TRAFFIC and Postcode Lottery players: Joining forces to Fight Wildlife Crime

Players of the Postcode Lottery are helping strengthen crucial action to stop illegal wildlife trade. 

Thanks to the funding raised by players, TRAFFIC is able to boost efforts to combat wildlife crime, protecting wild animals and plants, supporting precious ecosystems and the local communities who depend on them. 

Specifically, players help bring cutting edge forensic technology right to the frontline of wildlife crime — and raise awareness of wildlife trade in the UK and beyond. 

On forensics, TRAFFIC partners with TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network, to empower scientists and law enforcement officers with advanced skills and techniques to protect Africa’s wildlife. The incredible support from Postcode Lottery players directly resulted in establishing and equipping Malawi's first wildlife forensics lab. In Zimbabwe, it enabled a breakthrough at the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, where DNA traced to an individual lion led to a successful prosecution of wildlife crime. 

Funding from players of the Postcode Lottery also enables thousands of adults and children to learn about the surprising extent of wildlife trade. Back in the UK, this includes a wildlife trade trail – from eels to red pandas – a partnership between TRAFFIC and the Cambridge Museum of Zoology. 

We would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to players of the Postcode Lottery and the Postcode Animal Trust. You have raised £2.1M to tackle wildlife trafficking across oceans, forests and continents, protecting the biodiversity on which we all depend.