North Korea in Africa: Rogue traders

North Korea’s diplomats in Africa have been trading endangered animals for the past 30 years, a report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime has revealed. Embassy staff based in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa have been repeatedly abusing the immunity of the ‘diplomatic bag’, as set out in the 1961 Vienna […]

Africa: Bounty hunting

Namibia is home to almost 2,000 endangered black rhinos, and in order to finance conservation efforts they have been auctioning off permits to hunt one of the animals. They auction off 5 permits a year, and hunting permits have long been a source of income for Namibian conservation efforts. The most recent permit was auctioned […]

Rhinos: Too little, too late?

With the demand for rhino horn being driven primarily by the Vietnamese and Chinese markets, conservation groups have focused their attention on campaigns directed at combating its use both as a stimulant and as a medicine. The above poster is also available in Vietnamese, as it is in Vietnam that demand for rhino horn is […]

Why does Vietnam love Rhino horn so much?

Rhino horn consists of keratin, the same material that makes up hair and nails in humans, and hooves in horses. Rhino horn differs from the horns of most other animals in that respect, as the horns of other animals are usually made from calcium. The exact chemical composition of each rhino will differ slightly, depending […]

South Africa: poaching means murder

A South African rhino poacher has been sentenced to 77 years in prison. Madla Chauke was arrested in 2011 in Kruger National Park, for the killing of three rhino calves. Chauke was also convicted of the murder of an accomplice, who was shot by park rangers. Chauke argued that he was coerced into poaching by his […]

Spilled Water

覆水难收

Rhino