Donate to help end illegal wildlife trade - WWF India

STOP ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE

Tiger, elephant, rhino, bear, pangolin, turtles and tortoises, birds such as owls, parakeets, munias etc and many other endangered wildlife species are adversely threatened by illegal wildlife trade in India and need urgent protection. The huge demand for wildlife species as exotic pets, for food consumption, black magic and for their perceived medicinal value has put them at great risk. This also increases the risk of transmission of zoonotic diseases among human populations.

Illegal wildlife trade has been ranked as fourth largest global crime by UNDOC. WWF has been working for last 50 years and in collaboration with TRAFFIC it is working to tackle the serious issue of poaching and Illegal Wildlife Trade. Our Wildlife Sniffer Dog squads, Deep Search Metal Detectors, forensic and investigation field kits, capacity building programmes are helping to curb crime against wildlife.

Let's END ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE for a healthy living planet!

YES, I WANT TO END ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE

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All donations to WWF-India are eligible for 50% tax relief under section 80G of the Income Tax Act,1961.

THE STAKES JUST GOT HIGHER

END WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING NOW!

2,359 TIGERS

seized from 2000 to 2018 across 32 countries and territories globally.

221–450 SNOW LEOPARDS

killed each year globally.

700,000 BIRDS

are trapped annually in India.

AN ESTIMATED 195,000 PANGOLINS

trafficked in 2019 and about 1 million in last decade globally.

1 MILLION SEAHORSES

are caught annually for aquarium trade.

At least 111,312 tortoises and turtles

illegally traded in India from 2009-2019

 

WHAT IS TRAFFIC?

TRAFFIC is a wildlife monitoring network and a strategic alliance of WWF and IUCN which came into existence in 1976. In India, it operates as a programme division of WWF India. TRAFFIC works closely with National and State governments, and various other agencies to curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade in India.

Under India's Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, trade in more than 1,800 species of animals, plants and their derivatives is prohibited. Specially trained wildlife sniffer dog squads are used to detect smuggling of wildlife contrabands and deter wildlife traffickers. These dog squads help prevent illegal wildlife trade in India.

THE WILDLIFE SNIFFER DOG TRAINING PROGRAMME

Illegal wildlife trade is an organised activity, which is only increasing every day, threatening the survival of many species in India and all over the world. With the current practices to end illegal wildlife activities proving to be insufficient to tackle the complexity and largeness of the problem, it is necessary that the best enforcement practices are deployed to address the issue. Using sniffer dogs to help minimize illegal wildlife trade is a long proven practice that has reaped significant benefits over the years.

In India, the wildlife sniffer dog training programme was started in 2008 by TRAFFIC India with support from WWF India. The programme has been beneficial to help curb illegal wildlife activites in the country, as a result of which more wildlife crime enforcement agencies are willing to join it. With more dogs being trained on a regular basis, TRAFFIC and WWF-India is looking to scale up this practice that has proven to be a strong barrier to prevent illicit wildlife trade in India.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF TRAFFIC INDIA

HOW YOUR CONTRIBUTION WILL HELP SAVE WILDLIFE

SUPER SNIFFERS, FIGHTING WILDLIFE CRIME

SUPER SNIFFERS, FIGHTING WILDLIFE CRIMEThe dogs trained under this programme are popularly known as Super Sniffers. They have been successful in seizing illegal wildlife products and nabbing poachers, thus acting as strong deterrents of illegal wildlife trade in India.

  • The sniffer dogs have successfully led more than 350 wildlife seizures
  • The Forest Departments of 20 states have deployed these dog squads and are already benefiting from the results!
  • DEPLOYING AGENCIES: In 2020, two wildlife sniffer dog squads have also been deployed by the Railways Protection Force (RPF) - Northern and Eastern zone- for the first time.

DEEP SEARCH METAL DETECTORS

DEEP SEARCH METAL DETECTORSDeep search metal detectors are used by Tiger Reserves and National Parks to locate wire snares and metal traps set by poachers as deep as three feet underground to trap wild animals. These metal detectors are ideal for remote field operations because they are robust, simple to assemble and use, and do not require complicated maintenance or handling.

