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Killing for Profit: Exposing the Illegal Rhino Horn Trade
A terrifying true story of greed, corruption, depravity and ruthless criminal enterprise …
On the black markets of Southeast Asia, rhino horn is worth more than gold, cocaine and heroin. This is the chilling story of a more than two-year-long investigation into a dangerous criminal underworld where merciless syndicates will stop at nothing to attain their prize. It is a tale of greed, folly and corruption, and of an increasingly desperate battle to save the rhino – which has survived for more than 50 million years – from extinction. Killing for Profit is a meticulous, devastating and revelatory account of one of the world’s most secretive trades. It exposes poachers, gangsters, con men, mercenaries, killers, gunrunners, diplomats, government officials and other key players behind the slaughter. And it follows the bloody trail from the front lines of the rhino wars in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to the medicine markets of Vietnam and the lair of a wildlife-trafficking kingpin on the banks of the Mekong River in Laos …
On the black markets of Southeast Asia, rhino horn is worth more than gold, cocaine and heroin. This is the chilling story of a more than two-year-long investigation into a dangerous criminal underworld where merciless syndicates will stop at nothing to attain their prize. It is a tale of greed, folly and corruption, and of an increasingly desperate battle to save the rhino – which has survived for more than 50 million years – from extinction. Killing for Profit is a meticulous, devastating and revelatory account of one of the world’s most secretive trades. It exposes poachers, gangsters, con men, mercenaries, killers, gunrunners, diplomats, government officials and other key players behind the slaughter. And it follows the bloody trail from the front lines of the rhino wars in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to the medicine markets of Vietnam and the lair of a wildlife-trafficking kingpin on the banks of the Mekong River in Laos …
346 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2012
62 people are currently reading
643 people want to read
About the author
Julian Rademeyer
4 books17 followersJulian Rademeyer is an award-winning investigative journalist and editor of fact-checking and news website AfricaCheck.org. He has written and worked for many of South Africa’s major newspapers including City Press, the Sunday Times, Mail & Guardian, Beeld, Pretoria News and The Herald. He has also freelanced for international publications and news agencies including Reuters, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian Associated Press.
Until he resigned to write Killing for Profit, he was chief reporter for Media24 Investigations. In a career spanning two decades, he has reported from some of the world’s most troubled countries including Somalia, Equatorial Guinea, Niger, Belarus, Egypt and Lebanon.
Killing for Profit was shortlisted for the Alan Paton Award, South Africa's most prestigious literary prize for non-fiction.
Source: http://killingforprofit.com/author/
Until he resigned to write Killing for Profit, he was chief reporter for Media24 Investigations. In a career spanning two decades, he has reported from some of the world’s most troubled countries including Somalia, Equatorial Guinea, Niger, Belarus, Egypt and Lebanon.
Killing for Profit was shortlisted for the Alan Paton Award, South Africa's most prestigious literary prize for non-fiction.
Source: http://killingforprofit.com/author/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
December 11, 2016
This was a hard slog for me. At no point did I want to give up on reading it but I wasn't super compelled to read it. I think the problem was I didn't know it was going to be purely investigative piece of journalism that lasted an entire book. I would have been more impressed if a narrative was woven into the facts and an opinion was taken.I instead found it a little dry and it often introduced a new cast of people in each chapter so you couldn't develop a proper opinion yourself. It also left out the animals, who are the important players in this entire book so why not spend a chapter introducing us to why these animals are so incredible and smart so that we know why to care? Obviously anyone who reads this cares about conservation but it is still a massive oversight - a book about rhino poaching with barely any mention about the rhinos.
Good but if you're just starting read Lawrence Anthony instead.
Good but if you're just starting read Lawrence Anthony instead.
March 20, 2017
Blood curdling, yet impossible to put down. The depths of human depravity and greed know no limits... hard not to agree with the views expressed by some of the author's interviewees, namely that legalising rhino horn trade and farming for it are ultimately the only way humans stand a chance to slow down the complete disappearance of rhinos. The kind of book that leaves one with a sense of loss of faith in humanity. Important read.
