Report Identifies Role-Players in South African Wildlife Crime

Game rangers, vets, casino staff, construction and transport industry workers, as well as customs and other government officials, have been identified as role-players in the ecosystem of illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products according to a report by the South African Anti-Money Laundering Integrated Task Force (SAMLIT).

In a statement, the SAMLIT said the various actors, and the methods they used for illegal wildlife trade (IWT), have been captured in a report compiled by an expert working group. The SAMLIT working group focused on the money flows related to this trade.

"Valued at anywhere between U.S.$7 and U.S.$23 billion per annum, illegal wildlife trade is quoted by the World Economic Forum as one of the most profitable criminal enterprises worldwide, alongside arms dealing, drugs, and human trafficking, yet it lacks prominence as a financial crime," the report read.

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Tourists on safari in the Kruger National Park (file photo).

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