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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 72
Saturday, 30 July 2022
Chikoti M 2022. Man nabbed for possessing ivory.

Police in Mangochi have arrested a 50-year old man for possession of nine pieces of ivory.

Thursday, 28 July 2022
2022. Snare kills mother zebra and foal at Bisley Nature Reserve.

A zebra and its foal have been found dead, caught in the grip of a snare in the Bisley Nature Reserve.

Thursday, 28 July 2022
Muchiri C 2022. Zim anti-poaching unit receives award.

"This award to the ranger team has come despite operating in the face of adversity, with the results of a positive growth population of rhino." "Under the protection of ATS, the rhino population in Save Valley Conservancy has seen a biological growth rate of 7%, this is above the 5% IUCN recommendation for game reserves protecting rhino, and maintained a poaching mortality rate of below 2%, also IUCN recommended," the WCPA statement read.

Tuesday, 26 July 2022
Hattingh E 2022. Honderde duisende se vee, wild gestroop.

Boere het gister by die landdroshof op Karibib saamgekom om te probeer verhoed dat borgtog aan vermeende vee- en wildstropers toegestaan word. Dit volg nadat daar in die week tussen volmaan en 21 Julie beeste ter waarde van N$135 000, gemsbokke van N$60 000 en sebras van N$9 000 in die omgewing van Otjiwarongo, Karibib en Omaruru gesteel is. 

Tuesday, 26 July 2022
Reiter C 2022. Wilderei nimmt kein Ende.

Am gestrigen Montag versammelten sich Farmer vor dem Magistratsgericht von Karibib, um zu verhindern, dass mutmaßliche Wilderer auf Kaution freigelassen werden. Dies geschah, nachdem in der Woche zwischen Vollmond und dem 21. Juli in der Gegend von Otjiwarongo, Karibib und Omaruru Rinder im Wert von 135 000 N$, Gemsböcke im Wert von 60 000 N$ und Zebras im Wert von 9 000 N$ gestohlen worden waren. Darüber hinaus mussten die Farmer rund 22 000 N$ für Treibstoff, Wachen und Anti-Wilderer-Einheiten bezahlen.

Friday, 22 July 2022
Twahirwa A 2022. East African countries seek cross-border cooperation to combat wildlife trafficking.

Kigali: For many years, East African countries were considered wildlife trafficking hotspots. Now conservation organisations have started to mobilise all stakeholders to combat the illegal trade that targets animals – some to the edge of extinction.

Friday, 22 July 2022
2022. Nigeria: Three foreigners Aarraigned over pangolin, tusk smuggling.

The Nigeria Customs Services (NCS) yesterday brought seven men before the Federal High Court in Lagos for alleged illegal possession dealing, assembling, storing, smuggling and trading in pangolin skin and elephant's ivory.

Thursday, 21 July 2022
2022. Zimbabwean, foreigner nabbed over elephant tusks.

Two men have been arrested in Bulawayo after they were found in possession of 20,5 kilogrammes of elephant tusks.

Wednesday, 20 July 2022
2022. Environment Ministry continues to combat illegal harvesting of protected plants and trees.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT) recently announced the confiscation of 75 wood planks that are believed to have been illegally harvested in the Kavango region area after a tip-off from the public, an official said this week. All harvesting of trees and wood, anywhere in Namibia, is governed by the Forest Act and its Regulations. "The planks are believed to have been illegally harvested from farms that are in Ncamagoro in the Kavango West Region," MEFT spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda said in a statement.

Wednesday, 20 July 2022
Smit E 2022. Two arrested for possession of protected plants.

A Namibian and a Chinese national were arrested in Okahandja on Saturday after they were found in possession of 27 protected plant species. The confiscated items included four Elephant's foot plants, 15 Cyphostemma, eight Commiphora, in addition to five plastic bags containing Welwitchia seeds and 12 bags filled with a variety of unidentified seeds. The suspects were arrested after ministry officials followed up on video footage they had obtained, showing two persons collecting the protected plants, reportedly around Usakos.

Wednesday, 20 July 2022
Naidoo D 2022. LOOK: Smugglers jailed for trading nearly one tonne of pangolin scales.

