Innovative online courses available for law enforcement officers handling seized wildlife

(Washington D.C. – 05 December 2023) – Law enforcement agencies around the world can apply to a groundbreaking online learning program to gain critical knowledge on how to safely and humanely handle live animals confiscated in illegal trade.

“Wildlife trafficking is a rampant, multi-billion dollar illicit trade that threatens the survival of an ever-growing list of wild animal species,” said Loïs Lelanchon, Head of Program for Wildlife Rescue at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

“More and more, frontline enforcement officers report they encounter live animals  smuggled across borders in deplorable conditions. Whether animals are stuffed into water bottles or tied up in a plastic box, it is imperative these officers are trained to handle them while preserving any evidence needed to prosecute the traffickers,” he continued.

The online learning program is divided into two courses that build knowledge in the law enforcement sector to safely and humanely confiscate live animals. Each course is or will soon be available in English, French, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, and Somali to maximise accessibility for global enforcement agencies.

“This comprehensive set of e-learning courses addresses a knowledge gap for front-line law enforcement officers tasked with ensuring animals remain alive for evidentiary purposes and successful prosecutions. Providing these materials in multiple languages means these documents are accessible for law enforcement agencies globally, significantly increasing the project’s impact” said Lisa Spratt, Division Chief for Combatting Wildlife Trafficking at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

The first course raises awareness amongst law enforcement decision-makers and administrators about wildlife trafficking and the specific challenges officers under their command face when dealing with live animal seizures.

The second course provides practical guidance to frontline officers on how to safely and humanely handle live animals in daily enforcement operations. A key aspect of this program is to address biosafety risks, such as the exposure and transfer of zoonotic diseases. Trafficked wild animals are under intense stress and animals that are sick, carrying diseases and pathogens can contaminate people, and wild or domestic animals.

This program is only available to authorized law enforcement agencies and will be hosted through IFAW’s Academy of Rescue and Conservation. The courses are part of the Confiscated Animals – Rescue and Enforcement (CARE) project, an initiative made possible by the support of the US Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). The project, developed by IFAW, operates in partnership with Jakarta Animal Aid Network, the Jane Goodall Institute, and Legal Atlas.

The translations to Arabic and Somali have been made possible by funding from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, as part of the Countering Cheetah Trafficking from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula project led by African Wildlife Foundation and executed together with IFAW. 

ENDS

For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Stacey Hedman
Communications Director 
+1 508 737 2558
shedman@ifaw.org