April 12, 2018
This book has loads of good anecdotes and raw information about the rhino horn trade, but I did struggle to keep track of the chronology and was routinely distracted by the shifting tense structure. If written a bit tighter, it could be brilliant. Still a very worthwhile read.
November 4, 2021
A very good attempt to give a full insight into the horrible underworld of rhino poaching and the trade of its horn. At times a hard and depressing read, but then again the topic is not meant to be enjoyable. At times the book lacks a direction but overall the author provides an excellent expose into this dark world.
July 8, 2013
This book is a thorough and devastating read into research about the illegal trafficking of rhino and its consequences. It's a hard-hitting, gritty book that will make you cry in places, but if we don't cry about this, then we're inhuman.
More than 1 rhino is killed in Africa every day. Rhinos are being butchered while they're was still alive, horns brutally hacked off and left to die painfully. And for what? Rhino horn is made of keratin, the same substance that’s found in your hair and fingernails and has no proven scientific medical benefits. Every year, thousands of wild animals are killed because someone, somewhere wants a piece of them. We have the fur trade, Eastern medicine, hunting for fun or sport, deforestation and loss of habitat due to an increase in human population and wars, or we keep them as pets. We’re either killing them for selfish gain or loving them to death.
Change has to start with awareness, prevention, conservation, and protection. In some countries even the politicians and diplomats admit to being an end user in the illegal wildlife trade, claiming that rhino horn, ivory, tiger bones, or other animal products cure everything from hangovers to cancer. This sends the price of these products sky high, and signs a death warrant for these animals. In some places, illegal animal products are worth more than gold and platinum. Until the leaders of these countries take a stand against this illegal trade, more and more of these amazing creatures will become extinct. The illegal trafficking in wild animals is now the third largest criminal industry in the world. For these animals to survive, we must make a change now. Not in two years, or one year, or even six months. The ugly truth is that some animals won’t be around in six months from now. Extinction is forever - there's no going back. Unless something is done about this now, the only way your grandchildren will see these animals is in pictures because there will be no live ones left.
This book highlights this barbaric trade fuelled by greed. Together, we all have to try and raise awareness and make change.
More than 1 rhino is killed in Africa every day. Rhinos are being butchered while they're was still alive, horns brutally hacked off and left to die painfully. And for what? Rhino horn is made of keratin, the same substance that’s found in your hair and fingernails and has no proven scientific medical benefits. Every year, thousands of wild animals are killed because someone, somewhere wants a piece of them. We have the fur trade, Eastern medicine, hunting for fun or sport, deforestation and loss of habitat due to an increase in human population and wars, or we keep them as pets. We’re either killing them for selfish gain or loving them to death.
Change has to start with awareness, prevention, conservation, and protection. In some countries even the politicians and diplomats admit to being an end user in the illegal wildlife trade, claiming that rhino horn, ivory, tiger bones, or other animal products cure everything from hangovers to cancer. This sends the price of these products sky high, and signs a death warrant for these animals. In some places, illegal animal products are worth more than gold and platinum. Until the leaders of these countries take a stand against this illegal trade, more and more of these amazing creatures will become extinct. The illegal trafficking in wild animals is now the third largest criminal industry in the world. For these animals to survive, we must make a change now. Not in two years, or one year, or even six months. The ugly truth is that some animals won’t be around in six months from now. Extinction is forever - there's no going back. Unless something is done about this now, the only way your grandchildren will see these animals is in pictures because there will be no live ones left.
This book highlights this barbaric trade fuelled by greed. Together, we all have to try and raise awareness and make change.
February 6, 2014
I bought this book as research for my new work. i also spent a solid month in S. Africa researching the rhino poaching debacle and horn trade. This book nails it, in cogent language and intense, adventure-riddled research. Kudos, and a must read for anyone wanting to be up to speed on the world of poaching driven by organized crime.
May 10, 2013
An incredible accomplishment in investigative journalism. The author delves deep into the shocking levels of greed and corruption that have made life hell for these unfortunate creatures in the last 50 years. Impeccably researched and very well written. Well done Mr Rademeyer!