  • In 2017, TRAFFIC India provided 10 deep search metal detectors (DSMD) to various Forest Departments across the country.
  • Over the years, TRAFFIC India has provided over 58 DSMDs to the Forest Departments of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Uttarakhand respectively.

FIELD KITS

FIELD KITSLack of evidence against wildlife traffickers often leads to low conviction rates. These field kits help gather evidence to support WWF-India and TRAFFIC India's work on illegal wildlife trade. This also helps to deter others from joining the trade. TRAFFIC India provides these kits to the Forest Department to collect evidence from the scene where an animal is poached.

  • 90 field kits have been provided to various State Forest Departments in 2017.
  • The field kit helps the Forest Department staff to collect samples in a standardized manner, as proper collection of sample is essential for precise analysis when an animal is poached.

TRAINING PROGRAMME

TRAINING PROGRAMMECyberspace is fast emerging as a major platform for trading in illegal wildlife parts and derivatives. With an estimated 281 million internet users in India, various social media platforms have turned into virtual markets where illegal wildlife trade is being carried out. In December 2019, TRAFFIC India in partnership with WWF-India, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Police Radio Training School (PRTS), Indore, held a training programme for forest officials to build capacity for dealing with wildlife related cybercrime. The workshop was the first in the series being organised under a new flagship programme called "Cyber CLAW". Similar training programmes are being arranged for forest officials of other Tiger Reserves.

  • The workshop was attended by 39 officials and was held at Laldhang, in the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand.

SUPER SNIFFERS, FIGHTING WILDLIFE CRIME

The dogs trained under this programme are popularly known as Super Sniffers. They have been successful in seizing illegal wildlife products and nabbing poachers, thus acting as strong deterrents of illegal wildlife trade in India.

SUPER SNIFFERS, FIGHTING WILDLIFE CRIME
  • The sniffer dogs have successfully led more than 200 wildlife seizures
  • The Forest Departments of 19 states have deployed these dog squads and are already benefiting from the results!

DEEP SEARCH METAL DETECTORS

Deep search metal detectors are used by Tiger Reserves and National Parks to locate wire snares and metal traps set by poachers as deep as three feet underground to trap wild animals. These metal detectors are ideal for remote field operations because they are robust, simple to assemble and use, and do not require complicated maintenance or handling.

DEEP SEARCH METAL DETECTORS
  • In 2017, TRAFFIC India provided 10 deep search metal detectors (DSMD) to various Forest Departments across the country.
  • Over the years, TRAFFIC India has provided over 58 DSMDs to the Forest Departments of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Uttarakhand respectively.

FIELD KITS

Lack of evidence against wildlife traffickers often leads to low conviction rates. These field kits help gather evidence to support WWF-India and TRAFFIC India's work on illegal wildlife trade. This also helps to deter others from joining the trade. TRAFFIC India provides these kits to the Forest Department to collect evidence from the scene where an animal is poached.

FIELD KITS
  • 90 field kits have been provided to various State Forest Departments in 2017.
  • The field kit helps the Forest Department staff to collect samples in a standardized manner, as proper collection of sample is essential for precise analysis when an animal is poached.

TRAINING PROGRAMME

Cyberspace is fast emerging as a major platform for trading in illegal wildlife parts and derivatives. With an estimated 281 million internet users in India, various social media platforms have turned into virtual markets where illegal wildlife trade is being carried out. In December 2019, TRAFFIC India in partnership with WWF-India, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Police Radio Training School (PRTS), Indore, held a training programme for forest officials to build capacity for dealing with wildlife related cybercrime. The workshop was the first in the series being organised under a new flagship programme called "Cyber CLAW". Similar training programmes are being arranged for forest officials of other Tiger Reserves.

TRAINING PROGRAMME
  • The workshop was attended by 39 officials and was held at Laldhang, in the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand.
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