Forensics training for rangers curbs wildlife crime in Kenya

How have the jobs of rangers evolved?

Traditionally, the role of a ranger was heavily militarised. Rangers carried rounds of ammunition and weaponry within protected areas to safeguard wild animals. They displayed an imposing presence, ready to make surprise raids on poachers. The job required manual skillsets, and one did not necessarily need higher levels of education or expertise in wildlife crime management.

As environmental threats such as climate change, human wildlife conflict, and habitat loss grew, rangers were also tasked to support the translocation of wildlife, facilitate rescue operations, respond to distress calls to help injured animals, and use technologies like GPS devices, drones, intelligence, and forensic analysis tools. Perceptions of community–ranger relations are also changing. Rangers today have a better interface with communities using dialogue, persuasion, and positive appeal.

Over time, human-induced threats facing wildlife have evolved. Poaching has expanded from a subsistence scale to a commercial endeavor, with illegal syndicates embracing sophisticated modern machinery, weapons, night vision binoculars, and species monitoring tools. These criminals have moved their operations to the digital space and become technical in terms of evading law enforcement networks. Poachers understand wildlife laws and know how to exploit legal and regulatory framework loopholes in their respective jurisdictions.

Consequently, wildlife crime cases often slip through the cracks due to weak enforcement systems or insufficient evidence because of poor scene of crime management by wildlife officers. When rangers, who are often the first responders after a wildlife crime incident, lack a clear understanding of court procedures, how to testify in court as a first responder, and basic crime scene management skills, judicial institutions are unable to adequately and expeditiously prosecute and convict cases.

Technical training empowers rangers

These clear gaps are why IFAW’s Wildlife Crime experts developed and facilitated four technical training workshops between September 2023 and April 2024 to empower law enforcement personnel, rangers, investigators, and judicial officers to ensure stricter apprehension, prosecution, and conviction of wildlife crime cases in East Africa.

These workshops have trained 80 wildlife rangers, investigators, and intelligence officers from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to be proficient first responders to wildlife crime scenes, upskilling them to accurately capture airtight crime evidence and present it in court. Investigators are taught how to secure the site using tape to avoid any evidence contamination and identify and collect relevant evidence such as spent cartridges, arrows, mobile phones, clothing, or any animals found on site. This evidence they gather gets stored inside contaminant-free bags to maintain the integrity of DNA evidence—123 of which IFAW donated to KWS last year—and delivered to the forensic lab at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, where wildlife species can be identified from samples of blood, skin, or hair.

For the most recent workshop this past April, IFAW partnered with the Kenya Wildlife Service, Wildlife Research and Training Institute, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to conduct technical training in Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks to upskill 40 law enforcement officers drawn from the Tsavo Conservation Area on crime scene analysis, preservation of forensic evidence, and its role in the investigation and prosecution of wildlife crime incidents.

The outcomes of these training workshops have been tremendous: In the first quarter of 2024 alone, 32 wildlife crime cases and 77 exhibits have been presented in court in Kenya. Already, 24 people have been accused of committing wildlife crimes and are currently awaiting prosecution. In the past, these cases would have been dropped due to lack of sufficient evidence from the crime scene.

Through these frequent workshops, IFAW is giving rangers a helping hand to navigate their constantly changing work, supporting them to acquire new skillsets and empowering them to protect Africa’s imperiled wildlife species. By helping the guardians of natural resources to protect elephants, lions, and giraffes, IFAW is safeguarding critical landscapes, giving wildlife ample Room to Roam to ensure that animals, people, and the planet can thrive.

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