The People Beyond the Poaching Interviews with convicted wildlife offenders in South Africa

A summary of the findings from the interviews is published today in The People Beyond the Poaching: Interviews with convicted offenders in South Africa.

Almost three-quarters of offenders had been imprisoned for rhino-related crimes, the remainder for abalone- and cycad-related offences.

More than half of the offenders said they participated in the initial stages of the supply chain—specifically the poaching of the wildlife. Other activities included the transport, processing and storage, recruitment of others, and the sale of the wildlife commodity to buyers/intermediaries.

Most offenders had low education levels and were either unemployed or informally employed prior to their involvement in crime. A variety of reasons led offenders to become involved in illegal wildlife trade, one frequent motivation being a desire to provide for their families given the lack of viable legal economic alternatives.

According to one offender interviewed for the study: “Yes, I was fully aware that my decision was illegal, but I was encouraged to take the risk in order to make ends meet for my family.”

Another summarised his predicament as follows: “But you know, if I were working, I would not have gone and done this. It’s just sometimes when you are in [a] tough situation, you resort to desperate measures.”

While another simply said: “There is no money where I am from. That’s why I was tempted.”

Other reasons included a desire to emulate the lifestyle of their peers who profited from wildlife crime or those who gave into peer pressure. According to one of the offenders:

“It was peer pressure that got me into this. My friends were older than me and they used to poach. They were driving cars and I wished to be like them. I felt bad because I was always with them and I did not match their standard, so I ended up doing illegal things. I wished I could be like them, but I was fooled, and I regret what I did.”

Likewise, many of those interviewed also regretted their actions—in particular, the impact on their immediate family.

Simple messages underlining the often-unreported personal consequences on both offenders and their families could be used to deter individuals from engaging in illegal wildlife trade”

Sadé Moneron, a Research Officer with TRAFFIC and author of the new study.

Most of those interviewed had been recruited by individuals further up the criminal supply chain and any significant disruption of criminal activity needs to target those high-level players benefitting the most from illegal wildlife trade. According to the study “it is paramount that the arrests and prosecutions of such individuals increase.”

Meanwhile addressing the underlying lack of economic opportunities for the poorest members of society is also critical.

“The findings highlight the need for multi-pronged approaches that prioritise the provision of basic services and economic opportunities to communities most at risk of being exploited by criminal networks for illegal wildlife trade. There is a need to engage these communities as equal partners in identifying and defining solutions and interventions to prevent and combat engagement in illegal activities,” said Moneron.