Hello and welcome back to Rewildology, the show all about conservation, travel, and rewilding the planet. I’m your host, Brooke Mitchell-Norman, conservation biologist and adventure traveler.
Before we dive into today’s show, I have a big announcement for you all! For months I’ve been hearing from you all that I really need to design some merch for the podcast. Well, I’m happy to report that I’ve finally delivered! Head on over to rewildology.com/shop to check out the first round of Rewildology merch. When you buy, you will feel great knowing that I spent a long time picking the most sustainable option available through my supplier, and at least 10% of proceeds are donated to the show’s conservation partners. It’s a total win/win! Be sure to tag Rewildology on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok, wherever, in your swag and I’ll be excited to share! Can’t wait to see your awesome photos!
Click here to shop: Shop
Alright, that’s all for announcements. Let’s get to today’s show.
I’m sure if you’re active on social media or like to watch nature documentaries, you’ve seen footage of adorable baby rhinos from orphanages that lost their mother due to poaching. You get all the warm and fuzzies inside seeing how well they’re being cared for and feel inspired to help these babies. Very rarely do we take a step back and think about why they’re orphaned. What happened to their mother? What happened to the person that shot her? How were they persecuted? Were they ever persecuted? Why did they do it?
That’s the topic of today’s show. In this episode, I’m chatting with Andre Robberts, the founder of Enviro Crime Solutions. Formally an IT corporate 9 to 5’er, Andre found his passion for wildlife crime forensics while volunteering at Kruger National Park during his summer holiday. Instead of washing cars and pushing papers, he was asked to carry a rifle and bring in the South African police force to process outstanding rhino poaching cases. It was exhausting work, but he finished the cases and his life was born. Andre transitioned out of his corporate career and became an expert wildlife forensic investigator. He is one of the best in the world at what he does, and it’s all for his love of alive and thriving rhinos.
If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, then you’re well aware that we’re not scared to talk about uncomfortable or controversial topics, and today is one of those shows. I want to give a special warning that Andre and I talk in-depth about his work, and some stories are difficult to hear. They were hard for me to listen to while we were chatting, but I’m very grateful he shared them to give us a glimpse of how important his work is. All conservation roles are vital if we are going to keep rhinos alive.
Alrighty, everyone. Now onto my conversation with Andre.
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