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There are worrying signs that the illegal trade is becoming more organised, with professionals and government officials involved.

Another two rhinos have paid the ultimate price as a result of ongoing poaching.The circumstances surrounding the poaching of two rhinos on a Limpopo farm are being investigated by the Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit. Rooiberg police, in the Waterberg District, have launched a manhunt for unknown perpetrators involved in the poaching of two rhinos on Pomo Estate.

A void left by illegal horn income may now be driving neighbouring communities to snare and shoot species such as African buffalo in the park's southwest sector. Despite the lowveld’s searing heat, thorny canopy and tough terrain, Kruger's staff and honorary rangers say they are fighting back - on foot.

The Eastern Marine Command of Nigeria Customs Service in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said it has made a significant breakthrough in combating wildlife trafficking by intercepting a substantial quantity of pangolin scales, elephant tusks and sacks of used second hand shoes worth N680,290,400 in its area of operation.

In spite of the surge in snaring of animals in the Kruger National Park officials are scrambling to come up with ways to curb the emerging onslaught to the game for bush meat. With less than two months left until the end of the year field and honorary rangers claim to have removed more than 3 000 snares that were placed across the park to trap the animals. According to the statistics, this ruthless form of poaching has been on the increase in recent years claiming more than 7  000 snares in last year as opposed to 4  000 in 2021. According…

The recent sentencing of three wildlife poachers has been hailed as a success in the anti-poaching efforts of the Greytown community. Farmers, SAPS and security companies working together to curb poaching in the Greytown area have welcomed the sentences handed down to three men aged between 27 and 42 years old, who were found guilty of illegal hunting by the Greytown Magistrate's Court. The three men were each sentenced to eight months' imprisonment or a R2 000 fine.

Rhino populations in Kruger National Park continue to decline despite innovative strategies implemented to prevent rhino poaching. The latest population count, reported in the SANParks Annual Report 2022/2023, reveals that the total rhino population has declined by 16.2%, from an estimated 2,458 rhinos in 2021 to 2,060 in 2022.

A man was arrested for the possession of 22 kilograms of ivory, valued at approximately US$3 740.

Mozambique's National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) on Wednesday detained two individuals, in Beira city, in the central province of Sofala, who were caught redhanded in the possession of elephant tusks that they were trying to sell.

The defence attorney in the case against a former police officer accused of being a rhino poaching kingpin has disputed that their client has 12 pending cases.

Die ministerie van die omgewing, bosbou en toerisme het vonnisse van minstens 13 jaar tronkstraf elk vir vier renosterstropers verwelkom. Die vonnisse is onlangs in die Windhoek-streekhof opgelê.

The Ministry of the Environment, Forestry and Tourism has welcomed sentences of at least 13 years in prison each for four rhino poachers. The sentences were handed down recently in the Windhoek Regional Court.

Meanwhile, the police at Outjo in the Kunene region arrested a 28-year-old suspect while he was transporting a rhinohorn on Friday evening. He was apprehended when the police stopped and searched the vehicle he was traveling inbetween Outjo and Okaukuejo. The rhino horn’s estimated value is N$300,000.

The Endangered Wildlife Trust's (EWT) plant detection dog, which is trained to detect succulent plants, displayed his training during a police action. Delta the dog assisted in Springbok where two males were arrested for illegal possession of 1 760 endangered plants.

The SAPS plant detection dog "Delta" trained to detect succulent plants displayed his training during a police action in Springbok where two males were arrested for illegal possession of 1760 endangered plants. A multi-disciplinary operation involving the Springbok Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit (STESU), Springbok Public Order Policing (POP) and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (Shadi Henrico, Esther Matthew and K9-Delta) was held on Friday, 13 October 2023 at approximately midnight.

Despite declining national rhino poaching statistics, KwaZulu-Natal is becoming a new hotspot for these illegal activities.

The environment ministry has welcomed sentences of at least 13 years in prison each for four rhino poachers. The sentences were handed down in the Windhoek Regional Court last week. Former Brave Warriors chiropractor Gerson Kandjii (51) was also involved in the case, but died in custody in 2021. The arrests stem from an incident in December 2016, when four white rhinos were poached on a private farm in the Gobabis district. On 22 December 2016, the suspects, allegedly without a hunting permit, killed four white rhinos - two…

Zwei der Justizvollzugsbeamten, die wegen des Verdachts, an der Flucht des chinesischen Nashornschmugglers Wang Hui beteiligt gewesen und deshalb suspendiert worden waren, wurden für schuldig befunden. Ihnen wurde eine Geldstrafe auferlegt.

