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Enforcement on the ground
Generally speaking, apes are captured in traps, through the
use of drugged darts, poisoned bait, or traditional hunt-
ing methods. Apes are also captured while they raid crops,
and infants are sometimes captured by hunters looking for
bushmeat. Because these activities are so dispersed, patrols
intending to encounter and arrest poachers are unlikely to be
successful, although they can act as monitoring of the activi-
ties that threaten great apes, such as logging, mining, and the
setting of fires and traps.
There are however traditional anti-poaching tactics that can be
applied. When trappers carry out reconnaissance, set or check
traps, and transport the live apes, they tend to leave behind trail
signs, often leading from the trap directly to the suspect. Fol-
lowing these signs can help to uncover the identity of the buy-
ers and traffickers, either through police questioning or, more
effectively, through surveillance.
It is also important for law enforcement efforts to focus on the
sale of apes in markets, streets, on the Internet, or through or-
ganized wildlife traffickers.
CONCLUSION: PROTECTING
GREAT APES – CHALLENGES
AND OPPORTUNITIES
Customs and anti-smuggling
As the transportation of live wildlife is far more complex than
the smuggling of drugs, ivory or rhino horn, the chances of
interception are much higher. The most appropriate option
is for national customs authorities to establish special anti-
smuggling units that work in cooperation with criminal intel-
ligence units, to investigate all forms of contraband by inspect-
ing non-commercial flights from smaller airstrips that are not
subject to regular inspections. Similar units should be tasked
with monitoring road traffic and river traffic, and to regularly
inspect boats and vessels at major ports.
Organized crime and investigation
Because wildlife trafficking is a trans-boundary issue, a coher-
ent international effort is needed in order to effectively address
it. The ICCWC was launched in 2010 to meet this demand, and
began by focusing on the illegal tiger trade (
see page 13 for more
information on the ICCWC
).
Indeed, a structure to combat illegal wildlife trade is, in princi-
ple, no different from the one needed to combat any other form
Unless the ban on illegal trade of wildlife is enforced according to the CITES Conven-
tion, it is likely to continue unchecked. Indeed, action is required by CITES, the Par-
ties to the Convention, the national and international law enforcement community, as
well as national prosecutors if wildlife trafficking is to be tackled effectively. Currently,
seizures are predominantly made at customs check points or when arranged by NGOs,
and because enforcement mechanisms are not in place anywhere else along the trade
chain, these seizures have proven to be ineffective in combating the trade.