More than 1,790 poaching suspects in Namibia arrested over 2 years

Namibia has managed to arrest more than 1,790 suspected poachers of high valued and iconic species such as rhino and elephant at the end of 2018 up to May 2020, an official said this week.

The Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta announced this when he presented the ministry's budget of the for the 2020/21 financial year to the national assembly for approval.

"The arrested suspects doubled than ever before since the launch of the Anti Poaching Unit in 2016," he added.

Pohamba said their appreciation goes to the joint operation between our security forces the NDF - special forces, the NAMPOL - Protection Resources Unit, the Namibia Central Intelligent Service, and the Anti Poaching Unit of the Ministry.

"The Blue Rhino Task Team is after all wildlife criminal syndicates in Namibia. Most of these syndicates if not all are known and members of those syndicates not yet arrested is a matter appropriate time and appropriate place, they will be arrested soon or later," he said.

Meanwhile, Shifeta said poaching and instances of human-wildlife conflict continue to be major challenges facing the Ministry when it comes to wildlife conservation.