April 30, 2013
An extraordinary piece of investigative journalism. A must read for anyone interested in the criminal world and organised crime. The writer has gone to great lengths and taken great risks to produce this book.
January 11, 2013
Brilliant but harrowing. Reads like a thriller.
April 30, 2013
A great read. Few books have delved into the underworld of illegal wildlife trafficking like this one has done. Get it.
December 28, 2013
Overwhelming....
February 4, 2018
Killing for Profit
is not an easy read for a number of reasons. For many, the topic of dead animals is a difficult one to bear and the thought of rampant greed and corruption creates a feeling of fury and helplessness. While author Julian Rademeyer leads the reader through these true crimes and events from the start of the modern African rhino horn trade, he does so without prejudice and inspires the reader to draw conclusions or to take steps on their own to seek out solutions to the illegal wildlife trade and, most importantly, to participate in the process and stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.
Taken chapter by chapter Killing for Profit allows the reader to dive into their choice of segments of the illicit trade in wildlife parts. It begins with a brief history of the rhino horn trade then goes into substantial detail about a failed attempt by conservationists to understand the trade and forcibly stop poachers (Operation Lock). The fraudulent trophy hunts and the disgusting canned hunting groups participating in the big cat bone trade may bring into focus for many people the depths to which people will go in order to turn a profit. Killing for Profit then examines snapshots of the lives and work of the mid-level traffickers, the regional syndicates, cross-border smugglers, and finally the people at the top orchestrating the logistics of international smuggling, bribery, and wholesaling.
The format of the book leans heavily on its investigative journalism background, favoring direct quotes and chapters full of evidence-based facts. This formula allows the reader to be informed and draw their own conclusions, but provides little in the way of a smooth narrative or convenient “sound-bites” to encourage joining an entrenched position on the topic of wildlife crime. Although some readers may feel compelled to set the book aside and not come back to it, it’s easy enough to skip to a specific chapter of interest and jump straight in. Ultimately this book is of incredible importance to understanding and raising awareness of the rampant corruption devastating many countries around the world. Therefore it’s important that even those who have a difficult time with the subject matter or the format read at least a couple of chapters that stick out to them to understand that this crisis can be ended.
Although Killing for Profit makes no definitive statements about how to go about ending the poaching crisis, or the larger decline in wildlife populations, it should become clear to the reader by the end of the book that there are already several solutions, and trade restrictions, in place which need only to be strengthened through resolve and strong leadership from effected regional and national governments through the support of their citizens. It should also be clear that education and awareness, stamping out corruption, uplifting the disadvantaged and impoverished individuals and families who are exploited by criminal syndicates, and cracking down on known criminals are essential steps in preventing the illegal wildlife trade and insuring the future of keystone species, vital to tourism revenue in southern Africa.
Although it’s listed as having 346 pages, the book is actually quite short. Approximately 25% of Killing for Profit is dedicated to back matter (the handy information at the end of the book), with color photos of many of the people and incidents referenced throughout the book, a glossary of terms and sections for abbreviations and acronyms, references, journal, newspaper, and magazine articles, reports and press releases, and an index with links to each page number where that indexed entry is referenced. These resources will be particularly useful for students and academics writing essays or conducting research as well as for anyone who is interested into delving into the facts of the poaching crisis and illegal wildlife trades in Africa and Asia.
Further Reading:
For more on the poaching crisis, history of the ivory and rhino horn trades, as well as the types of individuals involved in poaching and wildlife trafficking, please visit the PoachingFacts website.
Although there is a book titled Operation Lock and the War on Rhino Poaching and written by John Hanks, one of the individuals involved in the operation detailed in Killing for Profit, we cannot verify the statements and claims that are made, so we cannot recommend Operation Lock, available on Kindle, to readers or scholars at this time.
