South Africa: New Weapon in Fight Against Wildlife Crime Launched in Western Cape

analysis

A forensic academy in the Western Cape will make it easier to catch and prosecute poachers and other perpetrators of crimes against wildlife. The Wildlife Forensic Academy, a state-of-the-art forensic training institution aimed at protecting and preserving wildlife around the globe, was launched at Buffelsfontein Nature Reserve on the West Coast on Friday.

While forensic science has proven highly successful in helping catch perpetrators of human crimes -- with a single cell now being enough for forensic sleuths to form a DNA profile -- its potential in animal-related crimes remains largely untapped.

The Wildlife Forensic Academy (WFA) is a first-of-its-kind forensic training facility. It was launched on 13 May at Buffelsfontein Nature Reserve on the West Coast and will be another weapon in the fight against wildlife crime.

"It must be understood that in most cases, wildlife poaching is linked to organised crime. Using forensic evidence to bolster a criminal case can help combat poaching through increased prosecution levels, financial chain disruptions and thus reduce repetitive crimes," said director and co-founder of the WFA, Dr Greg Simpson.

According to Simpson, most wildlife crime scenes are entered, trampled and contaminated and key evidence is destroyed -- evidence which could assist in...

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