This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:
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.
Meanwhile, the police at Outjo in the Kunene region arrested a 28-year-old suspect while he was transporting a rhinohorn on Friday evening. He was apprehended when the police stopped and searched the vehicle he was traveling inbetween Outjo and Okaukuejo. The rhino horn’s estimated value is N$300,000.
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NAM_2023_10_Cannabis mandrax and rhino horn possession lands six behind bars_Informante.pdf | 61.38 KB |
The Endangered Wildlife Trust's (EWT) plant detection dog, which is trained to detect succulent plants, displayed his training during a police action. Delta the dog assisted in Springbok where two males were arrested for illegal possession of 1 760 endangered plants.
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SA_2023_10_Delta the dog sniffs out succulent poaching_News24.pdf | 473.81 KB |
The SAPS plant detection dog "Delta" trained to detect succulent plants displayed his training during a police action in Springbok where two males were arrested for illegal possession of 1760 endangered plants. A multi-disciplinary operation involving the Springbok Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit (STESU), Springbok Public Order Policing (POP) and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (Shadi Henrico, Esther Matthew and K9-Delta) was held on Friday, 13 October 2023 at approximately midnight.
Despite declining national rhino poaching statistics, KwaZulu-Natal is becoming a new hotspot for these illegal activities.
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SA_23023_10_KwaZulu_Natal becomes new hotspot for rhino poaching_CityPress.pdf | 261.01 KB |
The environment ministry has welcomed sentences of at least 13 years in prison each for four rhino poachers. The sentences were handed down in the Windhoek Regional Court last week. Former Brave Warriors chiropractor Gerson Kandjii (51) was also involved in the case, but died in custody in 2021. The arrests stem from an incident in December 2016, when four white rhinos were poached on a private farm in the Gobabis district. On 22 December 2016, the suspects, allegedly without a hunting permit, killed four white rhinos - two…
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NAM_2023_10_Co_accused in Kandjii poaching case get years behind bars_Namibian Sun.pdf | 344.63 KB |
Zwei der Justizvollzugsbeamten, die wegen des Verdachts, an der Flucht des chinesischen Nashornschmugglers Wang Hui beteiligt gewesen und deshalb suspendiert worden waren, wurden für schuldig befunden. Ihnen wurde eine Geldstrafe auferlegt.
Two correctional officers who were suspended on suspicion of being involved in the escape of Chinese rhino smuggler Wang Hui have been found guilty. They were fined.
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NAM_2023_10_Waerter bekommen Geldstrafe_Allgemeine Zeitung.pdf | 331.03 KB |
NAM_2023_10_Guards get fines_Allgemeine Zeitung_Eng.pdf | 275.54 KB |
A high-speed chase forced three suspects to abandon their vehicle, rhino horn, communications tower battery, silencer, firearm and ammunition while evading arrest. They were intercepted by Volksrust, Mpumalanga, police conducting a stop and search operation at 10pm in Mandela Drive on Monday, police said.
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SA_2023_10_Rhino horn traffickers foiled_TimesLive.pdf | 233.67 KB |
Authorities have apprehended an Indonesian in an ivory smuggling operation after uncovering 38.4kg ivory consignment valued at approximately Sh10 million. The suspect was arrested at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
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KEN_2023_10_Indonesian Arrested At JKIA With 38_4kg Ivory Stock Valued At Sh10mn_allAfrica_com.pdf | 81.97 KB |
Richter Johannes Shuuveni verurteilte vier Nashornwilderer am 18. September zu jeweils 13 Jahren Haft.
Judge Johannes Shuuveni sentenced four rhino poachers to 13 years in prison on September 18th.
Two correctional officers who were suspended after the escape of Chinese rhino-horn smuggler Wang Hui have been found guilty by an internal disciplinary process. Deputy Commissioner-General Mariana Martin of the Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) told Namibian Sun that based on an investigation, three officers were suspended after Wang's escape. "All three correctional officers suspended were eventually charged, with at present two found guilty of misconduct under the Correctional Service Act."
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NAM_2023_10_Prison wardens fined for chinese inmates escape_Namibian Sun.pdf | 354.82 KB |
Rhino Dehorning Debate Intensifies as Poaching Continues in Hluhluwe/iMfolozi Game Reserve. In the midst of an escalating rhino poaching crisis at the Hluhluwe/iMfolozi (HiP) game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, a contentious debate has arisen over whether dehorning rhinos is an effective strategy to protect them. While some argue that dehorning could deter poachers, others express concerns about its effectiveness and potential consequences. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, responsible for overseeing the park, has voiced reluctance regarding the dehorning approach.