Last week, the People's Court of Hanoi, Vietnam, sentenced three women and one man to a collective 18 years imprisonment for the illegal transportation and trade of 984kg of pangolin scales, one of the largest cases of wildlife trading investigated in Vietnam's history.

Wednesday, 20 July 2022
2022. Two dealers get five years sentence for illegal possession of Government trophy.

Facts before court were that on 1 April 2022 the duo whilst acting together possessed a prescribed trophy namely elephant ivory weighing 25 KG and valued at K 90,467 without a certificate of ownership issued by the Director General the Zambia Wildlife Authority.

Monday, 18 July 2022
Reiter C 2022. Im Besitz von drei Elefantenstosszähnen - Verdächtiger verhaftet.

In einer weiteren gemeinsamen Operation von Beamten des Umweltministeriums, Spezialkräften und der Abteilung für geschützte Ressourcen der namibischen Polizei, wurde ein Verdächtiger in der Sambesi-Region festgenommen, nachdem er im Besitz von drei Elefantenstoßzähnen angetroffen wurde. Er bot die Stoßzähne einem verdeckten Ermittler zum Verkauf an. Der 33 Jahre alte Verdächtige wurde am 14. Juli in Katima Mulilo verhaftet. Die drei Elefantenstoßzähne waren laut des Berichts des Umweltministeriums in 13 Stücke geschnitten.

Monday, 18 July 2022
Pillay Y 2022. Three suspects arrested for poaching at Tala Game Reserve.

Three suspects were arrested for poaching at Tala Game Reserve, outside Pietermaritzburg, after police and a private security company responded to the scene. The three suspects were found with a waterbuck carcass on Saturday.

Monday, 18 July 2022
David M 2022. Two arrested for protected plant species.

Two men were on Saturday arrested after being found in possession of protected plant species at Okahandja.
The duo, a Namibian and Chinese national were found with four Adenia pechuelii (elephant foot) plants; 15xCyphostema plants; eight Commphoras plants; five plastics containing Welwitschia seeds and 12x plastics with differentunidentified seeds. Ministry of Environment spokesperson Romeo Muyunda stated that this came after Ministry officials followed up on avideo in which the two suspects were seen collecting protected plants reportedly in the area of Usakos.

Saturday, 16 July 2022
Wagiet R 2022. Plant poachers arrested for illegally harvesting indigenous plants in Cape Town.

Field rangers at the Tygerberg Nature Reserve managed to apprehend poachers who were illegally removing bulbs and indigenous plants from one of the hiking trails. On Tuesday, 12 July 2022, the Tygerberg Nature Reserve staff were alerted by a visitor to three individuals who seemed to be removing plants from one of the hiking trails.

Sunday, 10 July 2022
2022. A Meerkat that prevents poaching in the Kruger Park.

South Africa, with its abundant wildlife, suffers from a scourge of poaching that has become a significant challenge in the country's national parks. In particular, the poaching of rhinos for their horns has increased dramatically since 2014, so SA National Parks (SANParks) sought out a system that could enable it to successfully counter this: one that could detect movement - specifically of people - in protected areas.

Sunday, 10 July 2022
2022. Rhino poacher nabbed near Gravelotte.

The man, who was arrested on Friday (July 8), will face charges of rhino poaching, the possession of rhino horns and the illegal possession of a firearm. Police spokesperson Motlafela Mojapelo explained in a statement that the man is one of three men suspected of rhino poaching near Gravelotte.

Saturday, 9 July 2022
2022. Eleven suspected Etosha poachers behind bars.

The environment ministry today released a statement confirming the arrest of 11 suspected poachers during the course of four law enforcement operations undertaken close to the world renowned Etosha National Park since June. Environment ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda today said the arrests, and confiscation of vehicles, cash and weapons, were the result of joint law and intelligence operations, following the discovery of 11 rhino carcasses at Etosha in June. The rhinos were all killed during poaching incidents.

Saturday, 9 July 2022
Pieterse C 2022. Four Kruger rhinos killed, three dehorned.

