A total of 131 wildlife crime cases have been registered between 2017 and 14 June 2022, Namibian Police Force Deputy Commissioner for the Protected Resources Division, Barry de Klerk has revealed.
Speaking at the national stakeholder forum on wildlife protection and law enforcement here on Wednesday, De Klerk revealed that 93 cases are ongoing at various courts in the country, while 16 have been finalised with conviction and nine have been provisionally withdrawn.
He continued that eight cases were struck off the courts rolls, whilst two were finalised without conviction, two were finalised and one was declared indeterminate.
“Poaching remains rife in Namibia and this calls for better collective strategies on wildlife crime and law enforcement to preserve wildlife for future generations,” he said.
De Klerk indicated that in 2021, 43 rhinos were poached as compared to 21 poached thus far in 2022, whilst eight elephants were poached in 2021 compared to two already poached in 2022.
He noted that the suspects arrested include 487 Namibians, 21 Angolans, five Zambians and five Asians. A total 243 suspects are out on bail while 132 are awaiting trial and 32 suspects’ cases were withdrawn. Further, 30 were discharged and 29 were released. A total of 30 suspects have been convicted, nine are deceased, whilst eight have absconded and five have been acquitted.
Launching the forum, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta said wildlife trafficking has become a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise that has expanded and environmental crime has exploded to become the fourth-largest criminal sector worldwide, after drug trafficking, counterfeit crimes and human trafficking.
“The recent discoveries of 11 rhino carcasses in the Etosha National Park and the illegal timber operation in small-scale farms in Kavango East is an indication that we need to up our game. We need to reorganise our combined forces and change our operation strategies as a matter of urgency,” he said.
Shifeta stressed that the involvement of organised crime in poaching and wildlife trafficking promotes corruption, threatens peace and national security and strengthens illicit trade routes.
“It equally destabilises our economy and the livelihoods of rural communities who depend on wildlife. The loss of natural resources due to poaching cannot be easily quantified in monetary terms. We have lost a significant number of rhinos, elephants, pangolin and other wildlife, but the losses have had much wider impacts, hence the need for new strategies,” echoed Shifeta.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
