An American ivory-trade investigator who spent many years combating elephant and rhino poaching has been killed in Nairobi.
Esmond Bradley Martin, who was 75, was stabbed in his house in the suburb of Langata on Sunday (February 4).
Martin led many international investigations into illegal wildlife trading since the 70s, and was a recurring figure at conservation conferences.
There are concerns that the murder is related to Martin’s line of work, however initial reports have suggested that the police think the attack was part of a botched burglary.
Martin was a trained geographer and played a vital role in bringing the international black market to the centre stage. In the 1970s he started documenting the illegal trade in wildlife, zoning in on the movement of elephant ivory and rhino horn.
Dan Stiles, who worked with Martin, told The Guardian: “He (Martin) really woke up the world to what was going on.”