Three men who had allegedly poached the four rhinos and were able to dehorn three of them, appeared in the Bushbuckridge Magistrate's Court on Monday July 4.

Friday, 8 July 2022
2022. Uganda's special court clamps down on wildlife crime.

A special court established in Uganda, called the Standards, Utilities and Wildlife Court, was "critical to the country's economic development", then Chief Justice Bart Katureebe noted at its launch in 2017. "Access to justice in this area has the capacity to promote investment in critical areas of the economy, protection of the environment, public health and ethical trade practices," he said. Between July 2020 and June 2021, the court handled 468 wildlife crime cases.

Wednesday, 6 July 2022
Nakale A 2022. Poaching rife around farm Uitkoms.

Uitkoms - As the population of Farm Uitkoms grows, crimes and social ills such as poaching, stock theft and drug and alcohol abuse are skyrocketing. Farm Uitkoms, housing mainly marginalised Namibians some 160km north-east of Okahandja, is seen as the epitome of self-sustainability in terms of government resettlement efforts. In 2008, retired veteran politician Dr Libertina Amathila, who at the time held the portfolio of Deputy Prime Minister, vigorously spearheaded a campaign that saw the marginalised San community resettled at this farm.

Sunday, 3 July 2022
2022. Three alleged poachers arrested in the Kruger National Park.

Three alleged poachers were arrested in the Kruger National Park after allegedly killing four rhinos on Friday July 1.

Sunday, 3 July 2022
2022. Tourist helps nab alleged rhino poachers in the Kruger National Park.

A tourist who heard gunshots in the Kruger National Park helped rangers arrest three suspected poachers after they allegedly killed and dehorned rhinos.

Sunday, 3 July 2022
2022. Tanzania warns poachers to stop malpractice.

Tanzanian wildlife authorities on Saturday warned poachers to stop the malpractice before they faced the full force of the law.

Friday, 1 July 2022
Mushaukwa A 2022. Minister warns conservancy members against poaching.

The Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, has called on members of conservancies to refrain from poaching and misuse of funds. Furthermore, he stated the ministry has unearthed a possible syndicate of poaching, involving conservancy members.

Monday, 31 May 2021
2021. Kruger Park elephant poachers jailed by Limpopo court.

The National Prosecuting Authority has welcomed the sentences handed to two Mozambique nationals found guilty for poaching related offences by the Malamulele Regional Court. Enock Sibanda(31) and Eckson Shirinda (28) were arrested by Kruger National Park rangers on 14 November 2018 and were each sentenced to eight year’s imprisonment, said Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, the Regional Spokesperson of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Limpopo.

Sunday, 30 May 2021
2021. Elephant tusk seized from two suspected dealers at Gam.

A freshly removed elephant tusk was on Saturday night seized from two men who allegedly tried to sell it to an undercover police officer at Gam settlement in the Tsumkwe Constituency.

Friday, 28 May 2021
Dembedza P 2021. Pair in court for possessing ivory.

Two Harare man have appeared in court after they were caught in possession of 22,88 kilogrammes of ivory worth $326 726 without a licence.

Thursday, 27 May 2021
Ocharo B 2021. Kenya: Nine Kenyan suspects linked to notorious Liberian ivory smuggler.

New evidence supplied by the US government links two Kenyans implicated in Sh570 million ivory smuggling to notorious Liberian poacher and ivory trafficker Moazu Kromar. Documents filed in a Mombasa court claim Kenyan businessman Abdulrahman Mahmoud Sheikh alias Said Juma Said and his son Sheikh Mahmoud Abdulrahman received instructions from Mr Kromar to facilitate ivory smuggling. The Liberian poacher was extradited to the US in 2019, where he is facing ivory-trafficking charges. Mr Mahmoud, his son and six other Kenyans are facing ivory smuggling charges in Mombasa.

Thursday, 27 May 2021
Smit E 2021. Four nabbed with pangolin skins.

In the first incident at Rundu, a Namibian was arrested on 6 May for possession of a pangolin skin. Mukunga Leonard Mwamba was charged with illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products. At Kamanjab on 7 May, an Angolan national was arrested in possession of a pangolin skin. He was charged with contravening the Controlled Wildlife and Trade Act, illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products. Lastly, two Namibians were arrested at Oshakati on 14 May for being in possession of a pangolin skin.

