Wildlife crime forensics film shortlisted for award

The 12-minute film ‘Crime Scene to Courtroom’ explains how TRACE wildlife forensic network is working with law enforcement officials in Malawi to use forensic science techniques to help successfully prosecute poachers who target Malawi’s wild animals.

Explaining on screen how forensic science helps to protect Malawi’s wildlife, Dr Julius Chulu, Director, Department of Animal Health and Livestock Development, says: “Malawi has all the big five, but because of poaching most of them were almost extinct. We are going to make as much noise as we can so that people know that once we catch you, we are going to trace where you got that wildlife specimen from.”

Thanks to funding raised by players of the Postcode Lottery, law enforcement officials are using forensic science to analyse DNA found in evidence from crime scenes, for example where a poaching event took place.

Having a [forensic] facility in Malawi will help us a lot because we won’t have any challenges again with the defence counsel in court.”

Prosecutor and Senior Assistant Wildlife Officer, Bertha Chipanda.

“We say only elephants wear ivory in our land. They [poachers] should know, we are not sleeping. We are working 24-7 to protect these species.”

The film was shot and produced by a team from TRACE and Postcode Lottery.

Daniel Warren, Film Director and Deputy Head of Creative at Postcode Lottery, said:” Being shortlisted for this well-respected award is a wonderful recognition of the quality of work we have been producing at Postcode Lottery bringing our charities’ untold stories to life through visual storytelling.”

Support from players of Postcode Lottery is enabling TRACE and TRAFFIC to tackle the illegal wildlife trade in southern Africa and beyond.

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at Postcode Lottery, said: “To save wildlife, traffickers must be caught and successfully prosecuted. The funding raised by our players is essential in supporting wildlife forensics efforts, which help to provide strong evidence needed in courts.”

In a devastating blow, the first person to appear in the film, TRAFFIC wildlife crime expert Adam Pires, unexpectedly died just weeks after recording the footage. Adam dedicated his life to fighting illegal wildlife trade.

David Newton, TRAFFIC Programme Office Director for southern African and Adam’s friend, said: “For us the shortlisting of this film for a tve Global Sustainability Film Award is a real tribute to Adam and the many years he spent protecting nature and biodiversity through stopping wildlife crime.

As Adam says in the film, wildlife crime is a serious, global and transnational issue. I think he would be pleased that this issue, about which he cared so deeply, is receiving renewed attention and reaching new audiences.”

David Newton, TRAFFIC Programme Office Director for southern AfricanThe winners of the tve Global Sustainability Film Awards will be announced on 11 December 2024 at an event hosted at BAFTA.