News / National
Zim anti-poaching activist disappears in Zambia while feeling Zimbabwe
26 Apr 2015 at 10:01hrs | Views
AN anti-poaching activist - Rob Grinham was reportedly kidnapped on Friday evening in Lusaka after fleeing his Zimbabwe home following raids by police.
According to Wildlife At Risk International (WAR) Grinham's mysterious disappearance in Lusaka was a 'coordinated effort by both Zambian and Zimbabwean authorities'.
"Rob Grinham, WAR ambassador and wildlife activist was taken from Lusaka airport last night in what seems to be a coordinated effort by both Zambian and Zimbabwean authorities.
"All inquiries into his whereabouts result in a denial by the authorities of him ever having been there," WAR said in statement.
It added "He was traveling by bus to Lusaka after his house in Harare was invaded and searched by Zimbabwe police.
"Rob was doing research into the illegal ivory trade and poaching activities and sharing information about WAR projects.
"Did he stumble on sensitive information? Did he become a threat to corrupt officials? We fear for his life,".
Grinham disappearance comes days after a United States-based elephant conservation group released a revealing documentary that exposes alleged high-level involvement of Zanu PF bigwigs in poaching of elephants and rhinos at the Hwange National Park.
Zimbabwe and Tanzania were placed on a list of prohibited trophy hunting destinations for US nationals
According to a statement on its website, a crew from the US-based production house When-Giants-Fall (WGF) spent six weeks underground in Zimbabwe last year.
They gathered information on the poaching scourge from safari operators, conservationists and investigative journalists specialising in poaching.
The investigative unit of the US-production house includes renowned Bulawayo-based conservation journalist Oscar Nkala.
Nkala has in the past conducted extensive research into poaching around the country in operations which exposed some alleged high-level criminal elements, including top government and Zanu PF officials.
Snippets of the film in which Nkala castigates government officials and the politically connected for looting the country's heritage while the public looks on with indifference have gone viral on Vimeo, Facebook and YouTube.
The WGF film was the "official selection" of the US-based Ashland Fim Festival 2015 which ran from April 10 to April 13.
In a brief commentary on the film, the African Wildlife Trust said the WGF crew showed extreme motivation to the cause of saving elephants because it recognises the threat posed by poachers.
"The threat of elephant extinction haunts and motivates Leslie and her team in their frenetic push to complete this important film, When Giants Fall, and release it to the world to help make the killing stop," the group said in a commentary published on its website.
According to Wildlife At Risk International (WAR) Grinham's mysterious disappearance in Lusaka was a 'coordinated effort by both Zambian and Zimbabwean authorities'.
"Rob Grinham, WAR ambassador and wildlife activist was taken from Lusaka airport last night in what seems to be a coordinated effort by both Zambian and Zimbabwean authorities.
"All inquiries into his whereabouts result in a denial by the authorities of him ever having been there," WAR said in statement.
It added "He was traveling by bus to Lusaka after his house in Harare was invaded and searched by Zimbabwe police.
"Rob was doing research into the illegal ivory trade and poaching activities and sharing information about WAR projects.
"Did he stumble on sensitive information? Did he become a threat to corrupt officials? We fear for his life,".
Grinham disappearance comes days after a United States-based elephant conservation group released a revealing documentary that exposes alleged high-level involvement of Zanu PF bigwigs in poaching of elephants and rhinos at the Hwange National Park.
Zimbabwe and Tanzania were placed on a list of prohibited trophy hunting destinations for US nationals
According to a statement on its website, a crew from the US-based production house When-Giants-Fall (WGF) spent six weeks underground in Zimbabwe last year.
They gathered information on the poaching scourge from safari operators, conservationists and investigative journalists specialising in poaching.
The investigative unit of the US-production house includes renowned Bulawayo-based conservation journalist Oscar Nkala.
Nkala has in the past conducted extensive research into poaching around the country in operations which exposed some alleged high-level criminal elements, including top government and Zanu PF officials.
Snippets of the film in which Nkala castigates government officials and the politically connected for looting the country's heritage while the public looks on with indifference have gone viral on Vimeo, Facebook and YouTube.
The WGF film was the "official selection" of the US-based Ashland Fim Festival 2015 which ran from April 10 to April 13.
In a brief commentary on the film, the African Wildlife Trust said the WGF crew showed extreme motivation to the cause of saving elephants because it recognises the threat posed by poachers.
"The threat of elephant extinction haunts and motivates Leslie and her team in their frenetic push to complete this important film, When Giants Fall, and release it to the world to help make the killing stop," the group said in a commentary published on its website.
Source - Byo24News