Thursday, 27 May 2021
Narrandes N 2021. Pangolin poacher slapped with maximum sentence.

It’s estimated that at least 38 pangolins were poached during the pandemic as people become more desperate to make money.

Wednesday, 26 May 2021
2021. Angola: Vietnamese national arrested with 20 kg of ivory.

The National Police in Huila arrested last weekend a Vietnamese national suspected of trafficking ivory, having been caught with 20 kilograms of the prohibited trade product. He was arrested at the Chibemba police post, in Gambos municipality, when he was trying to cross the border post and enter Huila province, from Cunene where he works.

Wednesday, 26 May 2021
Koen D 2021. Four arrested for perlemoen poaching near Port Alfred.

Four men were arrested after allegedly being found in possession of perlemoen and diving equipment near Port Alfred on Tuesday. An off-duty Port Alfred police officer apprehended four men after allegedly catching them with about R13,000 worth of perlemoen. Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said the officer, based at a unit in Port Alfred, received information about possible perlemoen poachers in the Kasouga area.

Wednesday, 26 May 2021
2021. Midrand pangolin poaching case delayed.

Olivia the pangolin's alleged poachers will have to remain behind bars until June after their case was postponed.The pangolin pulled through the weekend and was in a stable condition after being rescued from three alleged poachers at a Shell garage on the N1 road in Midrand last Friday.

Tuesday, 25 May 2021
Tshuma N 2021. Abalone poacher fined R50 000 for R2.4 million haul.

Cape Town - The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has joined the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in welcoming the sentencing of a 49-year-old man for the illegal possession and transportation of abalone valued at R2.4 million. Moegamat Amien Fakier was sentenced to a fine of R50 000 or two years' imprisonment when he appeared in the Khayelitsha Priority Court on Thursday last week.

Tuesday, 25 May 2021
Comins L 2021. Rhino Poaching Files: Poacher gets 25 years in jail.

The Skukuza Regional Court has handed down a stiff sentence to a 34- year-old man from Mozambique who was recently convicted of several poaching related crimes including the illegal hunting and killing of rhino.

Monday, 24 May 2021
Steffen F 2021. Rhino cows poached at Ghaub.

A game farm in the Otavi area is offering a reward of N$50 000 for information that would lead to the arrest of the poachers who killed two nursing white rhino cows last weekend. Both rhinos had young calves. One calf was found, but another remains missing. Only one of the carcasses was dehorned. The other rhino escaped from the criminals, but died of her wounds in the bush.

Saturday, 22 May 2021
Terblanché N 2021. Big reward offered for the arrest of poachers.

The brutal slaughter of two rhinos on Farm Ghaub in the area of Tsumeb in the past week not only left a huge void in the hearts and lives of their minders but also sabotaged job opportunities for people in the tourism industry of Namibia. The owners of Farm Ghaub decided to offer a reward of N$50 000 for information that would lead to the arrest and successful prosecution of the people responsible for the slaughter of Zanna and another rhino cow.

Saturday, 22 May 2021
Nemakonde V 2021. SANParks takes legal action over 'sensationalised' reports of dead rhino.

While it was initially thought that the Rhino may have been shot, the post mortem team established that the rhino died of natural causes (fighting).

Friday, 21 May 2021
Smit E 2021. Four nabbed with pangolin skins.

Within a period of two weeks there have been three wildlife crime cases recorded and four suspects have been arrested and charged. These cases were reported from 3 to 16 May, according to information provided by the intelligence and investigation unit within the environment ministry and the protected resources unit within the safety and security ministry. In the first incident at Rundu, a Namibian was arrested on 6 May for possession of a pangolin skin. Mukunga Leonard Mwamba was charged with illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products.

Friday, 21 May 2021
2021. Goodbye, Zanna.

Trauma and feelings of utter loss were laid bare by the owner of a white rhino cow that was brutally slaughtered by poachers. Joachim Rust of Farm Ghaub gives a heart-rendering eyewitness account of what he had to go through when he discovered the dead rhino on his property.

