Alleged wild dog killers released on bail

RUTH KAMWISIX men arrested in connection with the shooting of five highly endangered African wild dogs at the N/a’an ku sê Zannier nature reserve east of Windhoek were granted N$3 000 bail each when they made a first appearance in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in Katutura on Thursday.

The six – three airport security officers and three maintenance personnel of the Namibia Airports Company – have been charged with a count of removal of game from land where it was found dead, which is an offence under the Nature Conservation Ordinance of 1975, and a charge of ill-treatment of animals. The second charge relates to the shooting of wild dogs.

The accused are Pinehas Ndengu (44), Kamwi Kamwi (35), Josephat Thimoteus (58), Martin Masati (48), Saul Frans Kox (38) and David Ndeevelo (39). They are alleged to have trespassed and shot and killed the wild dogs – which are Namibia’s most endangered carnivore species – on Tuesday last week in order to get hold of the carcass of a kudu that had been hunted by the dogs.

N/a’an ku sê has described the incident as shocking for “a haven that instead became a scene of brutality”.

According to a statement issued by N/a’an ku sê on Wednesday, two of the five wild dogs died after having been shot at with a shotgun.

N/a’an ku sê director Rudie van Vuuren confirmed that a third severely injured wild dog succumbed to his injuries over the weekend. He was being treated at the N/a’anku s? veterinary clinic after having sustained shotgun pellet wounds to the neck and face, with further pellets suspected to have been lodged internally.

“They came to the N/a’an ku sê wildlife sanctuary as pups. Siblings Nadia and Jaco were rescued from a situation of conflict in the Mangetti area of Namibia’s north-east, with the three brothers, Namib, Desert and Veldt, having been removed from a situation of certain death in the Otjozondjupa region. Raised by Marlice van Vuuren, the pups thrived and formed a remarkable pack of five.

“After almost two years of dedication to these animals, classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species and legally protected within Namiba since 2016, these dogs were ambassadors for their species, and formed one of the N/a’an ku sê Foundation’s most successful release projects to date,” the statement said.

The statement added that a neighbouring farmer to the N/a’an kus? lodge and wildlife sanctuary was made aware of suspicious activity concerning the African wild dogs on the morning of 12 February. He then alerted N/a’anku s? staff, who investigated the situation.

The discovery of shotgun shell casings and footprints indicating an illegal trespass onto the reserve as well as the dead wild dogs prompted Van Vuuren to contact the police. With their court appearance on Thursday, the six accused were warned not to interfere with police investigations and were ordered to inform the police officer in charge of the investigation if they wanted to leave the district of Windhoek.

They have to make their next court appearance on 15 April.

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