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Namibian Wildlife Crimes article archive

This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:

  • provide easy public access to published information and statistics
  • enable easy stakeholder access to articles
  • provide a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia

Public access to information is a vital component of ensuring community engagement in prevalent issues. Wildlife crime is one of the pressing environmental issues of our time.

Wildlife crime investigations are generally covert operations requiring utmost confidentiality to succeed. Investigations and prosecutions in complex cases may take months or even years to complete. For this reason, the information that can be released to the public without compromising cases is often limited. Nonetheless, the Namibian government strives to share as much information as possible with the public.

The Namibian media has welcomed this approach and regularly publishes statistics and feature articles on wildlife crime. These are entered into the database at regular intervals, creating a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia.

Explore your search results using the filter checkboxes, or amend your search or start a new search.

Displaying results 1 - 50 of 78
Thursday, 31 August 2023
Hattingh E 2023. Erneute Wilderei: "Dieser Trend zerstört Namibias größtes Kapital".

Farmer in der Gegend von Omaruru beschweren sich erneut darüber, dass das Problem mit Viehdiebstahl und Wilderei überwältigend sei - so sehr, dass sie befürchten, dass die Farmen aufgegeben werden. So spricht Markus Trede von der Farm Lindholm bei Omaruru, der am Dienstag auf seiner Farm einen Eland fand, der in einer Drahtschlinge grausam verendet war. Auf seiner Farm wurden in den letzten Wochen außerdem sechs Rinder gewildert. "Sie kommen auch wegen des Wildes. Auf unseren oder umliegenden Höfen findet man fast keine Gemsböcke mehr.

Wednesday, 30 August 2023
2023. Elephant tusk, meat carcasses, guns and blue lights seized in Alex bust.

Gauteng police have seized meat carcasses hijacked from a delivery truck, guns and ammunition, blue lights and signal jammers at a property in Alexandra, Johannesburg. An elephant tusk was also found at the 7th Avenue premises during Tuesday's operation, said police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi.

Monday, 28 August 2023
Nkala S 2023. 4 years in jail for pangolin possession.

Two Zimbabweans, who were recently arrested for illegal possession of a pangolin and illegally entering Botswana, have been jailed four years each.

Sunday, 27 August 2023
2023. Perlemoen suspect arrested after 'evading arrest' for two years.

The Gqeberha-based economic protected resources team under the serious organised crime Investigation unit of the Hawks arrested a 43-year-old man on Friday for possession of perlemoen. The suspect joins his 10 co-accused, previously arrested in Algoa Park in May for allegedly being in possession of perlemoen, as well as running a yshing operation without a permit.

Friday, 25 August 2023
2023. Black rhino carcass found at Grootfontein.

Otjiwarongo - A carcass of a female black rhino was discovered with a bullet wound in the stomach, on 18 August 2023 at a waterhole inside a game farm in the Grootfontein district of the Otjozondjupa region.

Friday, 25 August 2023
Mojela A 2023. Female pangolin and baby rescued from poachers in the Northern Cape.

A mission to rescue a pangolin confiscated in Kuruman in the Northern Cape led to a Limpopo foundation sponsoring a flight to the Northern Cape to have it treated at Provet Animal Hospital in Hoedspruit. Provet Animal Hospital said on Facebook that a female Temminck’s ground pangolin was confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade and upon assessment, the veterinarian in Kuruman discovered that she was clutching a newborn pup, a little male, still wrapped in the afterbirth.

Friday, 25 August 2023
2023. Mozambican man sentenced to nine years in jail for hunting in the Kruger National Park.

The Skukuza Regional Court in Mpumalanga sentenced 35-year-old Mozambican national Thomas Yingwana to nine years imprisonment for hunting in the Kruger National Park. Police spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said Yingwana had illegally entered South Africa last year. "The court heard how in November 2022, the accused entered the park before he was caught.

Friday, 25 August 2023
Besmet: How lions are being poisoned and poached in the Kruger National Park.

'Besmet' was one of the local hard-hitting documentaries shown at the kykNET Silwerskermfees in Cape Town this past week. One of the animals that tourists are most excited about seeing when visiting the Kruger National Park is the lion. The majestic ‘king of the jungle’ has always been a symbol of strength, power and ferocity, but sadly these traits are exactly what is putting the species in grave danger.