Friday, 21 May 2021
Steffen F 2021. Nashörner auf Ghaub gewildert.

Ein Gastbetrieb im Otavi-Dreieck beklagt den Verlust von zwei Breitmaulnashörnern, die am vergangenen Wochenende Wilderern zum Opfer fielen. In beiden Fällen waren es Kühe, die junge Kälber mit sich führten - eines wurde gefunden, doch ein weiteres bleibt verschollen. Nur eines der Tiere wurde enthornt. Das andere entkam zwar den Verbrechern, verendete dann aber qualvoll im Busch in Folge einer Bauchverletzung.

Friday, 21 May 2021
Steffen F 2021. Renosters gestroop, kalfie soek.

'n Renosterkalfie is steeds soek nadat haar ma, wat met die hand grootgemaak is, en nóg ‘n witrenoster die afgelope naweek op ‘n gasteplaas gestroop is. ‘n Hartseer mnr. Joachim Rust van Ghaub Nature Reserve and Farm het gister vertel hoe hulle die tweejarige Zanna in 2014 as 'n kalfie gered en met ‘n melkbottel moes grootmaak. Zanna se ma het ná swaar reën in diep modder op ‘n plaas naby Waterberg vasgeval en is van uitputting dood. Zanna se karkas is Sondag in die veld gevind. Sy is geskiet en onthoring. Haar kalfie van 18 maande kon nie opgespoor word nie.

Friday, 21 May 2021
Coetzer M 2021. PICS: Alleged poachers caught trying to sell pangolin in Midrand.

Three alleged pangolin poachers were bust red-handed and arrested when they tried to sell an animal to a "potential client" at a Shell garage on the N1 in Midrand on Friday. Olivia was the seventh pangolin rescued this year from poachers.

Friday, 21 May 2021
2021. SANParks criticised after tourists find employee, man harvesting black rhino horn.

A gruesome discovery by a group of tourists on a night-drive in Kruger National Park earlier this month has raised questions about how a rhino died. The tourists spotted a man emerging from bushes holding a horn dripping with blood, chopped from a critically-endangered Black rhino carcass, just 15m away. He and another man, dressed in what appeared to be a uniform, have subsequently been confirmed by SANParks to be employed by the park.

Thursday, 20 May 2021
2021. Six arrested for possession of abalone in Eastern Cape.

Police spokesperson says police closely monitored the suspects' vehicle and followed them to a house in Malema village, were they found diving equipment and three bags with 320 abalone with the street value of R18 000. Six people have been arrested for allegedly being in possession of abalone at St Francis Bay in the Eastern Cape. This follows a tip-off to the police about suspected poachers.

Thursday, 20 May 2021
Tshuma N 2021. Collectors drive a spike in theft of indigenous plants in the Western Cape.

Cape Town - CapeNature says it has noted a worrying spike in the theft of indigenous plants in the province. It said it has begun to notice that crimes relating to the theft of endangered indigenous plants in the province had begun to steadily increase, even under strict Covid-19 restrictions. CapeNature spokesperson Petro van Rhyn said while there were several reasons why the illegal trade had picked up recently, the most notable reasons pointed to the huge demand by plant collectors to own the naturally occurring plants, native to South Africa and…

Wednesday, 19 May 2021
Ndeyanale E 2021. Man detained for wildlife crimes dies.

Paulus Pendapala (48), who has been arrested in connection with the possession of a rhino horn with a pastor and a police officer, has died. His death on Saturday came two weeks after he was denied bail in the Ondangwa Magistrate's Court on the basis that he was facing charges of dealing in wildlife products. According to acting Oshikoto regional commander commissioner Petrus Shigwedha, Paulus complained that he was not feeling well at about 11h00 on Saturday.

Tuesday, 18 May 2021
2021. DR Congo - Chinese man in possession of ivory arrested at Kinshasa airport.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a Chinese national was apprehended at N’djili airport in Kinshasa in possession of ivory. As he was preparing to leave Congolese territory on a flight, a Chinese national named Huang was arrested after the discovery of a large quantity of ivory concealed in a milk box.

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