Counter Wildlife Crime

Wildlife rangers from Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, and Panthera trek through dense undergrowth in Thailand

Panthera’s Counter Wildlife Crime staff works across the globe to implement state-of-the-art solutions to mitigate poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. From Central America to Southeast Asia, Panthera staff are at the front lines of wildlife conservation, boots-on-the-ground and researchers alike, to safeguard wild cats and their habitats.

What Is Counter Wildlife Crime?

Counter wildlife crime is the combination of monitoring poaching and the functioning of illegal wildlife trade across the planet. Often involving collaboration between numerous NGOs and governments, it requires careful, strategic operations among conservation players. People involved in counter wildlife crime include rangers, law enforcement, scientists and legislators.

What Role Does Panthera Play?

Panthera conducts counter wildlife crime research and operations in numerous locations. To protect wild cats, we:

  • Research and monitor the trade:
    • Understanding the depth and breadth of the global Illegal Wildlife Trade
    • Tracking trafficking patterns and trends and sharing data with partners
    • Working with governments to plug capacity gaps
  • Reduce poaching at the source:
    • Training and supporting elite anti-poaching teams
    • Promoting stronger judicial actions to effectively prosecute and sentence poachers and traffickers
  • Disrupt transit and the Illegal Wildlife Trade market:
    • Training law enforcement, checkpoint officers, airport workers and other frontline staff to detect wildlife trafficking
    • Producing communication materials in multiple languages on the illegality of buying or selling wildlife parts

What Is SMART?

SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) is cutting-edge technology used to monitor poaching activities and respond effectively. Developed by a consortium of NGOs, SMART is an accessible computer-based platform used to measure, evaluate and improve the effectiveness of wildlife law enforcement patrols.

Critical data is collected by anti-poaching teams and researchers in the field using ruggedized mobile devices. This data includes:

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The location of patrol efforts

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Patrol outcomes such as arrests, snares removed and guns confiscated

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Illegal activities such as poaching, logging and setting snares

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Signs, behaviors and locations of key wildlife populations

Our Impact

Panthera works to halt the insidious threat of poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. Some of our work and successes include: