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Three members of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) were apprehended on Friday, within the confines of Mangetti National Park. The arrests followed after park officials saw the perpetrators climbing over a fence during a routine anti-poaching patrol and fence inspection. The three soldiers were arrested while attempting to claim over the Mangetti Park’s boundary fence into the Mururani location, bearing bags laden with dried game meat ranging from Eland, Kudu and Wildebeest.

In kamoefleerdrag, swart stewels en ’n semi-outomatiese wapen in sy holster, is Marcus Jacobs soggens reg vir aksie. Wat dalk na ’n militêre operasie klink, is in werklikheid die daaglikse roetine van ’n man met ’n missie: die beskerming van bedreigde wild teen stropers. Jacobs is die hoofbestuurder van Namibia Wildlife Protection (NWP), ’n private sekuriteitsmaatskappy wat bedreigde wildspesies in Namibië teen stropers beskerm. Dit sluit in "hoë teikenspesies" soos renosters en olifante. "Ons kan nie meer ons kosbare spesies sonder wapens beskerm nie.

A major shipment of 651 pieces of elephant ivory has been seized in Mozambique en route to Dubai. Officials from Mozambique's Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) and the Tax Authority intercepted a container at Maputo port on 22 March 2024 and found the ivory concealed in a shipment of bags of corn. This is the third known large-scale seizure of elephant ivory exported from Mozambique since 2022.

In a recent incident in Katombora, Middle Zambezi Valley, two suspected poachers met a fatal end after engaging in a firefight with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife (Zimparks) rangers. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of the poachers, while three others were apprehended. The rangers acted swiftly to protect wildlife and recovered 15 elephant tusks, along with a rifle and ammunition.

A handful of hunting guides have been arrested in various parts of the country over the past few months, each charged with separate illegal activities related to leopard hunting. The ministry is working very closely with the police and has decided that if the industry cannot rid itself of illicit practices, then rigorous law enforcement is the only option.

Drie mans is die afgelope naweek in hegtenis geneem nadat hulle met beskermde plantspesies van ongeveer N$80 000 in die Kavango-Wesstreek betrap is. "Die drie verdagtes van onderskeidelik 27, 30 en 37 jaar oud, is Vrydag by die Namasira-polisiekontrolepunt gearresteer nadat hulle met 7 x 150 kg-sakke Cyphostemma, met 'n gewig van sowat 429 kg en ter waarde van N$79 288, betrap is," lui die Namibiese polisie se misdaadverslag. Volgens die verslag het die verdagtes nie 'n permit gehad wat hulle goedkeuring verleen het om die spesifieke beskermde plantspesies te oes of te vervoer…

Three Namibians were nabbed last week after they were caught in possession of close to 450 kilograms of protected plants, estimated to be worth nearly N$80 000. According to the Namibian Police, the three men - aged 27, 30 and 37 - were caught at the Namasira police checkpoint in the Kavango West Region last Friday. Police discovered the men were transporting seven 150-kilogram bags containing 176 gouty-vine (cyphostemma) plants weighing, 429 kilograms in total. The pants were valued at N$79 288.

In Namibia werden vermehrt Leoparden auf inakzeptable Weise gejagt. Jagdpraktiken, die der Tierquälerei nahekommen und nichts mehr mit naturschutzorientierter Jagd im Einklang mit der Natur zu tun haben, fassen in der Branche zunehmend Fuß - dem muss ein Ende gesetzt werden. In Namibia, leopards are increasingly being hunted in unacceptable ways. Hunting practices that come close to animal cruelty and no longer have anything to do with conservation-oriented hunting in harmony with nature are increasingly gaining a foothold in the industry - this must be put to an end.

A Nairobi court has frozen ownership of a Mercedes Benz and a block of residential flats built on prime land within Allsops area in Ruaraka belonging to televangelist and businessman Jackson Mbugua Burugu. This is in connection with a case of poaching that is pending in court. Lady Justice Diana Kavedza of the Nairobi Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Division issued the freezing order following a suit filed by the Asset Recovery Agency. Burugu is a prominent Nairobi-based televangelist who is commonly referred to as 'Bishop'.

South Africa's Succulent Karoo is home to flora that occur nowhere else on earth. But a rapidly escalating onslaught by criminal networks threatens many of these rare species. This webinar will showcase insights from a new ENACT report that explores the illegal market for ornamental succulents, focusing on South Africa’s multistakeholder efforts to counter the trade. Speakers will highlight key challenges and opportunities, and put forward recommendations to improve responses.