Thursday, 24 August 2023
Hattingh E 2023. Stropers loop 60km vir gemsbok.

'n Boer en verskeie plaaswerkers in die Omatjette-omgewing moes die afgelope naweek die handdoek ingooi nadat hulle vir langer as tien ure tevergeefs op die spoor van gemsbokstropers was. Die stropers het na raming minstens 60 km geloop om een gemsbok te slag. Volgens die boer op wie se plaas geslag is, is daar so ver gestap omdat daar moontlik nie meer wild op nabygeleë plase oor is nie.

Thursday, 24 August 2023
David M 2023. Police search for rhino poaching suspects.

A case of hunting of specially protected game without a permit is being investigated by the police in Otjozondjupa after a carcass of a female black Rhinoceros was found at a water hole.

Thursday, 24 August 2023
David M 2023. Two caught with leopard skin in Otjozondjupa.

Two men aged 26 and 34 were arrested after being found in possession of one leopard skin at Hochfeld T-Junction.

Wednesday, 23 August 2023
David M 2023. 62 wire snares retrieved at Etosha.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) is concerned about the increasing use of snares to illegally hunt and kill wild animals in Etosha National Park. This comes after wire snares were discovered and retrieved in Etosha National Park.

Wednesday, 23 August 2023
Bause T 2023. Al meer strikke in Etosha gestel.

"Ons kan nie die mense verwyder nie; hulle is deel van die park. Ons moet net kyk hoe ons kan verseker dat hulle die reëls nakom.

Wednesday, 23 August 2023
Reiter C, Bause T 2023. Umweltministerium ist besorgt.

Das Ministerium für Umwelt, Forstwirtschaft und Tourismus ist laut einer Pressemitteilung
besorgt über die zunehmende Verwendung von Drahtschlingen zur illegalen Jagd und Tötung
von Wildtieren im Park. Der Pressesprecher des Ministeriums, Romeo Muyunda, erklärte: "Wir
möchten betonen, dass die Beseitigung von Schlingen zu unseren täglichen Aufgaben im
Rahmen der Parkverwaltung gehört. Es wird vermutet, dass einige Gemeindemitglieder, die sich
im Nationalpark aufhalten, Schlingen aufstellen, um Wildtiere zu jagen und zu töten." In Etoscha

Wednesday, 23 August 2023
Terblanché N 2023. Illegal wire snares are decimating wildlife in Etosha.

People that have settled in communities in various areas of the Etosha National Park, one of
Namibia's premier tourist attractions are decimating wildlife by using wire snares to kill animals for
food.

Wednesday, 23 August 2023
Lukas J 2023. Use of wire snares for illegal hunting on the rise.

A total of 62 active wire snares have been retrieved in Okaukuejo, an area around the Etosha National Park, in three days. According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), Romeo Muyunda, the illegal hunting and killing of wild animals using wire snares is increasing in Etosha National Park, causing concern for the Ministry. Muyunda said the practice of using wire snares for hunting is unsanctioned, illegal and punishable by law.

Tuesday, 22 August 2023
Smit E 2023. FIC vital in fight against organised wildlife crimes.

The Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) plays a vital role in countering organised wildlife crime in Namibia. With a renewed spike in rhino poaching in 2022, the FIC's role underlines the extent to which rhino poaching is driven by organised criminal gangs and the extensive criminal networks that facilitate horn trafficking. This is according to the National Namibia Wildlife Protection Report for 2022, which found that poaching and trafficking of live plants also appear to be coordinated via well-organised online platforms…

Tuesday, 22 August 2023
2023. Illegal wire snares now the order of the day in Etosha National Park - Ministry concerned.

Illegal wire snares are becoming more common in Etosha National Park, causing concern for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism. A total of 62 active wire snares were retrieved in the area around Okaukuejo, in the îagship Etosha National Park, over three days, according to spokesperson Romeo Muyunda on Tuesday.

Tuesday, 22 August 2023
2023. Wildlife traffickers in e-hailing cab bust with pangolin.

The Hawks serious organised crime investigation (Soci) team arrested two suspects for illegal possession of pangolin in Primrose, Germiston. W/O Thatohatsi Mavimbela said the bust went down on Friday. "Information was received about two foreign nationals in transit in an e-hailing vehicle suspected to be in possession of a pangolin." "When members of the Soci team arrived at the scene, they found the two suspects, who are crossborder truck drivers from Zambia, carrying one pangolin in a bag."

