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Is this the most lucrative wildlife industry?
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From our CEO – Simon Espley
The most lucrative wildlife industry
Big news in South Africa is that notorious rhino horn smuggler Dawie Groenewald has been fined R10 million (US$604,000) for rhino horn trafficking. This, after 16 years of evasive manoeuvring.
Groenewald operated a massive rhino horn trafficking syndicate supplying the highly lucrative black market in Southeast Asia. Other syndicate members, including his wife, two prominent veterinarians, a helicopter pilot, and several professional hunters, await their judgment day.
Amongst other nefarious tactics, he took advantage of the ethically flexible trophy hunting industry by organising pseudo hunts, where wealthy Americans and Thai sex workers were used as a front. Hunting rhinos is legal, whereas trading in rhino horn is not. Once the rhinos were killed, the horns were laundered into the illegal rhino horn trade industry and the carcasses buried.
Groenewald was linked to the illegal sale of at least 384 rhino horns, with an estimated value of US$7 million. Not a bad return compared to a US$604,000 downside!
These days, Groenewald is at the centre of a bitter trophy-hunting feud in Botswana, where local communities and rival hunting operators have accused him of a range of wrongdoings, including bribing a government official, to secure a lucrative trophy-hunting concession.
The cost/benefit analysis here does not read well for those trying to shut down the illegal wildlife industries. This cavernous gap between financial benefits and the consequences when caught has to be closed if we are to win the war against the evil ones!
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
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From our Editor – Taryn van Jaarsveld
Thirty-five years after cheetahs disappeared from the country of Eswatini, conservationists have brought them back. Two females and two males have been successfully reintroduced to Royal Jozini Private Game Reserve as part of the Southern African cheetah metapopulation programme, laying the foundation for the country’s first breeding population in a generation. With the cats already thriving and beginning to establish neighbouring territories, we hope that the first cubs may not be far away.
The return of an apex predator is always more than the return of a single species. It signals the restoration of ecological processes, renewed genetic diversity and growing confidence that landscapes can once again support the wildlife they once lost.
This week, we head to Kenya’s iconic Maasai Mara to discover why there’s so much more to this legendary ecosystem than the Great Migration. We also follow two young Kalahari cheetahs whose contrasting fortunes reveal just how precarious life can be in one of Africa’s toughest landscapes.
DID YOU KNOW?
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Our stories this week
MAASAI MARA HOW TO
This introduction to Kenya’s Maasai Mara explores why the reserve remains one of Africa’s greatest safari destinations
KALAHARI CHEETAHS
Two young cheetahs face vastly different fates in the Kalahari, revealing the realities of survival in one of Africa’s wildest semi-deserts
Travel Desk – 2 African safari ideas
Malaria-free Big 5 safari in South Africa – 9 days
Discover two of South Africa’s most spectacular malaria-free reserves on a classic Big Five safari, starting in Marataba within Marakele National Park with guided game drives, bush walks and riverside relaxation, before continuing to community-owned Madikwe Game Reserve, a conservation success known for thriving wildlife, expert guiding, seamless transfers and luxurious, family-friendly lodges. This safari is ideal for families and first-time safari goers
Maasai Mara & gorilla trekking – 10 days
Two of Africa’s greatest wildlife encounters in one unforgettable safari. This expertly coordinated East Africa journey combines two of the continent’s most unforgettable wildlife experiences: a classic Big Five and Great Migration safari in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, followed by intimate gorilla trekking in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Short flights between destinations maximise your time in the wild.
Still dreaming of the ultimate African safari escape? Browse our safari ideas here. Or click here to plan your safari.
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WATCH
From playful hyena cubs and a rare aardwolf to lions tackling buffalo and endangered wattled cranes, our latest Top Wildlife Clips episode brings you Africa’s most unforgettable sightings from May. Join us for a mini virtual safari across the continent. (07:47) Click here to watch
Cover image: Mom duties can be tiring! Risasi, cheetah of the Mara Triangle, nurses all four cubs while watching for predators. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. © Hema Palan.
Photographer of the Year 2024 entry.
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