Between 2015 and February 2024, Namibia lost a staggering 631 rhinos due to poaching, marking a concerning downturn in its conservation success. This is according to statistics provided by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism last week during the Commemoration of World Wildlife Day 2024. Breaking down the figures year by year, statistics paint a grim picture of 97 rhinos poached in 2015 alone, with six reported to be poached in 2016 and five poached in 2017.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism has sounded the alarm on the rapid decline of wildlife habitats due to deforestation and industrial emissions, exacerbating the impacts of climate change and hindering efforts to sustainably manage natural resources. In a statement released over the weekend to mark World Wildlife Day, Romeo Muyunda, spokesperson for the ministry, highlighted the urgent need to confront the challenges confronting local wildlife.

Windhoek, March 04-Namibia boasts a healthy population of wildlife species, and its conservation efforts are held in high regard globally. However, recent poaching statistics reveal a troubling trend, with the country losing a total of 631 rhinos over the past decade. According to Romeo Muyunda, spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Namibia recorded 97 rhino poachings in 2015, 66 in 2016, 55 in 2017, 84 in 2018, 61 in 2019, 48 in 2020, 53 in 2021, 92 in 2022, 67 in 2023, and 8 in 2024 to date.

Namibia's Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said Saturday that rapid deforestation and industrial emissions in the country are causing habitat loss for rare and endangered wildlife, exacerbating climate change impacts such as droughts and floods, and hindering efforts to sustainably manage natural resources for future generations. In a statement commemorating World Wildlife Day, Romeo Muyunda, the ministry's spokesperson, underscored the critical need to address the challenges facing Namibia's wildlife.

The judge sentenced Nguyen to 3 months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to two counts charge preferred against him by the NCS. The convict was brought before the court on charges of acting in contravention of Nigeria Customs and Excise Management Act and unlawful possession of Pangolin scales, a specimen specified in the First Schedule to the Endangered Species Act.

SANParks says the proliferation of wire snares in the Lowveld is linked to criminal networks.

China ranked as the top market for rhino horns over the past decade, but the country has taken steps to crack down on smugglers, according to a report from the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), a non-profit foundation based in The Hague. From 2012 to 2021, nearly 9,600 rhinos were poached from across Africa and 7.5 tonnes (8.3 tons) of illegal horns were seized globally, the WJC said, citing its analysis of more than 670 seizures. According to the report released on Thursday, "the demand for rhino horns as a criminal commodity shows no signs of abating".

Otamanzi constituency councilor, Johaness Iyambo has warned residents of his constituency to desist from hunting stray Game animals which has found way into their communal land as they search for water. This comes after a two-week open hunting season, for residents in the Otamanzi Constituency which borders the Etosha National Park to the East, where residents have been feasting on the stray animals.

A carcass of a white bull rhino was discovered on the October 20 at a private farm in the Windhoek district. It is believed the rhino was poached between the October 16 and 20. According to a police report, investigations were carried out at the scene of the crime to which, "bullet fragments from the animal indicate the animal was killed for its horn," the police report reads. In a similar report a case of hunting of specially protected game has been opened at the Seeis police station in the Windhoek district.

Poachers recently killed and de-horned a black rhinoceros at Chipinge Safari Camp. ZRP spokesperson in Manicaland Province, Inspector Nobert Muzondo, confirmed the incident to The Manica Post saying the decomposing carcass of the black rhinoceros was found on 12 October. He said: Poachers sneaked into Chipinge Safari Camp armed with unknown rifles. They proceeded to one of the water points along the Chidimayi River on the safari where they shot and killed a black rhinoceros.

Sixty rhinos have been poached this year, far exceeding the total of 44 rhinos that were killed for their horns last year and the 42 in 2020. In the latest poaching incidents, two white rhinos were poached on a private farm near Seeis in the Windhoek district between Friday and Monday at an unknown time. According to the police, the rhinos were shot and all their horns were removed. The value of the two rhinos is estimated at N$660 000.

Sestig renosters is vanjaar gestroop teenoor die 44 renosters verlede jaar en 42 in 2020. In die jongste stroperyvoorvalle is twee witrenosters tussen Vrydag en Maandag op 'n onbekende tyd op 'n private plaas naby Seeis in die Windhoek-distrik gestroop. Volgens die polisie is die renosters geskiet en hul horings is verwyder. Die waarde van die twee renosters word op N$660 000 geraam.