Tuesday, 22 August 2023
2023. Pair seized over shocking show of slaughtered african wildlife.

This undated footage shows fifty illegal hunting trophies that were sized by police from a person, in two houses in Daroca and Manchones, Spain. This is the macabre slaughterhouse nightmare of two big game-hunting fans found with dozens of illegal trophies in their homes. The sick wildlife harvest was discovered  in two homes, located in the towns of Daroca and Manchones respetively, in the Spanish province of Zaragoza, after a year-long investigation.

Monday, 21 August 2023
2023. Two arrested for possession of protected game meat in Otjozondjupa Region.

Two men were on Saturday arrested at Farm Kenilworth in the Otjozondjupa Region, after being found in possession of protected game meat valued at N.dollars 22 000.

Sunday, 13 August 2023
Hartman A 2023. Farmers fed up with butchering, poaching.

Cattle rustlers and poachers are terrorising farmers in the Erongo and Otjozondjupa regions, including in the Omaruru, Kalkfeld, Otjiwarongo and Waterberg areas. Namibian Agricultural Union executive council member Günther Kahl, who is also a farmer, told The Namibian last week that livestock theft and poaching have spiralled out of control, leaving the farming community distraught and enraged. Statistics reveal losses running into millions of dollars and large numbers of livestock and game since 2013. "We face the slaughtering of cattle every day.

Sunday, 13 August 2023
2023. Abalone poachers, including ex DFFE  employees, jailed.

Ten convicted abalone poachers, five of them employed by the Department Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) at the time of their arrest, were handed hefty sentences in the Western Cape High Court.

Friday, 11 August 2023
2023. South Africa's winning formula to rhino poaching.

"On August 1, South Africa's Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment released an update that rhinoceros (rhino) poaching dropped 11% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period of the previous year. Between 1 January and 30 June 2023, poaching trends also continued to show a move away from the Kruger National Park to provincial and private reserves," the report stated.

Thursday, 10 August 2023
Mohammed G 2023. Cairo airport customs officers foil attempt to smuggle ivory and drugs.

Cairo International Airport customs officers arrested two foreign passengers, from Lebanon and Spain, who had attempted to smuggle ivory and drugs, respectively, into the country. In the first case, customs officers manually inspected the luggage of a passenger arriving from the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and found pieces of ivory - the hard, white material of elephant tusks - weighing 16 kg. Egyptian customs authorities said that it is prohibited to possess and trade ivory in accordance with Ministerial Resolution No.

Thursday, 10 August 2023
Evans J 2023. Captive lion industry breeds crime syndicates, says new investigative report.

A new investigative report on SA's lion farming industry comes to a damning conclusion: 'This new intelligence gathered by brave sources confirms what was previously suspected - these well-established, legal operations are plugged secretly into unethical practices and an illicit international trade network.'

Monday, 7 August 2023
2023. Farm owner arrested following the death of a suspected poacher.

A 47-year-old farm owner has been arrested for murder following the death of a suspected poacher who was shot and killed on Saturday evening, with his lifeless body discovered only on Sunday morning. The incident occurred in the Otavi area in the Otjozondjupa Region.

Monday, 7 August 2023
2023. Plant trafficking a concern for MEFT.

Oshikoto - The environment ministry has raised concern over the increase in cases, arrests, convictions and seizures relating to plants in Namibia. The ministry’s spokesperson Romeo Muyunda told Nampa last week that plants provide the broad primary production layer for healthy environments, but their vital function is often overlooked. He said seizures of plant products have been significant, considering that these related to 22 arrests in 2022.

Friday, 4 August 2023
2023. East Rand man arrested with rhino horn worth R170,000; three more arrested in North West for rhino horn theft.

A man was arrested in the East Rand after being found in possession of a rhino horn worth an estimated R170,000. The Hawks, working in collaboration with the Benoni K9 Unit, stopped a suspicious Toyota Etios during a routine patrol along the R21 highway near Atlas Road. Upon searching the vehicle, officers discovered a 1.6-kilogram rhino horn concealed in a yellow plastic bag under the driver's seat. The driver, identified as 47-year-old Hlulani Baloyi, was arrested on the spot and subsequently appeared in the…

Thursday, 3 August 2023
Anyoli E 2023. Uganda: Two jailed over illegal possession of ivory.

