South Africa has seen an uncontrollable wave of poaching of rhinos for their horns, believed to be the panacea for all manner of ailments (without a shred scientific proof) in the Far East yet, staggeringly, in some quarters the argument is still made that a legal trade in horn is the answer to this appalling situation
It can be a long week/month/year/decade when you’re constantly confronted with bad news and the terrible things that we are doing to life on this planet. It can often seem like a never-ending uphill battle. And, well, that’s what it is, but every now and again you get some news that gives you a glimmer of hope
Three new films following EIA investigators undercover around the world have now had their premiere screenings on either National Geographic Channel or Nat Geo Wild in the US, Asia and the UK, and are currently airing for the first time in Australia and New Zealand
These are just the tip of the iceberg in what’s been a highly productive and busy year for EIA, one in which we also played a key role in achieving a groundbreaking agreement on timber trade between the European Union and Indonesia, and kept tabs on supermarket promises to get rid of greenhouse gases in their fridges
The documentary Blood Ivory Smugglers, following EIA undercover investigators in Hong Kong, China and Kenya, makes its UK premiere on Nat Geo Wild; EIA co-founder Dave Currey was one of the team being filmed and here reflects on his experiences of campaigning against the ivory trade
For a successful crime cake, you’ll need a victim in demand, easy to move to market and one that fetches a high price. It’s also very handy if the people who decide on priorities are constrained or unaware or, best of all, just not bothered about this particular victim – often the case with wildlife and forest crime