Two correctional officers who were suspended on suspicion of being involved in the escape of Chinese rhino smuggler Wang Hui have been found guilty. They were fined.

A high-speed chase forced three suspects to abandon their vehicle, rhino horn, communications tower battery, silencer, firearm and ammunition while evading arrest. They were intercepted by Volksrust, Mpumalanga, police conducting a stop and search operation at 10pm in Mandela Drive on Monday, police said.

Authorities have apprehended an Indonesian in an ivory smuggling operation after uncovering 38.4kg ivory consignment valued at approximately Sh10 million. The suspect was arrested at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Richter Johannes Shuuveni verurteilte vier Nashornwilderer am 18. September zu jeweils 13 Jahren Haft.

Judge Johannes Shuuveni sentenced four rhino poachers to 13 years in prison on September 18th.

Two correctional officers who were suspended after the escape of Chinese rhino-horn smuggler Wang Hui have been found guilty by an internal disciplinary process. Deputy Commissioner-General Mariana Martin of the Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) told Namibian Sun that based on an investigation, three officers were suspended after Wang's escape. "All three correctional officers suspended were eventually charged, with at present two found guilty of misconduct under the Correctional Service Act."

Rhino Dehorning Debate Intensifies as Poaching Continues in Hluhluwe/iMfolozi Game Reserve. In the midst of an escalating rhino poaching crisis at the Hluhluwe/iMfolozi (HiP) game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, a contentious debate has arisen over whether dehorning rhinos is an effective strategy to protect them. While some argue that dehorning could deter poachers, others express concerns about its effectiveness and potential consequences. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, responsible for overseeing the park, has voiced reluctance regarding the dehorning approach.

The Windhoek Magistrate Court has handed down prison sentences of up to 15 years to four individuals involved in a heinous rhino poaching case. The culprits were found guilty for their involvement in a poaching incident dating back to December 2016, where four white rhinos were ruthlessly killed on a private farm in the Gobabis District. On 22 December 2016, the suspects allegedly, without a hunting permit, killed four white rhinos - two bulls and two pregnant cows - each valued at N$1.25 million, with a total value…

Two of the correctional officers who were suspended due to the suspicion that they had a hand in the escape of the Chinese rhino horn smuggler, Wang Hui, have been found guilty.

Since 2020, snaring has tripled in the crown jewels of South Africa's Big Five reserves. This suggests economic hardship, although it is not the sole factor to blame. Responding to questions by the Democratic Alliance’s Hannah Winkler on the park’s snaring trends, Environment Minister Barbara Creecy reported the removal of thousands of snares: In 2020, 2,407 snares were removed; In 2021, 4,454 snares were removed; In 2022, 7,270 snares were removed.

In a recent development in Sesheke, the Subordinate Court has handed down a five-year prison sentence to a foreign national, Edward Mushanana, aged 50, hailing from Botswana. Mr. Mushanana was found guilty of illegally possessing a lion skin weighing 12.7 kilograms.

However, the park's key strategy to combat poaching has been to dehorn its entire rhino population - with great success. The Pilanesberg has had no poaching incidents in the three years since 2020.

Global demand for collectible succulents has increased drastically over the past few years. This means that thousands of endangered plant species are illegally removed from their natural habitat by poachers and sold to meet the insatiable demand for them. The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) has now started a project to train three dogs and use their strong sense of smell to sniff out the succulent poachers.

The Springbok SAPS Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit (STESU) arrested two men who were driving a vehicle loaded with bags of Conophytum bilobum plants on the R382 road between Steinkopf and Port Nolloth.

An alleged rhino poacher has been sentenced to 30 years behind bars for killing three rhinos at Kruger National Park in Skukuza. Sydney Sibuyi, 40, was sentenced to thirty years of direct imprisonment in the Skukuza Regional Court on Thursday for poaching-related offences.

Joining famed conservationists Jane Goodall and Carl Jones at the 12th Oppenheimer Research Conference, a former SANParks conservation boss warns that - thanks to a lack of funds and government interference - most provincial game reserves face collapse, but suggests solutions might be found among not-forprofits, the private sector and surrounding communities.

The three were arrested in Lagos in July 2021 following the interception by Nigerian Customs agents of 196 sacks of pangolin scales weighing 7,137.40kg, one sack of pangolin claws weighing 4.60kg and 29 sacks of elephant tusks weighing 870.4kg.

The Nkayi Rural District Council has been urged to tighten its monitoring systems to stop the illegal harvesting of timber by companies as the natural resource is not benefiting local communities. Nkayi South Member of Parliament Jabulani Hadebe said there were no mechanisms in place to protect natural resources in the Matabeleland North district.

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.