We recap the vicuna vs rhino horn trade debate from episode 6. National Geographic cut all staff writers – and no-one is happy about it. Rhino stockpiles were raided in South Africa. Can't say we didn't see this coming... And again it's an inside job.  New York DEC puts confiscated ivory on display, but is it a good idea? Conservation struggles in UK and Scotland, illustrating again that the challenge is indeed global. GEF launches new fund that raises hope, but will the funds get to those who need it most ..read more

The trade in the South American vicūna is often used as an example of how lifting trade bans can help people and animals alike, but is it a fair comparison for the rhino horn trade debate? Namibia is planning a mass dehorning. Is the government of that country bolstering rhino horn stockpiles ahead of their next effort to open trade? A recent study answers the question of what impact does dehorning have on rhino behavior.  Rhino poaching gang sentenced to terms ranging from 16-20 years.  Two documentaries to watch out for: Rhinoman follows the story of what it is like to be a ra ..read more

Poaching kingpin arrested. A recent report highlights the dynamic nature of global rhino horn seizures, with interesting results. With COVID having little impact on the size and frequency of seizures, we ask, yet again, why are we not inspecting and accounting for stockpiled rhino horn? Poached rhino horn transport is changing. Transit routes are evolving but what is influencing this? Yet another article about the claimed values of trophy hunting ignores the consistent fight to deregulate these industries, rather than supporting regulations that would hold the industry accountable and measurab ..read more

Episode 2 of this season attracted a lot of interest and comment, we answer your questions in this episode: The Platinum Rhino auction fails to solicit a successful bidder – what’s next for Hume and his rhino? We give the updates. Rhino Horn trade is unlikely, but the current revenue models are also flawed – what are the challenges in innovating a new approach where renewables, carbon markets, ESG investments and the like are combined?  Why is trade so challenging, surely we can flood the market? We discuss the challenges in opening the rhino horn trade and why we should be skeptical of t ..read more

With the world’s largest rhino breeding facility up for auction, the team discusses the potential outfall of this huge event. Love him or hate him, John Hume plays an important role in rhino conservation. His often brash commitment to opening rhino horn trade has no doubt contributed to the divisiveness in rhino conservation., but one thing that cannot be denied is  his success in breeding rhino on an enormous scale. With public opinion divided as ever, it is important to understand how we got to this position, why the prior attempts at soliciting investment failed, and what we should lea ..read more

Munu the blind black rhino finds a new home. The team contemplates the “region beta paradox” as a reason why we don’t see sufficient urgency and how this influences donor expectations in conservation circles.  Julian Rademeyr’s latest report showcases a grim reality of corruption and its influence on wildlife crime around Kruger National Park. In the weeks after the release, alleged kingpin, Chief Clyde Mnisi, is assassinated and shortly thereafter his wife is gunned down in her home. We explore this decentralization of poaching as a result of the disruptions to syndicates in Kruger and ..read more

Minister Barbara Creecy, South Africa’s minister of the Department of Environment Forest and Fisheries, recently released the much-anticipated white paper that addresses the “One Welfare” commitment she made over a year ago. And it is a big step forward. We unpack the white paper and what it means for conservation efforts as well as issues of sentience and socio-economic transformation.  Research suggests that Botswana’s reintroduction of trophy hunting has not worked in its promise to offer sustainable economic opportunity for communities.  A recent shark killing contest is attracti ..read more

Peter struggles with Covid, Simon can’t remember where he is, and Shannon holds down the fort. 5 African countries sign the Hwange declaration - a commitment to pressure CITES to open trade in ivory for one fire sale. The concept is fundamentally flawed and as usual, this for the trade wrap their arguments up in poorly researched or blatantly inaccurate data - we explain why. Deforestation accelerates in Brazil. We unpack the empty promises made at COP26 in Glasgow last year. Should you be able to buy a puppy from a commercial breeder in the USA? Huame Society’s latest paper suggests what we a ..read more

Rob Barber from Golden Africa Safaris in Botswana. Rob gives us updates on travel trends after COVID. Join Rob in the Okavango Delta - Go on a one-of-a-kind safari in Botswana June 9-17, 2022 with Golden Africa Safaris! Our listeners get 10% off with the discount code “SEF”.  Green Century Funds are holding Home Depot accountable for where they source their plywood. But are Home Depot’s shareholders supporting this proposal? Are K9s effective in the illegal wildlife trade? What about dog bots?  Kilo9Academy is not only training and placing anti-poaching dogs in the field, but they ca ..read more

Simon joins us from the US through modern technology. Poachers tranquilize rhino to remove horn in Orang National Park in Assam Despite the poaching attempt in India, can you believe that the Indian Rhino numbers could actually be up? This year there was an Indian Rhino census—guess what the total was? Is it okay to protect animals even at the expense of the surrounding communities? Would community intelligence officers work in South Africa the way they work in India? We discuss the need to clone Dr. Jana Pretorius and Petronel Nieuwoudt (Care for Wild). Who is the Kering Group? Do you wear an ..read more