Those looking for nonfiction or investigative journalism covering similar themes will appreciate Jacques Pauw's Rat Roads: One Man's Incredible Journey, The President's Keepers: Those Keeping Zuma in Power and Out of Prison, and Dances with Devils: A Journalist's Search for Truth as well as Johann van Loggerenberg's Rogue: The Inside Story of SARS's Elite Crime-busting Unit and Joshua Horwitz's War of the Whales: A True Story.
Elephant expert Dr. Caitlin O'Connell’s non-fiction works and mystery thriller series will also be of interest to various audiences. Another conservationist and expert on elephants, Cynthia Moss, has textbooks and other non-fiction offerings great for students, academics, and any reader wanting in-depth information on elephant behavior.
Kimberli A. Bindschatel also has a fiction thriller series with an emphasis on poaching.
Readers looking for lighter reading relating to life with African wildlife are sure to enjoy the nonfiction memoirs from Lawrence Anthony, Kobie Krüger, Daphne Sheldrick, and Gareth Patterson.
Taken chapter by chapter Killing for Profit allows the reader to dive into their choice of segments of the illicit trade in wildlife parts. It begins with a brief history of the rhino horn trade then goes into substantial detail about a failed attempt by conservationists to understand the trade and forcibly stop poachers (Operation Lock). The fraudulent trophy hunts and the disgusting canned hunting groups participating in the big cat bone trade may bring into focus for many people the depths to which people will go in order to turn a profit. Killing for Profit then examines snapshots of the lives and work of the mid-level traffickers, the regional syndicates, cross-border smugglers, and finally the people at the top orchestrating the logistics of international smuggling, bribery, and wholesaling.
The format of the book leans heavily on its investigative journalism background, favoring direct quotes and chapters full of evidence-based facts. This formula allows the reader to be informed and draw their own conclusions, but provides little in the way of a smooth narrative or convenient “sound-bites” to encourage joining an entrenched position on the topic of wildlife crime. Although some readers may feel compelled to set the book aside and not come back to it, it’s easy enough to skip to a specific chapter of interest and jump straight in. Ultimately this book is of incredible importance to understanding and raising awareness of the rampant corruption devastating many countries around the world. Therefore it’s important that even those who have a difficult time with the subject matter or the format read at least a couple of chapters that stick out to them to understand that this crisis can be ended.
Although Killing for Profit makes no definitive statements about how to go about ending the poaching crisis, or the larger decline in wildlife populations, it should become clear to the reader by the end of the book that there are already several solutions, and trade restrictions, in place which need only to be strengthened through resolve and strong leadership from effected regional and national governments through the support of their citizens. It should also be clear that education and awareness, stamping out corruption, uplifting the disadvantaged and impoverished individuals and families who are exploited by criminal syndicates, and cracking down on known criminals are essential steps in preventing the illegal wildlife trade and insuring the future of keystone species, vital to tourism revenue in southern Africa.
Although it’s listed as having 346 pages, the book is actually quite short. Approximately 25% of Killing for Profit is dedicated to back matter (the handy information at the end of the book), with color photos of many of the people and incidents referenced throughout the book, a glossary of terms and sections for abbreviations and acronyms, references, journal, newspaper, and magazine articles, reports and press releases, and an index with links to each page number where that indexed entry is referenced. These resources will be particularly useful for students and academics writing essays or conducting research as well as for anyone who is interested into delving into the facts of the poaching crisis and illegal wildlife trades in Africa and Asia.
Further Reading:
For more on the poaching crisis, history of the ivory and rhino horn trades, as well as the types of individuals involved in poaching and wildlife trafficking, please visit the PoachingFacts website.
Although there is a book titled Operation Lock and the War on Rhino Poaching and written by John Hanks, one of the individuals involved in the operation detailed in Killing for Profit, we cannot verify the statements and claims that are made, so we cannot recommend Operation Lock, available on Kindle, to readers or scholars at this time.
Those looking for nonfiction or investigative journalism covering similar themes will appreciate Jacques Pauw's Rat Roads: One Man's Incredible Journey, The President's Keepers: Those Keeping Zuma in Power and Out of Prison, and Dances with Devils: A Journalist's Search for Truth as well as Johann van Loggerenberg's Rogue: The Inside Story of SARS's Elite Crime-busting Unit and Joshua Horwitz's War of the Whales: A True Story.
