Conservationist John Hume accused of fraudulently circumventing rhino horn ban

Mike Wills (in for John Maytham on CapeTalk) speaks with Tony Carnie, veteran environmental journalist at the Daily Maverick.

Listen below:

John Hume was once hailed as a ‘conservation hero’ - specifically for his work with rhinos.

The 83-year-old was responsible for breeding the largest herd of captive rhinos in the world.

However, he now stands accused of rhino horn trafficking, and allegedly orchestrated a scheme to circumvent the global ban on rhino horn trading.

Hume and his co-accused allegedly fraudulently obtained domestic sale permits for rhino horns harvested legally, which were used to get the horns into illegal markets.

They reportedly did this with close to 1,000 horns valued at around R500 million.

Carnie says domestic trade of rhino horns is not banned, but there is no demand for rhino horns locally.

“It does not get used for anything.”

- Tony Carnie, Environmental Journalist - Daily Maverick

RELATED: International study finds dehorning rhinos drastically reduces poaching

Hume and his co-accused deny any wrongdoing and insist they acted within the law.

Read Carnie’s full article on this case on the Daily Maverick.

Scroll up to the audio player for more.