Wildlife forensics: how science is helping to combat a billion-dollar organized crime industry
Another day at the airport, another routine inspection for a Customs Officer.
She finishes examining the contents of one shipment – nothing of note. But then, she spies a crate labeled ‘exotic reptiles.’
Suspicious, she opens the shipment and begins to search among the crates. And there, tucked away in a corner, is a collection of turtle shells and other wildlife products.
She pauses. Have these shells been trafficked?
Wildlife forensics
Enter wildlife forensics, which uses scientific analysis to support wildlife law enforcement. Similar to how human DNA would be used to investigate a homicide, non-human biological samples are collected and analyzed to investigate crimes like poaching, illegal fishing, wildlife trade, and more.
“We use scientific methods to investigate samples that could be used in a court of law,” Laetitia Waitara, a scientist working in Tanzania at the Tawiri government lab in Arusha, explains simply.
In the scenario above, under wildlife forensic procedures, evidence would be collected at the potential crime scene, transferred to a lab for forensic analysis, and used in the preparation and prosecution of a case in court.
Laetitia takes her job handling and analyzing evidence very seriously. “If we don’t ensure proper handling, then cases are dismissed,” she says. “It’s wasted time and money, and then the perpetrators walk free.”
The burden of proof
Around the world, countless species are being driven closer to extinction, in part due to wildlife crime. Criminals, meanwhile, are making billions from the sale of protected wildlife products – and becoming ever defter at avoiding detection.
“Wildlife crime has become more sophisticated, because there’s a lot of money involved,” explains Patrick Chiyo, manager of a laboratory in Uganda, that is supported by the UN Office for Drugs and Crime. “Perpetrators of wildlife crime now have new techniques to conceal what they’re actually trading.”
To counter this, Patrick continued, “more scientific methods are required. There’s a burden of proof upon people investigating or prosecuting a case to really show beyond a doubt that what we are dealing with is a rhino horn, an ivory tusk, etc.
“Without forensics, you can’t prosecute them, because you cannot prove otherwise that what they are presenting is an illegal wildlife product.”
The stakes are high for the forensics team to get it right.
“In Uganda, it’s life in prison if you are found with a rhino or ivory horn,” Patrick says gravely. “We have to be really sure that it’s ivory, for example, and not a bone from a cow or something else.”
Combating a “global epidemic”
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) supports national authorities to improve their forensic capacity and increase accessibility to wildlife forensic services, working closely with the NGO TRACE. Support is provided through the development of guidance material, delivery of training and mentorship, provision of equipment and consumables, fostering networking and cooperation, and developing Quality Management Systems.
“When we first started working in this area, we were bringing enforcement and scientific communities together, talking about the potential of forensic science for wildlife law enforcement,” said Sinead Brophy, expert with the UNODC Environment Team. “Now we are seeing the impact of our work, with forensic casework being done, and the results are strengthening investigations and prosecutions.”
UNODC is the lead on wildlife forensics for ICCWC (International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime), a partnership between UNODC, the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), INTERPOL, the World Bank, and the World Customs Organization. Through the Consortium, partner organizations ensure that their activities are coordinated.
For example, when UNODC and TRACE established the lab managed by Patrick at the Uganda Wildlife Authority, ICCWC partners were informed. INTERPOL then began to involve Patrick in its training of frontline officers, ensuring that officials in Uganda were aware of the forensic services available to them. “The lab in Uganda is very beneficial to the law enforcement agencies,” said Joel Lugaye Heri, Criminal Investigation Officer, INTERPOL. “The number of successful prosecutions is going up thanks to its work.”
In the days ahead, the Uganda lab will handle more casework. UNODC and TRACE will continue to bring countries and practitioners together, ensuring collaboration with ICCWC partners and national agencies, harnessing expertise and avoiding duplication.
This article was first published by UNODC here.
