Fighting Wildlife Trafficking

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Fighting Wildlife Trafficking

A GLOBAL CRISIS THAT AFFECTS US ALL

Every day, animals are poached, smuggled, and sold - driven by demand for luxury goods, traditional medicine, exotic pets, and status symbols.

The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is one of the most lucrative criminal industries in the world. It spans continents, affecting countless species from elephants to pangolins, and ecosystems from tropical rainforests to coral reefs.

This crisis is urgent, vast, and growing, and it’s already claimed the future survival of countless millions of animals.

TOGETHER, WE CAN SAVE NATURE FROM WILDLIFE CRIME

Help us turbocharge protections nature urgently needs and fight back against wildlife traffickers.

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The Cost of Wildlife Crime

Wildlife trafficking doesn’t just decimate iconic species, it unravels entire ecosystems.

Traffickers are ruthless, desperate, and driven by greed. Roughly one African elephant is killed every 15 minutes, an average of 1,000 rhinos are hunted in South Africa every year, and poachers have left just 4,000 tigers in the wild.

But it's not just the famous wildlife that suffers - lesser-known species like helmeted hornbills, glass frogs, axolotyls, red pandas, and sea cucumbers are vanishing before most people even know they exist. And when species vanish, ecosystems collapse. Pollinators, seed dispersers, predators, they all play vital roles in keeping nature alive.

Behind these crimes is a web of organised criminal networks - traffickers, smugglers, and corrupt officials - fueling violence and ripping communities apart. The theft and loss of biodiversity affects food security, climate resilience, and the very future of our planet.

As our oceans and forests are emptied of their wildlife, the delicate balance that sustains life disappears alongside them.

HOW DO WE fight wildlife traffickers?

TRAFFIC is a global leader in tackling wildlife crime. Our work is rooted in science, driven by data, and powered by partnerships. With extra support, we can scale our work up even further to protect more species from trafficking and extinction.

Intelligence & Investigation

Mapping smuggling routes, weak points, and hotspots intercepts traffickers en route.
Supporting enforcement agencies with real-time data and tracking techniques catches criminals red-handed.

Policy & Enforcement

Equipping customs, border officials, wildlife rangers, and enforcement agents with the latest tools.
Working with governments to strengthen laws, deterrents, and punishments for traffickers.

Technology & Innovation

Develop and launch new tools to detect, prevent, and prosecute illegal trade.
Pioneering techniques like DNA forensics to trace origins of seized wildlife and hunt down criminal gangs.

Community & Collaboration

Partnering with local communities to reduce poaching and develop alternative livelihoods.
Collaborating with governments, NGOs, and businesses to change consumer behavior.

Wildlife crime is evolving. So must our response.

We need stronger laws, smarter technology, and deeper collaboration across borders. We need to empower communities to protect their wildlife and reduce demand through education and awareness. And we need to act fast.
Because extinction doesn’t wait.