Rhino poaching is on the rise again in South Africa, feeding appetites in Asia and the Middle East, where rhino horns are often used in traditional medicines or as cultural artefacts. South African and Asian governments, as well as Interpol, have struggled for decades to curb this illicit global trade, where each horn can fetch tens of thousands of dollars. Now, animal conservationists are trying to save South Africa's rhinos by moving them out of threatened areas and into new habitats with strong security and strategic conservation methods.

The national prosecuting authority (NPA) has reinstated charges and re-enrolled an eight-year-old case against known rhino poacher Gideon (aka Deon) van Deventer, after it emerged the original case had been quashed and struck from the roll under dubious circumstances. The state’s 2014 Bronkhorstspruit firearms case against Van Deventer was re-opened in June this year after a whistle-blower tipped off law enforcement authorities and court officials about a miscarriage of justice that occurred at the Bronkorstspruit magistrate’s court on 24 July 2015.

Authorities are on the hunt for poachers after two carcasses of the endangered White Rhino were discovered on a farm near the Windhoek district. According to the police report, the two Rhinos' were poached between Friday 21 October 2022 and Monday 24 October 2022 at an unknown time at Farm Otjisauona. It is alleged that the suspects unlawfully and internationally hunted the complainant's white Rhinos by means of shooting and removing all the horns.

The use of social media has allowed smugglers of wildlife products to expand their network's reach using Rwanda as a transit route, experts say.

Police thwarted an illegal pangolin sale worth thousands in the east of Pretoria with the help of an environmental activist. Police spokesperson Yeroboam Mbantsane said the environmental activist from the African Pangolin Working Group disguised himself as a potential buyer and approached two men, aged 34 and 27, from the Northern Cape who were selling a live pangolin.

The police in the Khomas region are investigating three cases of murder in which three male persons aged between 24 and 30 were shot dead on Sunday and yesterday. According to the brief reports shared by the police regional community affairs Silas Shipandeni, the police are investigating the matter in which two suspected poachers were shot at Farm Hoffnung No 66, in the Windhoek District on Sunday around 17h00. Shipandeni indicated that an unknown man was fatally wounded and died on the spot while the other one was injured on the left thigh.

Ein Breitmaulnashornbulle wurde auf der Farm Groot Gamsberg im Distrikt Windhoek erschossen. Nach Angaben der Polizei ereignete sich der Vorfall zwischen dem 16. und 20. Oktober, als Verdächtige die Farm betraten, das Nashorn töteten und ihm beide Hörner abnahmen. Ein Mitglied der Anti-Wilderei-Einheit entdeckte den Kadaver am Donnerstag, den 20. Oktober. Damit steigt die Zahl der in diesem Jahr gewilderten Nashörner auf 58. Letztes Jahr wurden 44 Nashörner gewildert.

Cape Town - A third prisoner who escaped from custody in Makhanda last week has been rearrested. Trymore Chauke was nabbed on Sunday after police received information about a possible escapee who was alleged to have been asking people for food in the farming community of Seven Fountains in Makhanda. A police task team immediately followed up on the lead and within 30 minutes Chauke was rearrested, police said. He escaped from the facility through a window with six other inmates last week. He was held in custody for rhino poaching.

Die ministerie van die omgewing, bosbou en toerisme het 'n ondersoek na die wildhandelaar, mnr. Johan Lombaard, van stapel gestuur nadat hy na bewering twee witrenosters sonder die nodige papierwerk vervoer het. Die ondersoek is na bewering genoodsaak nadat Lombaard Dinsdag in 'n motorongeluk tussen Rehoboth en Kalkrand betrokke was terwyl hy ’n witrenosterkoei en haar kalf vanaf Mariental na 'n plaas in die Karibib-distrik vervoer het.

Four men have appeared in court after allegedly being found in possession of two rhino horn and a rifle silencer in Sannieshof, North West, on Tuesday night.

A Ugandan court has handed a life sentence to a man caught with nearly 10 kg of elephant ivory, the country's highest punishment ever for wildlife violations, authorities said on Friday.

The environment ministry is investigating prominent wildlife dealer Johan Lombaard after he allegedly transported two white rhinos without the necessary paperwork. Namibian Sun understands the investigation was necessitated after Lombaard was involved in a car accident on Tuesday afternoon between Rehoboth and Kalkrand while transporting a rhino cow and its calf from Mariental to farm Uitkyk in the Karibib district.

