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Durban - A Good Samaritan came to the rescue of a poached duiker when he confiscated the animal from its poacher. The Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (Crow) reported that on Sunday it received a call from a concerned member of the public from Hammarsdale, who informed them that he had confiscated a male grey duiker as it was a victim of poaching.

Durban - A Randfontein homeowner who was charged with illegally keeping three lions on his property could face jail time or a fine of up to R10 million. The NSPCA said they been contacted by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) regarding the illegal possession and captivity of three lions at a property in Randfontein. Keshvi Nair, NSPCA public relations officer, said they and Randwest SPCA carried out an inspection at the property on March 22. A joint operation between the NSPCA, Randwest SPCA, Isindile Big Cat and Predator…

Oshana police commissioner Naftal Sakaria says armed poachers found in the Etosha National Park should surrender to the police or they will be shot. Police inspector general Joseph Shikongo last week appointed Sakaria as the commander of the anti-poaching unit in Etosha National Park for a period of six months. While in this position, he will also remain the Oshana regional commander. Sakaria is tasked with commanding the police and military forces deployed in the flagship park to protect animals, especially iconic animals such elephants and rhinos, from being poached.

Commissioner Naftal Lungameni Sakaria, the Oshana Regional Police Commander, was recently named the Gold Commander for the Etosha National Park Anti-poaching Safety and Security squad. Sakaria was named on March 23 and will, for the next six months, be in charge of directing the joint Nampol/NDF operational work in the Etosha National Park. He said that he will concurrently be in charge of the Oshana Region and also the anti-poaching operations in Etosha. "I have already been to Etosha, rotated the personnel and properly briefed them," he said.

Two Bulawayo men have been arrested for allegedly possessing ivory with a market value of over US$2 000.

Protection of the rich, floral, fauna and archaeological resources of the Old Oyo National Park would be continually pursued in order to make it a masterpiece among other national parks in the country. It is against this backdrop that illegal activities of hunting, fishing, mining and cattle grazing identified as a menace, are currently being tackled headlong by the park authorities. The Conservator of Park, CP, Old Oyo National Park, Mr. Teslim Adeniyi - Kareem made this known while parading seven suspects recently arrested for various poaching activities in the park.

Akashinga rangers, domiciled in Zimbabwe's Zambezi Valley have recovered 24 pangolins and 118 elephant tusks from raids on poachers since last year in Mashonaland West.

Angola's Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) in Bengo Province bordering the capital city Luanda, detained two poachers for killing an elephant in the municipality of Pango Aluquém. The detention took place this Monday due to complaints from people who saw the accused consuming and selling meat from the great mammal. The two, José Sebastião and Malambo Castro, aged 28 and 30, respectively, countered the accusations by saying that they found the animal already dead and that they only enjoyed the meat and ivory in the company of other people from their community.

Cape Town - Four men from Milnerton pleaded guilty and were sentenced following their arrest for the possession of abalone valued at more than R4.8 million.

An intelligence-driven operation earlier this week led to the arrest in the Oshikoto Region of two residents of Windhoek who stand accused of trading in controlled wildlife products. According to a report about the arrest, provided by the commander of the Namibian Police in Oshikoto Region, Commissioner Teopoline Kalompo-Nashikaku, information received by investigators suggested that the two suspects were on their way to the south after completing a transaction where they were seen selling a pangolin skin.

Police arrested 26-year-old man on the N6 Road with 16 refuse bags filled with abalone.

Two people were detained Wednesday after they were found in possession of a skin of a pangolin which is a protected species. The two were apprehended at a temporary roadblock on the Omuthiya-Ondangwa main road. They are both from Windhoek. According to the regional commander of the police in Oshikoto, Commissioner Teopolina Kalompo-Nashikaku, the skin is valued N$50 000.

O Serviço de Investigação Criminal deteve um caçador furtivo que se tinha instalado no Parque Nacional da Quissama e abatia animais como elefantes e gazelas, que depois comercializava no mercado informal da Mutamba, em Luanda.

Luanda: SIC detains poachers who settled in the Quissama National Park and lived off the sale of the animals they slaughtered The Criminal Investigation Service detained a poacher who had settled in the Quissama National Park and killed animals such as elephants and gazelles, which he then sold at the informal market of Mutamba, in Luanda.

Nearly three years ago, North West District Council Chairman, Kebareeditse Ntsogotho was badly injured during an encounter with a buffalo just outside his home village, Khwai. Last week he, along with six other men from his village- including Deputy Chairman of Khwai Development Trust, Paul Mothathobi were summoned before Maun magistrates court charged with poaching.

The Wilderness Foundation has offered a reward in an effort to put the brakes on the recent spate of rhino poaching in the Eastern Cape.

Vietnamese authorities on Monday seized seven tonnes of ivory smuggled from Angola, the largest seizure of wildlife products in years, the government said.

A new report from the European Union-funded international crime response group, Enact, says organized crime groups from South Africa and China - in collaboration with corrupt wildlife officials - are "decimating" big game animals in one of the world's premier game reserves. 