Elephant expert Dr. Caitlin O'Connell’s non-fiction works and mystery thriller series will also be of interest to various audiences. Another conservationist and expert on elephants, Cynthia Moss, has textbooks and other non-fiction offerings great for students, academics, and any reader wanting in-depth information on elephant behavior.
Kimberli A. Bindschatel also has a fiction thriller series with an emphasis on poaching.
Readers looking for lighter reading relating to life with African wildlife are sure to enjoy the nonfiction memoirs from Lawrence Anthony, Kobie Krüger, Daphne Sheldrick, and Gareth Patterson.
May 2, 2021
This is an exceptional piece of investigative journalism. I was impressed at the depth of the investigation and the manner in which the author chose to approach this topic. From Southern Africa to Southeast Asia, Rademeyer sought to explore every end of the supply chain for rhino horn and did so quite well. His examination of poachers, vendors, kingpins, and intermediaries was fascinating. It really shows how corruption, loopholes, and greed perpetuate the destruction of a magnificent species. I learned a great deal from this book (though by now, almost ten years after publication, it is a bit dated information) and think it is an important read for anyone curious about wildlife trafficking in general, but especially rhino horn trafficking.
My main complaint with this book was that it seemed unorganized. There was obviously a structure and the author connected certain chapters with each other quite well, but at times, I became confused with various names thrown about and having to guess whether one chapter was directly related to the subsequent one. Grouping the chapters under sub-headings might have been useful here, to help the reader distinguish the various threads of the investigation. It's a long investigative journalism piece and can be confusing when the links (or absence thereof) between chapters is not delineated clearly enough.
Overall, though, it was a good and informative read, though perhaps a bit poorly structured and unorganized. I can see where this book would have been groundbreaking and insightful, because it shines a light on the various parts of the supply chain and how they involve people at all sectors of society, from poverty-stricken individuals in Mozambique to Vietnamese diplomats. Still, the tragedy of what happens to the rhinos is present and felt throughout the book. This isn't just about economics or crime or politics - it is about a special creature whose very existence is being threatened by the predations of organized crime.
My main complaint with this book was that it seemed unorganized. There was obviously a structure and the author connected certain chapters with each other quite well, but at times, I became confused with various names thrown about and having to guess whether one chapter was directly related to the subsequent one. Grouping the chapters under sub-headings might have been useful here, to help the reader distinguish the various threads of the investigation. It's a long investigative journalism piece and can be confusing when the links (or absence thereof) between chapters is not delineated clearly enough.
Overall, though, it was a good and informative read, though perhaps a bit poorly structured and unorganized. I can see where this book would have been groundbreaking and insightful, because it shines a light on the various parts of the supply chain and how they involve people at all sectors of society, from poverty-stricken individuals in Mozambique to Vietnamese diplomats. Still, the tragedy of what happens to the rhinos is present and felt throughout the book. This isn't just about economics or crime or politics - it is about a special creature whose very existence is being threatened by the predations of organized crime.
March 25, 2019
Best quote of the book I feel - “In Vietnam, it(Rhino Horn) has become a party drug for the wealthy and a panacea for the rich. And yet, it offers no real scientific benefits. Its value is artificial, founded on myth and propagated by greed” – Julian Rademeyer
Heart wrenching, anguishing and gritty book that made by cry like anything.
A read of in-depth investigation which let you know about the shocking heights of corruption and greed which causing an increase cases of rhino poaching every year and threat to Rhino's existence in the world. #MustRead #StopPoaching #KillingForProfit #JulianRademeyer
Heart wrenching, anguishing and gritty book that made by cry like anything.
A read of in-depth investigation which let you know about the shocking heights of corruption and greed which causing an increase cases of rhino poaching every year and threat to Rhino's existence in the world. #MustRead #StopPoaching #KillingForProfit #JulianRademeyer
October 25, 2017
Great book, not a moment was boring. Overall a bit sad to read, you realise as an individual there's little you can do, but it's good that this book exists to try to educate people about the scale of the problem.
