WildAid is shocked and deeply saddened by the murder of Esmond Bradley Martin at his home in Kenya over the weekend.
Everyone who has been involved in the global fight against ivory and rhino horn trafficking over the last four decades has been helped by Esmond’s thorough and detailed research on the markets for these products, particularly in east and southeast Asia.
He was appointed a UN Special Envoy on rhinos, and all those embarking on the protection of elephants and rhinos from poaching and the illegal trade in their products would first turn, as a matter of course, to Esmond’s authoritative work.
His contribution to the body of knowledge has been incalculable.
Esmond and his fellow investigator Lucy Vigne are largely credited with closing down the market for rhino horn daggers in Yemen, once a major destination for illegal shipments of rhino horn.
In a 2015 report written on behalf of Save the Elephants, Esmond and Lucy’s revelations about the ivory market in Hong Kong SAR set the stage for a global effort to persuade Hong Kong SAR to ban domestic trade in ivory. The ban was adopted only days ago by the Hong Kong SAR legislature.
Our thoughts are with Chryssee, Esmond’s wife, and his wider circle of friends and family.
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WildAid is a non-profit organization with a mission to protect wildlife from illegal trade and other imminent threats. While most wildlife conservation groups focus on protecting animals from poaching, WildAid primarily works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products such as elephant ivory, rhino horn and shark fin soup. With an unrivaled portfolio of celebrity ambassadors and a global network of media partners, WildAid leverages more than $308 million in annual pro-bono media support with a simple message: When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too.
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