Killing for Profit: Exposing the Illegal Rhino Horn Trade (65 page)

Chumlong Lemtongthai poses with a number of lionesses on another farm. It is unclear whether the animals are dead or sedated

One of the Thai men working with Chumlong Lemtongthai poses with a complete ‘set’ of lion bones

Members of the Xaysavang syndicate photographed in Bangkok with an illegal consignment of ivory

Punpitak Chunchom and hunting outfitter Juan Pace with a pile of money that is believed to have been payment for the first rhinos that the Xaysavang syndicate shot

Chumlong Lemtongthai

Marnus Steyl

Punpitak Chunchom

According to Johnny Olivier, Chumlong Lemtongthai described his business with these words: ‘We shoot, we cut, we weigh, then pay.’ Chumlong watches farm workers with knives removing a dead rhino’s horns

Punpitak Chunchom weighs a set of horns

A pile of cash drawn from ATMs at Emperors Palace Casino

A young Thai woman – one of the many allegedly recruited by the Xaysavang syndicate – poses with a rhino carcass

Game farmer Marnus Steyl poses with one of the Thai ‘recruits’. When I later tracked her down (INSET), the woman – who only wanted to be identified as ‘Wi’ – denied shooting any rhinos