Namibian man who illegally hunted two warthogs and an impala was sentenced to five months in prison or a N$6 000 fine last week. According to the latest wildlife crime report, only two new cases of wildlife crime were reported between 8 November and 15 November. Two suspects were arrested in connection with wildlife crime and five illegal wildlife products were seized. These were two warthog carcasses, an impala carcass and a lechwe carcass. At Kalkfeld, a Namibian man was arrested on 8 November for being in possession of two warthog carcasses and an impala carcass.

The 30-year prison term of a cattle poacher, who successfully challenged the constitutionality of the severe sentences which were prescribed for stock thieves in Namibia, has been reduced to 12 years by the Supreme Court.

Mutare: A local man together with a Zimbabwe National Army officer were arrested by police detectives from the Minerals Flora and Fauna unit after being found in possession of two live pangolins.

Self-proclaimed prophet Jackson Babi has approached the High Court to appeal against a decision by the Windhoek Magistrate's Court to deny him bail. The flamboyant Babi claims magistrate Linus Samunzala misdirected himself in law and fact when he denied him bail. In September, the lower court refused to release Babi on bail, citing he failed to give convincing evidence to be released pending his trial. The court also ruled there was a likelihood Babi would interfere with the investigations.

The rhino population at Uganda's Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary has been growing steadily, from nearly extinction in the 1970s to 32 at present, due to increased security and protection.

A Vietnamese woman was arrested at Maputo International Airport on Monday, found in possession of ve pieces of rhino horn and 162 assorted lions' teeth and claws. It can be inferred that three rhinos and 12 lions, both species protected by law, were slaughtered in the amassing of the haul.

Das Ministerium für Umwelt, Forstwirtschaft und Tourismus greift hart und konsequent gegen die Wilderei durch. Im Etoscha-Nationalpark wurde vor einiger Zeit eine spezialisierte Hundeeinheit stationiert, nun soll noch eine berittene Einheit dazukommen. "Der Etoscha-Nationalpark ist Namibias Aushängeschild. Touristen reisen in den Park und wollen die Artenvielfalt bewundern und beobachten - und genau das müssen wir schützen", stellte Umweltminister Pohamba Shifeta am Mittwoch bei Okaukuejo klar.

Etosha - Although poaching of endangered species such as rhino and elephant have been reported to be minimal in the Etosha National Park, environment minister Pohamba Shifeta has called on law enforcement officials to do ballistic testing among communities adjacent to the park. Shifeta made the call Wednesday when he was briefed on the security situation cluster on antipoaching operation 'Yes Ongava' phase 18 in the Etosha National Park.

Namibia is in the process of establishing a special operations unit that will include the use of horses to help curb poaching, an ofcial said on Wednesday. According to Manie le Roux, who coordinates the K9 unit at the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, the mounted unit, which will have 12 horses and 14 members, will work together with the canine unit.

A NamPower employee's arrest and court appearance in connection with poaching has shone the spotlight on the parastatal's employees abusing their access to farms.

Kenya's black rhino population has doubled from less than 400 in 1985 to 794 by the end of 2019. Kenya is home to the last remaining two Northern White Rhinos in the world. "But, the Northern White Rhinos are endangered. There are only two existing in the world that are only found at the Ol Pejeta conservancy. We are making sure the white rhinos are saved and we produce more. We must protect these animals," said Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala during a webinar commemorating World Rhino Day last month.

Namibian law enforcement arrested 121 suspected poachers in three months inside the Etosha National Park with the help of the newly-established anti-poaching K9 unit, the police have said on Wednesday.

NamPower has launched an internal investigation against its employee, Joel Ochurub, who was arrested Saturday near Kalkfeld after he was allegedly found with poached warthogs and an impala in an official vehicle.