‘A robbery made to look like a hit’? His work persuaded China to ban ivory trading – now he has been found stabbed to death at home in Kenya
His recent report, published by Save the Elephants, found that Laos is the fastest-growing illegal ivory market in the world – supported mostly with Chinese funds
Conjecture surrounds the murder of a renowned conservation investigator whose work persuaded governments around the world – including China’s – to crack down on illegal ivory trading.
Esmond Bradley Martin, famed for uncovering illegal global trafficking of ivory and rhino horn, was stabbed to death over the weekend at his home in Kenya, the latest in a series of killings of high-profile environmental activists around the world.
Police told local media the case was believed to be a robbery, although they did not make any arrests or identify any suspects. Authorities said a lock on the back gate of his house had been forced.
Bradley Martin, 75, was known for his work infiltrating clandestine ivory and rhino horn markets, analysing demand and prices for a product that has threatened elephants and rhinoceros with extinction.
His research was instrumental in China’s decision to ban its legal rhino horn trade in 1993. It also pressured China to end legal ivory sales, a ban that came into force on January 1.
“His work revealed the scale of the problem and made it impossible for the Chinese government to ignore,” said Paula Kahumbu, chief executive of Wildlife Direct. “He was one of the most important people at the forefront of exposing the ivory trade, addressing the traffickers and dealers themselves.”