The Standards, Utilities and Wildlife Court at the Buganda Road in Kampala has sentenced two men to five years in jail over illegal possession of ivory. Chief Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu sentenced Robert Ecat and Charles Kanyenya to five years or a fine of shillings five million after they pleaded guilty to illegally possessing ivory weighing 10.65kg.

Wednesday, 2 August 2023
Motlhabane C 2023. Duo nabbed in possession of a pangolin.

Two Zimbabwean men have been remanded in custody after they were found in possession of a live pangolin.

Wednesday, 2 August 2023
Hartman A 2023. Cops seize unlicensed gun, python skins at Okombahe.

Erongo law enforcement officers on Monday evening arrested a 49-year-old Namibian man at a mini- shop at Okombahe for possessing illegal python skins and an unlicensed revolver. The arrest was a result of an intelligence-led operation, according to Erongo police spokesperson inspector Ileni Shapumba. "The person was found with two python skins, which he kept in a plastic bag in his shop," said Shapumba. The skins are valued at N$60 000. Python is a protected species under the Nature Conservation Act.

Wednesday, 2 August 2023
Engel K 2023. Parliament hears how 'sophisticated syndicate' stole 51 rhino horns from a state facility.

The head of the North West Parks and Tourism Board has told Parliament that the thieves who stole 51 rhino horns from its guarded facility in June must have had intimate knowledge of its security system.

Wednesday, 2 August 2023
2023. IFP calls for urgent action to curb rhino poaching in KZN, Kruger.

Durban - The IFP in KwaZulu-Natal said it was concerned about the rhino poaching incidents taking place in KZN and the Kruger National Park.

Tuesday, 1 August 2023
Smit E 2023. Lion bone trafficking rare in Namibia.

Cases of lion and other predator bone trafficking have been registered in Namibia, although cases are still rare, a new report has found. However, the illegal keeping and breeding of predators is much more widespread, and there is a reported increase in illegal practices within the trophy-hunting industry. This is according to the Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement in Namibia report for 2022, which said that large African predators, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyenas and brown hyenas, have created a unique dilemma…

Tuesday, 1 August 2023
Muyamba J 2023. Man nabbed  for possession of hippo carcass.

An adult male was on Friday arrested by the Namibian police after he was found to be transporting game meat (a hippopotamus carcass) at Katere village in the Ndiyona constituency, Kavango East region. The suspect is due to face charges of illegal transportation and possession of game meat.

Tuesday, 1 August 2023
Magubane P 2023. 231 rhinos killed in South Africa since January.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment says 231 rhinos have been killed thus far this year in South Africa. This figure is from 1 January to 30 June 2023.

Tuesday, 1 August 2023
2023. Kruger Park records 'steady decline' in rhino poaching.

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy briefs media regarding the Rhino situation in the parks of South Africa at SANPARKS head office in Pretori, 1 August 2023. The government said on Tuesday its world-famous Kruger park had witnessed a steady decline in rhino killings as better patrols and the onslaught it suffered in recent years pushed poachers elsewhere. The government said 42 of the park's rhinos were killed for their horns from January to June this year, almost half the numbers poached in…

Tuesday, 1 August 2023
Carnie T 2023. More than 60% of rhino killings now in KwaZulu-Natal as poachers shift from 'battered' Kruger Park.

Fifteen years after South Africa was hit by an unprecedented wave of rhino-horn poaching, the slaughter rate remains relentless - with one rhino shot almost every day in KwaZulu-Natal, the historic heartland of global rhino conservation. More than 60% of the rhinos killed in South Africa so far in 2023 drew their last breaths in KwaZulu-Natal as poachers continue to shift more of their deadly firepower and axes to the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, one of the world’s last strongholds of wild rhino conservation. Latest poaching …

Wednesday, 31 March 2021
2021. Bengo: 50-year-old man arrested for ivory trafficking and elephant slaughter.

The Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) detained a national citizen for allegedly slaughtering elephants and selling ivory, in the municipality of Dembos, Bengo province, the director of the institutional communication and press office of the SIC-general, informed the Novo Jornal. of criminal investigation Manuel Halaiwa.

Wednesday, 31 March 2021
Steynberg F 2021. Drie in hof oor horing in kattebak.

