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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.

17 people sentenced for moving millions of dollars in tusks from West Africa as part of the biggest illicit network of its kind in China. Life terms show authorities are coming down hard on illegal trade, campaigner says.

A 27-year-old man suspected to have been a poacher, died instantly in the early hours of Monday after he was allegedly shot in the chest on a game farm near Okakarara. The spokesperson of the Namibian Police Force in the Otjozondjupa Region, Inspector Maureen Mbeha on Monday said the deceased has been identied as Claudius Hameva from Okakarara.

Sedert die begin van die jaar het boere in die Kalkfeld-, Omitara-, Witvlei- en Steinhausen-omgewing ’n gesamentlike verlies van meer as N$3,35 miljoen aan die diefstal van vee, wild en infrastruktuur gely. Die afgelope drie maande was die bloedigste en diewe het hier eiendom ter waarde van bykans N$1,1 miljoen weggedra. Sedert die begin van die jaar tot November, is in die Omitara-, Witvlei- en Steinhausen-omgewing verliese van meer as N$1,65 miljoen weens diefstal by die Nossob Misdaadvoorkomingsforum (NCPF) aangemeld. Die forum, wat noukeurig sedert sy ontstaan…

Soldiers from the Royal Gurkha Rifles have trained Zambian rangers in anti-poaching skills and tactics – the first UK deployment of its kind in the country. The 30-strong unit spent six weeks in Zambia, sharing soldiering skills with the rangers to help strengthen their response to poaching and the illicit wildlife trade – thought to be worth £17bn a year internationally to criminal gangs. With a large elephant population and rare and endangered species in Zambia, there has been an increase in the number of groups selling illegal animal products internationally,…

‘n Bejaarde man is gister by die Swakopmundrivier-plotte glo met ‘n ou renosterhoring en vyf stukke olifanttande in sy besit vasgetrek. Volgens die Namibiese polisie se misdaadverslag volg die inhegtenisneming van die 69-jarige man nadat die volgende ander items ná ‘n soektog glo in sy besit gevind is: 27 patrone van ‘n .308-geweer, twee patrone van ‘n R1- outomatiese aanvalsgeweer en 33 patrone van ‘n .22-vuurwapen.

A grant of 200 000 euro has been awarded to Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) Namibia to support local communities in protecting the world's last free-ranging black rhino population. It will also assist with the sustainability of initiatives that bring revenue to these communities. The project is funded by the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union (EU), through the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme. According to SRT, this two-year project will train and equip trackers and rhino rangers to…

Despite global economic uncertainty, the Save the Rhino Trust's long-standing donors continued international and national support and kept boots on the ground. This is according to the organisation's CEO, Simon Uri-Khob, who thanked the SRT team and all partners and donors for their hard work in dealing with the adverse effects of the coronavirus pandemic during the year. From April to August, Namibia was in various stages of government-mandated lockdown.

BIOPAMA: 200000 Euro für Schutz des Spitzmaulnashorns. Knapp 3,8 Millionen N$ soll der Naturschutzfonds Save the Rhino Trust in den kommenden zwei Jahren zwecks verbesserter Ausbildung und Nachrüstung der Naturschutzbeamten in den Kommunalgebieten empfangen, in denen die letzten freilebenden Spitzmaulnashörner Namibias und sogar der Welt vorkommen.

When a squad of federal and state law enforcement agents with guns and bulletproof vests entered a single-story brick home in Buffalo, New York, on July 5, 2018 they were searching for business records of a suspected criminal enterprise. Experts trained to handle dangerous exotic cats congregated in a sunroom pungent with the odor of cat urine.

An intense debate continues to rage over whether the Namibian government should maintain its existing stockpiles of collected legal and confiscated illegal ivory. Trading in valuable wildlife products is one of the most important incentives for Namibia's coexistence with wildlife, especially rhinos and elephants, to support its conservation. There are two categories of stockpiles: Those held legally and those held illegally. Legally-held stockpiles consist of raw ivory, and are mostly owned by the government under the Controlled Wildlife Products and Trade Act 9 of 2008…

Five poachers were gunned down by Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) rangers in 10 incidents of armed confrontation in national parks this year amid an intensifying crackdown on poaching by authorities. Poaching activities declined significantly this year, thanks to the introduction of new anti-poaching strategies that include deployment of high-tech drones to monitor conservancies, retraining of rangers and the introduction of a shoot-to-kill policy.

At least five white rhinos were killed and dehorned on different occasions in November, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in Botswana confirmed Thursday.

The pangolin skin is valued at about N$50 000 while the value and authenticity of the unpolished diamonds is yet to be determined by the police.

Two men, that attempted to sell seven unpolished diamonds and a pangolin skin, were arrested in Tsumeb during a sting operation earlier this week. The 30-year-old and 50-year-old suspects were apprehended during an undercover operation staged by the Protected Resources Sub Division of the Namibian Police. The Regional Police Commander, Commissioner Armas Shivute said the duo were found with one pangolin skin valued at N$ 50 000 and seven unpolished diamonds of which the value still has to be determined.

At least 12 elephants have been killed in Tanzania in the past three months in what the country's national parks watchdog has described as a new wave of poaching.

The suspects belong to an organized ivory trafficking network whose ramifications extend as far as Nigeria. Six suspected ivory traffickers were arrested in early December in the eastern region of Cameroon, in a joint operation by the departmental delegation of the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife and the police. This operation was carried out with technical assistance from LAGA, an NGO specializing in law enforcement on wildlife. Two of the suspects were arrested on December 2 in Bertoua, the regional capital, with four ivory tusks, two of which came from baby…

Two teachers and five other people from Muanza district in Sofala province, including a smallholder and a public administration technician, were arrested this weekend while trying to sell two elephant tusks and the skin of a leopard for 44,000 meticais (24,000 for the tusks and 20,000 for leopard skin).

Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI) has formulated a wildlife protection project setting up a task force project to end ivory poaching and trafficking. It as well would introduce much stronger custodial sentences, if criminals are caught with Illegal Wildlife Trade. Kumera Wakjira, Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority General Director, said that the project is aimed at combatting wildlife crime. Kumera added that the project has set up an Environmental Crime Unit and regional task forces to combat wildlife crime.

The trio were arrested following a R50 000 transaction for parts of lions they killed on a private game reserve outside Lephalale.

KwaZulu-Natal wildlife is "under attack" by illegal hunters across the province says Blessed Gwala, the IFP spokesperson for community safety and liaison. Last week the carcasses of four dehorned rhinos were found in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.

Every day about two rhinoceroses are killed in South Africa for their horns. Be it for traditional medical purposes, or to impress friends with gifts such as carved figurines and necklaces, the demand in East Asia is high for rhino horns and wealthy buyers are willing to pay a good price. South Africa, on the other hand, is home to two third of Africa's rhinos while nearly half of the adult population lives in poverty.

Caracals living in Noordhoek wetlands are under siege from all sides, facing considerable threats to their survival. This nocturnal and elusive wild cat native to Africa has become a prime target for ruthless poachers who capture them for bushmeat or sell their body parts on the illegal wildlife black market. Caracals also face increased habitat loss and lack of habitat connectivity.