The Windhoek Magistrate Court has handed down prison sentences of up to 15 years to four individuals involved in a heinous rhino poaching case. The culprits were found guilty for their involvement in a poaching incident dating back to December 2016, where four white rhinos were ruthlessly killed on a private farm in the Gobabis District. On 22 December 2016, the suspects allegedly, without a hunting permit, killed four white rhinos - two bulls and two pregnant cows - each valued at N$1.25 million, with a total value…
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NAM_2023_10_Poachers sentenced to 15 years_Windhoek Observer.pdf | 284.34 KB |
Two of the correctional officers who were suspended due to the suspicion that they had a hand in the escape of the Chinese rhino horn smuggler, Wang Hui, have been found guilty.
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NAM_2023_10_Prison officers guilty after smuggler escapes_Republikein_Eng.pdf | 192.95 KB |
Since 2020, snaring has tripled in the crown jewels of South Africa's Big Five reserves. This suggests economic hardship, although it is not the sole factor to blame. Responding to questions by the Democratic Alliance’s Hannah Winkler on the park’s snaring trends, Environment Minister Barbara Creecy reported the removal of thousands of snares: In 2020, 2,407 snares were removed; In 2021, 4,454 snares were removed; In 2022, 7,270 snares were removed.
In a recent development in Sesheke, the Subordinate Court has handed down a five-year prison sentence to a foreign national, Edward Mushanana, aged 50, hailing from Botswana. Mr. Mushanana was found guilty of illegally possessing a lion skin weighing 12.7 kilograms.
However, the park's key strategy to combat poaching has been to dehorn its entire rhino population - with great success. The Pilanesberg has had no poaching incidents in the three years since 2020.
Global demand for collectible succulents has increased drastically over the past few years. This means that thousands of endangered plant species are illegally removed from their natural habitat by poachers and sold to meet the insatiable demand for them. The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) has now started a project to train three dogs and use their strong sense of smell to sniff out the succulent poachers.
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SA_2023_10_Dogs quickly sniff out succulent thugs_rnews.pdf | 266.93 KB |
The Springbok SAPS Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit (STESU) arrested two men who were driving a vehicle loaded with bags of Conophytum bilobum plants on the R382 road between Steinkopf and Port Nolloth.
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SA_2023-10_Two nabbed in Northern Cape for possession of protected plants_IOL.pdf | 304.49 KB |
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ZIM_2023_10_Cop in trouble over USS 15K pangolin skins_The Herald.pdf | 179.34 KB |
An alleged rhino poacher has been sentenced to 30 years behind bars for killing three rhinos at Kruger National Park in Skukuza. Sydney Sibuyi, 40, was sentenced to thirty years of direct imprisonment in the Skukuza Regional Court on Thursday for poaching-related offences.
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SA_2023_10_Rhino poacher handed 30 years for killing three rhinos in Kruger National Park_IOL.pdf | 122.59 KB |
Joining famed conservationists Jane Goodall and Carl Jones at the 12th Oppenheimer Research Conference, a former SANParks conservation boss warns that - thanks to a lack of funds and government interference - most provincial game reserves face collapse, but suggests solutions might be found among not-forprofits, the private sector and surrounding communities.
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ZIM_2023_10_Live pangolin lands Mt Darwin man in trouble_The Herald.pdf | 213.44 KB |
The three were arrested in Lagos in July 2021 following the interception by Nigerian Customs agents of 196 sacks of pangolin scales weighing 7,137.40kg, one sack of pangolin claws weighing 4.60kg and 29 sacks of elephant tusks weighing 870.4kg.
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NIG_2023_10_How illegal wildlife_trade traffickers escape justice in Nigeria_The Guardian.pdf | 374.86 KB |
The Nkayi Rural District Council has been urged to tighten its monitoring systems to stop the illegal harvesting of timber by companies as the natural resource is not benefiting local communities. Nkayi South Member of Parliament Jabulani Hadebe said there were no mechanisms in place to protect natural resources in the Matabeleland North district.
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ZIM_2023_10_MP bemoans Nkayi timber looting_Southern Eye.pdf | 288.12 KB |