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
Namibian poaching links
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
A mysterious dead hand driving Namibia’s poaching
After a two-year investigation, John Grobler exposes the totem-based networks facilitating transnational rhino horn smuggling and defeating the pursuit of suspects...
15 September, 2016
‘Trojan horse’ of Namibia’s rhino poaching crisis?
A mysterious hunting lodge with a backdoor into the Etosha National Park provides a possible key to the decimation of Namibia’s critically endangered black rhinos...
11 August, 2016
The epicentre of Namibia’s rhino poaching
John Grobler visits Okahao, a sleepy settlement near Etosha that is at the centre of the poaching plague threatening the world’s last critically endangered black rhinos...
11 July, 2016
Bling king accused in Namibian rhino poaching
John Grobler reports on the sensational arrest of a young Windhoek businessman and his alleged role in the slaughter of critically endangered black rhinos...
27 June, 2016
Hands off our elephants, Namibia’s minister warns
Amid growing human-wildlife conflict, Namibia’s environment minister sends out a strong message to farmers illegally killing elephants and other wildlife...
31 May, 2016