*EPF308 10/06/2004
Wildlife Conservationists Must Challenge Organized Crime
(Officers honored for efforts to enforce restrictions, stop illegal trade) (570)

Washington -- Illicit trade in wildlife is a high-profit, underground activity, increasingly involving organized criminal networks using sophisticated technology and equipment, fraudulent trade permits, and violent tactics in response to citizens or law enforcement officials who attempt to stand in their way.

That grim reality is part of the complex task of protecting wildlife as described at a major international meeting on endangered species in Bangkok, Thailand.

A group including both wildlife enforcement officers and customs authorities has been working for two years to study the extent of criminal activity involving illicit trade in plants and animals. In presenting those findings to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Flora and Fauna (CITES), the law enforcement group urges national governments to adopt a greater recognition of wildlife crime and a greater commitment to combat it.

According to an October 5 CITES press release, the panel also recommends increases in the resources, status and training given to wildlife law enforcement; greater international and regional cooperation in investigations; and greater access to forensic science in the investigative process.

"We are in danger of losing the war against wildlife crime, especially for some very rare animals and plants," said CITES Secretary-General Willem Wijnstekers, "unless modern professional law enforcement techniques are directed against criminals who care for nothing but profit, who exploit some of the world's poorest communities and take advantage of periods of civil unrest and instability."

The potential for profit is great, with some wildlife commodities fetching more per kilo than cocaine or heroin, according to the press release.

At the same time as these concerns are being discussed at the CITES meeting, nongovernmental groups dedicated to wildlife conservation are working to recognize the contributions individual wildlife law enforcement officers are making to protect plants and animals and stop illicit trade.

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and the Species Survival Network, two prominent conservation groups, are honoring wildlife officers from Cambodia, Kenya, Thailand, Tibet and the United States for their contributions to wildlife protection.

"Dedicated wildlife law enforcement officers across the globe battle behind the scenes every day to conserve wildlife, save individual animals from cruelty, and apprehend unconscionable poachers and profiteers," said Adam Roberts, executive director of the AWI.

Senior Wildlife Inspector Sheila Einsweiler of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is among the honorees. She has worked at the port of Los Angeles, the United States' second busiest port, detecting illegal shipments of wildlife. A biologist in training, she has also conducted training for other wildlife officers in China, India, Bangladesh, Russia and Madagascar.

The Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Lhasa was also recognized October 5 for investigating the largest-ever seizure tiger and leopard skins in Tibet. The bureau was able to discover the inner workings of a black-market trading group and track the origins of more than 600 intercepted skins.

The conservation organizations also honored the contributions of two law enforcement officers in host nation Thailand. Police Major General Sawake Pinsinchai of the Royal Thai Police led successful raids targeting illegal wildlife dealers and groups engaged in illegal captive breeding of tigers, orangutans and other endangered species. Thanit Palasuwan with the Thai Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has worked in wildlife trafficking investigations involving more than 9,000 birds, 12,000 reptiles and 125 protected mammals.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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