OPERATION LOCK AND THE WAR ON RHINO POACHING

298pp., b/w & colour illus., paperback, Cape Town, 2015

Foreword by Nicky Oppenheimer.

British zoologist and conservationist Dr John Hanks, head of WWF Africa at the time, was  involved in Operation Lock (1987-1990), a secret initiative funded by Prince Bernhard and staffed by former SAS operatives. With headquarters in Johannesburg, the operation extended into Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Swaziland and Mozambique. It's operatives planned to train game rangers, pose as rhino horn traders in order to entrap buyers and expose those driving the trade. When the existence of the project was leaked in 1990, WWF denied any involvement and John Hanks took the fall.

John Hanks has over 45 years of experience in conservation management and research projects in several African countries. He has held a number of important positions: Chief Professional Officer for the Natal Parks Board; Professor and Head of the Department of Biological Sciences, then the first Director of the Institute of Natural Resources at the University of Natal; Director of the Africa Program for WWF International; Chief Executive of WWF-South Africa, and Executive Director of the Peace Parks Foundation.