Wednesday 20 May | 6.30pm (Drinks 5.30pm)
Babbage Lecture Theatre, Cambridge
‘The Hunt: Into the Grey’ follows journalist Sarah Roberts on an unexpected journey into one of conservation’s most divisive debates. What begins as a personal reckoning with trophy hunting evolves into a nuanced exploration of morality, survival, and the fragile balance between people and wildlife.
A drinks reception will take place in the David Attenborough Building – home of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative – at 5.30pm, before the screening in the Babbage Lecture Theatre at 6.30pm.
Rather than offering easy answers, the film explores how conservation decisions are shaped by competing values, lived realities, scientific evidence, and global public opinion. From community leaders in Namibia to activists in London and scientists in Oxford, Sarah encounters voices rarely heard in the same conversation, each challenging her assumptions in surprising and, at times, uncomfortable ways. Provocative, unflinching, and deeply human, the film asks a difficult question: could practices we instinctively reject sometimes play a role in protecting the very ecosystems we seek to preserve?
Join us for a special screening and live panel discussion, hosted by Sarah, at the Babbage Lecture Theatre – part of the David Attenborough Building, the home of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative. These conversations are designed to cut through the noise, challenge assumptions, and open up space for honest dialogue, fresh perspectives, and unexpected common ground. The intention is not to reach consensus necessarily, but to create space for thoughtful discussion around the ethical, ecological, social, and political complexities surrounding conservation and wildlife use.
Register using the form below
About the speakers
Sarah Roberts is an environmental journalist with a background in animal behaviour, specialising in large predators. Her work focuses on communicating complex and often controversial issues, from shark fishing to carbon storage, to broad audiences. She is also a globally published children’s author and regularly works in schools worldwide. Through her storytelling, Sarah aims to open a dialogue on challenging topics and foster collaboration across divides to support meaningful conservation outcomes.
Dr Dilys Roe leads IIED’s work on biodiversity and conservation. Dilys’ work focuses on human dimensions of conservation– including understanding and supporting the necessary conditions for effective community-based conservation, enhancing community voices in conservation policymaking and strategies for linking biodiversity conservation with poverty reduction and social justice; and on biodiversity mainstreaming – ensuring biodiversity values are reflected in development and climate change policy and decision making. Dilys is chair of the IUCN Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULi); Vice- Chair of the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management (CPW) and a member of the UK government Darwin Expert Committee (DEC).
Dr Charles Emogor is a 2024 Schmidt Science (Postdoctoral) Fellow at John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University and Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge. Charles uses machine learning to analyse decades of wildlife poaching data from African protected areas (mainly national parks), aiming to improve ranger patrol effectiveness, while also assessing the impacts of improved patrol efficiency on the wellbeing of local communities that hunt wild animals. Charles is also passionate about increasing local community involvement in conservation, mentoring the next generation of African conservation biologists, and improving representation in academic science.
Willem Badenhorst is a Professional Hunter from South Africa. Willem was injured after a shoot out working in antipoaching near Kruger. He has over a decade of experience working on the ground, managing large game reserves, safari guiding, overseeing culls, reintroduction of species and leading professional hunts.
Dr Molly Brown is a Wildlife Use and Trade Programme Officer at the IUCN, working on a GEF-funded project aiming to revolutionise indicators for monitoring wildlife use and trade. In 2025, Molly completed her PhD at the University of York focusing on understanding ivory demand in China, and she also holds an MSc in Conservation Management of African Ecosystems from the University of Glasgow, and an undergraduate degree in Chinese Studies. During her PhD, Molly collaborated on a BBC Radio 4 play and an ivory exhibition with the National Trust for Scotland, where explored the nuances of human relationships with ivory for wider UK audiences to learn about the complexities of wildlife use and trade.
