Outpacing wildlife traffickers through regional action

Enforcement officials must balance preserving the legal chain of custody for prosecution with ensuring the immediate welfare of confiscated animals. This underscores the urgent need for regional standard operating procedures, alongside continued capacity building for frontline officers.

WTI led a session on strengthening operational frameworks between the SAWEN member countries and focusing on mutual trust-building and intelligence-sharing.

Also in support, IFAW has already delivered training sessions in Nepal and Sri Lanka, equipping enforcement officials with the skills and tools needed to safely handle and care for live animals seized in trafficking operations. Through these efforts, animal welfare remains at the centre of frontline responses, improving survival outcomes for rescued wildlife.

This meeting has already led to tangible next steps, leading to structured, long-term collaboration between SAWEN, WTI, and IFAW that can support these nations in addressing the operational challenges they face.

One immediate outcome is a new informal collaboration with Sri Lankan customs. Authorities will share URLs of illegal wildlife listings that are difficult to remove, and IFAW will leverage its relationships with online platforms, including through the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online and our role as a Trusted Flagger in the EU, to support their removal. This approach could evolve into a formal mechanism for tackling online wildlife crime across the region.

Another key outcome is IFAW's commitment to provide in-person operational mentoring that will strengthen WTI's cybercrime team through hands-on support and the introduction of structured, ethical, and transparent investigative frameworks.