Some of the chapters didn't flow as a unit and had bits of irrelevant details, perhaps the author was trying to pad each chapter out to an even 20 pages, I'm not sure.
Some of the chapters didn't flow as a unit and had bits of irrelevant details, perhaps the author was trying to pad each chapter out to an even 20 pages, I'm not sure.
July 28, 2021
An in-depth, non-emotive exposé of the rhino trade, from Asia to Africa. This investigative journalism is superb. I read this after a trip to Kruger National Park, it highlighted the human issues behind this emotive conservation issue.
January 17, 2022
Enjoyed learning about something I didn’t know much about. While a bit disjointed at times, it told a comprehensive story of how the trade in rhino horn works and what drives it. Reading it almost a decade after it was published did mean that it felt dated; I’m sure much has changed since.
April 13, 2018
Sad indightment of how SA troops stripped Angola of wildlife
April 25, 2020
An opener concerning the black market around rhino horns. With shocking revelations this is one of the books one should read in regards to illegal trade.
March 31, 2022
This was incredibly sad, I honestly couldn't get through it without crying.
July 24, 2022
Quite informative but very dull and dry. Does not do well with keeping the attention to the reader.
March 19, 2024
A sad and true reality of something that were still faced with. Its just far worst nowdays.
April 25, 2013
A good book on a bad subject.
Impeccably researched, this is a depressing historical account of how the South African Army, its (Apartheid-era government), unprincipled South African land-owners, corrupt cops, hungry Mozambican and Zimbabwean poachers, Vietnamese diplomats, Thai thugs and prostitutes, a Laotian mafia boss protected by his country's government, and many other sordid characters have conspired one way or another over the past 3 decades to all but wipe out Southern Africa's rhino population.
The account reads like a novel but I wish it didn't. I also wish I could recommend it more enthusiastically.
Impeccably researched, this is a depressing historical account of how the South African Army, its (Apartheid-era government), unprincipled South African land-owners, corrupt cops, hungry Mozambican and Zimbabwean poachers, Vietnamese diplomats, Thai thugs and prostitutes, a Laotian mafia boss protected by his country's government, and many other sordid characters have conspired one way or another over the past 3 decades to all but wipe out Southern Africa's rhino population.
The account reads like a novel but I wish it didn't. I also wish I could recommend it more enthusiastically.
December 30, 2013
This books is very detailed and includes a lot of background information but is still easy to follow and digest all of the data. it really opened my eyes to the severity of rhino poaching and how deep and widespread the issue is. It really hit home for me as I read it during my stay in rural South Africa and was able to see first hand how devastating the poaching is and how depleted populations are. This book is a must read, it is a great starting point if you are interested in becoming more informed on the issue.
January 19, 2015
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1UQM7Z3... - An accurate take on the book... It's not necessarily an easy read as it confronts you with the hard reality of a criminal business that involves so many layers of the society from the participating countries (and ours is not left out...). Knowing the details is crucial in order to make any progress in fighting their preservation and the preservation of any other big and small game species...
February 7, 2013
This is a must read! A warning though - it's not a pleasant read and at times it made my stomach turn. I can't believe the cruelty inflicted on these animals, but then one only has to look around to see what man is doing to his fellow species and it becomes believable. The killing of rhinos can only be put down to greed and there are so many levels of society involved in this.
June 21, 2015
a well-written, engaging, and solid book. the non-linear narrative resolves into a story built of concentric circles of greed and corruption (both pre and post apartheid), collusion at all levels and across nations (and races), and the blatant arrogance of humans towards animals. the concentric circles of narrative show us the circles of hell humanity has become in the face of money.
November 4, 2013
The terrible background to the war against rhino poaching. Made me despair.
January 2, 2013
The Traffic of the rhino horn trade
February 21, 2013
The only book on the market about rhino poaching worth reading at present. Some surprising facts about people involved.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews