Exposing the abalone-rhino poaching links
John Grobler investigates the overlap between abalone and rhino horn smuggling syndicates operating between South Africa, Namibia and Hong Kong...
08 March, 2019
Namibian poaching links
Namibia starts controversial hyena cull to save its wild horses
Shooting hyenas to save wild horses raises heated debate about interventions between endemic wildlife and ‘feral’ animals. Linda Baker investigates...
26 February, 2019
Christo Wiese’s Namibian rhino deal under scrutiny
How did 13 rhino bulls from the Kruger National Park end up on a hunting farm owned by a reclusive Russian billionaire in Namibia?...
21 February, 2018
Faces behind Namibia’s donkey abattoirs
Who are the people driving Namibia’s plans to open commercial abattoirs for donkey meat and skins for Asia? Oscar Nkala tracks them down...
01 December, 2017
Furore over Namibia’s donkey slaughter plans
Namibia has given the go-ahead to two donkey abattoirs that plan to export meat to Vietnam and skins to China. They have met stiff opposition from locals, reports Oscar Nkala...
28 August, 2017
State forest capture
Ancient hardwood trees in the Caprivi State Forest are being looted by a Chinese syndicate exploiting legal loopholes and de-bushing tenders for farming. John Grobler investigates...
09 August, 2017
How I helped Leila
Journalist John Grobler was on assignment in Angola when he came across a young chimpanzee in trouble. This is the story of his mission to take her to a place...
23 May, 2017
Chinese ‘mafia boss’ turns to timber in Namibia
Xuecheng Hou, a wealthy Chinese businessman linked to wildlife trafficking, has emerged as a major player in the illegal trade in rare African timber. John Grobler investigates...
07 February, 2017
The horn scam at Windhoek’s airport
The Namibian authorities don’t seem to be in any hurry to shut down a rhino horn smuggling syndicate that has infiltrated security at Windhoek’s airport, writes John Grobler...
02 December, 2016
Namibia diaries: the good, the bad, the ugly
Depending on your views about legal trade in wildlife products, the past week was either a good week or a very good week for Namibian conservation, writes John Grobler...
04 October, 2016