Pretoria - A woman involved in rhino poaching in the Kruger National Park was on Friday jailed for 16 years by the Skukuza Regional Court.

The latest reports from national governments and agencies reveal (so far) that approximately 548 rhinos were poached in Africa last year. Overall, the total is a slight increase compared to 2021, when 539 rhinos were poached. This is a significant change from 2013 - 2017, when more than 1,000 rhinos were killed each year, yet it’s still dangerously high. On average, one rhino is still poached every 16 hours. Most of the rhinos poached last year were killed in Namibia and South Africa. In both countries, poachers have shifted their focus to new places.

Zwei Männer wurden gestern gegen 09:00 Uhr in der Region Dordabis festgenommen, nachdem sie auf einer Farm zwei Spitzmaulnashörner, eine Kuh und ein Kalb, gewildert haben sollen. Die Verdächtigen waren im Besitz eines Jagdgewehrs und von 15 Kugeln, von denen drei bereits verwendet worden waren. Außerdem wurden zwei Nashornhörner gefunden. Die Nashörner haben einen Wert von jeweils rund 500 000 N$. Die Männer wurden wegen verschiedener Vergehen angeklagt, unter anderem wegen der Jagd auf geschützte Wildtiere und des Besitzes von nicht zugelassenen Waffen.

Twee mans is gister omstreeks 09:00 in die Dordabis-omgewing in hegtenis geneem nadat hulle glo twee swartrenosters, ‘n koei en ‘n kalf, op ‘n plaas doodgeskiet het. Die verdagtes het ‘n jaggeweer in hul besit gehad, asook 15 koeëls, waarvan drie reeds gebruik is. Twee renosterhorings is ook gevind. Die waarde van die renosters is sowat N$500 000 per renoster. Die mans is aangekla vir verskeie oortredings, insluitende vir die jag van beskermde wild en omdat hulle in besit was van ongelisensieërde wapens. Die polisie se ondersoek duur voort.

Two men were arrested yesterday around 09:00 in the Dordabis area after they allegedly poached two black rhinos, a cow and a calf, on a farm. The suspects had a hunting rifle in their possession, as well as 15 bullets, of which three had already been used. Two rhino horns were also found. The rhinos are valued at around N$500 000 each. The men were charged with various offences, including hunting protected wildlife and being in possession of unlicensed weapons. Police investigations continue.

The Namibian Police have arrested two men, aged 47 and 27, who allegedly shot and killed two black rhinos (a cow and a calf) on a farm in the Dordabis area, Khomas Region. According to Chief Inspector Elifas Kuwinga, spokesperson of the Namibian Police, the incident happened on Thursday, 16 March 2023, at about 09:00. It is alleged that the two suspects shot and killed two rhinos and were also found with a 375-calibre firearm, with 13 live cartridges and three spent cartridges. The rhinos are worth N$500 000 each. Two rhino horns were also found at the scene.

The High Court in Polokwane has convicted and sentenced 36- year-old Bethuel Mdubane to 24 years effective imprisonment for an assortment of crimes including murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, and hunting and shooting two rhinos. Additionally, Mdubane was also sentenced for unlawful possession of stolen car, two counts of possession of ammunition, and three counts of unlawful possession of prohibited firearms.

A man was arrested for keeping lions on a plot in Dennydale Agricultural Holdings. Police arrested a 43-year-old man after he was found in possession of three lions, without a valid permit, on a plot in Dennydale Agricultural Holdings. Randfontein police spokesperson Sergeant Carmen Hendricks said police officers were acting on a tip-off when they made the arrests.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism yesterday said they responded to a report about a Hippo that was found dead in the Muyako area, in a purported poaching incident. The Ministry's Spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said that upon close inspection by staff members, it was found that the hippo had a bullet wound, adding that it was poached the previous night. "When the team arrived, community members had already gathered in anticipation for the meat distribution exercise.

Three suspected poachers have been detained by Tanzanian police after they were found in possession of six elephant tusks in the country's northern region of Manyara, police said on Saturday.

Police has arrested three men for illegal possession of seven leopard skins in Victoria Falls.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has launched an investigation into the poaching of two hippos in the Muyako area of the Zambezi region. This comes after the carcass of a hippo was on Sunday found by community members, who then alerted ministry officials Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda on Monday said it is suspected that the hippo died as a result of a bullet wound, and that it was shot on Saturday night. He said this was the second hippo killed in the same way in the area this year, with the first incident reported in February.

Last week, the South African Police Service in Piet Retief achieved a commendable result by arresting a 27-year-old man in possession of two rhino horns. The arrest came after members of the public brought information about the suspect’s alleged dealings to the attention of the police. Upon searching his vehicle, the police found two rhino horns hidden inside the bonnet and wrapped with black plastic. The fact that the local community is speaking out against wildlife crime is also a positive development.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

'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.

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.

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.