Leading Wildlife Trade Investigator Violently Killed in Kenya
Esmond Bradley Martin put decades of landmark research into helping to end the slaughter of elephants and rhinos.
Esmond Bradley Martin, one of the world’s most highly regarded wildlife trade researchers, was found dead Sunday by his wife at his home in Nairobi, Kenya, with a stab wound to his neck, according to a number of media reports. The motive for the attack is unclear, though the Guardian reported that it may have been part of a botched burglary. Police have launched an investigation.
The 76-year-old American citizen is lauded within conservation circles for his investigations into ivory and rhino horn trafficking. Over decades his efforts to understand the illicit trades included identifying black market hot spots and figuring out prices for illegal ivory and rhino horn, notoriously difficult information to obtain.
“It’s a tragedy and a setback,” said