Der Sprecher des Ministeriums, Romeo Muyunda, bestätigte den Unfall, der sich im Kalkrand-Distrikt ereignete, und sagte, dass die Polizei sie am Dienstagabend darüber informiert habe, weil Nashörner beteiligt waren. Laut Muyunda waren die Nashornkuh und ihr Kalb in zwei verschiedenen Autos mit Anhängern unterwegs. Er sagte, dass der Wagen, der die Kuh transportierte, in den Unfall verwickelt war.

In der vergangenen Woche wurden vier neue Fälle der Wildtierkriminalität gemeldet, und fünf Verdächtige wurden im Zusammenhang mit diesen Straftaten verhaftet. Dies geht aus einem Bericht der Abteilung für geschützte Ressourcen, der namibischen Polizei, des Innenministeriums und des Umweltministeriums hervor. Dem Bericht zufolge wurden insgesamt acht Wildtierprodukte beschlagnahmt, darunter Duiker-Kadaver, Elefantenstoßzähne und lebende Schuppentiere.

The rhino horn that reportedly went missing while in the care of a 45-year-old police officer at Otjiwarongo between 30 September and 03 October this year, has been recovered in Angola.

The Middelburg K9 Unit spotted a suspect Toyota Quantum on the highway and after bringing the vehicle to a halt, conducted a spot search. When the engine bonnet was opened, K9 members discovered two large object wrapped in plastic. Upon closer inspection, the two horns were discovered. The driver, whose identity is known to Middelburg Observer, but who has not appeared in court, was arrested and booked into custody on charges of possession of rhino horns.

Simba Masinga, one of the seven prisoners who escaped from Waainek Correctional Centre in Makhanda in the early hours of Tuesday morning, has been rearrested. Police said Masinga, convicted for rhino poaching, was the second person to be arrested.

Poaching syndicates are recruiting vulnerable villagers in Zimbabwe's animal corridors to kill animals such as elephants for their ivory, and to find markets, even on the streets, it has emerged. Police in areas such as Hwange, Kamativi and Victoria Falls in Matabeleland North have in recent months arrested people found trying to sell pieces of ivory on the streets. Conservationists say most of the locals arrested are people that were exploited by cunning syndicates, including some run by Zambian nationals, and they often lacked knowledge about wildlife crimes.

Four newly registered wildlife crime cases have been made between 11 and 12 October and five Namibian men were arrested in relation to these cases. This was revealed by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism's weekly wildlife crime statistics. These statistics indicate that two elephant tusks, two live pangolins and four full duiker carcasses were confiscated after the arrest of the suspects, which took place in the Oshana, Kavango East and Omaheke regions.

Der chinesische Nashornschmuggler Wang Hui (48) ist am Montag gegen 11 Uhr aus der Haft entkommen. Wang entkam, als er mit einem Wärter des Windhoeker Zentralgefängnisses nach Brakwater gefahren war, um Material von einem Lieferanten abzuholen. Dies bestätigte der Sprecher der Strafvollzugsbehörde, Kommissar Michael Mulisa. "Sie fuhren zu dem Lieferanten, um Material für eine Werkstatt im Gefängnis zu besorgen, für ein Projekt des Gesundheitsministeriums, an dem die Gefangenen arbeiten" sagte er.

The Balule Nature Reserve (BNR) reports that it has recorded not a single rhino killing in the past two years. The reserve is situated on the Olifants River, between Hoedspruit and Phalaborwa. It shares an unfenced border with the Greater Kruger, and forms part of the Associated Private Nature Reserves bordering the Park. Ryan says their worst period was between 2014 and 2018 when they lost 37 rhino in total to poaching. In 2017 alone, 17 animals were killed.

Confiscated ivory from elephants killed more than 30 years ago has turned up in recent raids, say scientists. The tusks were once part of a stockpile seized from poachers and held in sealed containers by the government of Burundi. In this study, researchers used DNA and carbon dating techniques to show that some of that stored material is now in the hands of smugglers.

The prisoner, Wang Hui (47), escaped in the Brakwater area north of Windhoek, where he was part of a team of inmates doing work outside the prison, around 11h00 on Monday, the Namibian Correctional Service's head of directorate central staff, Michael Mulisa, says. Wang Hui is serving a 15-year prison term for attempting to smuggle 14 rhino horns and a leopard skin out of Namibia in March 2014.