Drie vermeende renosterhoringsmokkelaars het Maandag in die landdroshof op Ondangwa verskyn en is borgtog geweier. Volgens die hoof van die Blue Rhino-taakspan, komm. Barry de Klerk, is een van die beskuldigdes, mnr. Pendapala Herman, op borgtog uit in die opspraakwekkende saak van die diefstal van 33 renosterhorings op Outjo. Die ander twee beskuldigdes, is konstabel Michael Muronga, wat verbonde is aan die misdaadvoorkomingseenheid van die Namibiese polisie op Otjiwarongo, en mnr. Alfons Tjukuru van die Oshanastreek.

Monday, 29 March 2021
Simasiku O 2021. Cop, pastor nabbed for possession of rhino horn.

An Otjiwarongo-based police constable and a pastor of the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church were arrested on Friday in Omuthiya after they were found in possession of a rhino horn. A third accomplice from Oshana region was also arrested. The trio was apprehended around 02h15 after the police received a tipoff from Otjiwarongo that the suspects were allegedly carrying prohibited contents.

Monday, 29 March 2021
Mzantsi S 2021. 40 SANParks employees sacked over rhino poaching.

Forty SANParks employees found guilty of being involved in rhino poaching have been dismissed, Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has revealed. She was responding to a Parliamentary question on whether any SANParks staff were involved in the poaching of rhino for their horns. "SANParks staff members have been involved in rhino poaching since 2009. In dealing with rhino poaching-related offences, SANParks runs a parallel process alongside the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)," said Creecy.

Friday, 26 March 2021
2021. 32 Ziegen binnen zwei Tagen geschlachtet.

Polizei fahndet bei Omaruru nach Viehdieben - Mutmaßliche Wilderer gestellt. Erneut treiben Viehdiebe und Wilderer in der Umgebung von Omaruru ihr Unwesen. Die Polizei konnte inzwischen einige mutmaßliche Täter festnehmen, dennoch wird die Öffentlichkeit aufgerufen, jegliche Hinweise zu melden.

Friday, 26 March 2021
Nyika L 2021. Villager arrested over elephant tusks.

A 23-year-old villager from Sikabela on the outskirts of Victoria Falls town has been arrested after being found with two elephant tusks. Police and ZimParks rangers trapped Fredrick Ndlovu after getting a tip-off that he was selling the ivory at Lupinyu Business Centre near the Victoria Falls Airport.

Thursday, 25 March 2021
Amanyisa Z 2021. Killers of lions wanted body parts for sale – officials.

Last week, six lions were found dead and dissected in a suspected poisoning incident in the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Kanungu District, southwestern Uganda. The lions were discovered with their heads and appendages chopped off, and their carcasses were surrounded by dead vultures, which raised suspicion that they had been poisoned. Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said it could not rule out illegal wildlife trafficking.

Tuesday, 23 March 2021
2021. Babi denied bail again.

Prophet Jackson Babi has yet again been denied bail in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court, because of fear he might again interfere with investigations, as he faces a bribery charge in addition to the poaching charges he was initially arraigned on. In the bribery case, Babi is accused of attempting to bribe a police officer with N$13 000.

Tuesday, 23 March 2021
Amakali M 2021. Preacher denied bail.

Self-proclaimed prophet and founder of the House of Joy Ministries Jackson Babi was denied bail by the Windhoek Magistrate's Court on Friday. "The applicant was capable of interfering with state witnesses while still behind bars and there is no determination of what he could do should he be released on bail," said magistrate Linus Samunzala.

Tuesday, 23 March 2021
Sadike M 2021. Kruger National Park rangers say courts not taking rhino poaching seriously.

Kruger National Park section rangers have expressed concern at the courts taking too long to convict alleged rhino poachers arrested in the facility, despite evidence. Speaking to the Pretoria News, Karen Keet, the head ranger at the Phalaborwa gate, and Andrew Desmet, who heads the Letaba section within the Kruger National Park, said they often arrested poachers. However, they never get convicted because of laxity within the judiciary system. The two claimed the system seldom took the matter seriously.

Tuesday, 23 March 2021
2021. Team work results in arrest of two rhino poaching suspects.

Tragically another white rhino cow and her calf were killed in South Africa over the weekend for their horns, but fortunately two rhino poaching suspects have been caught thanks to an incredible amount of team work.

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