JOHANNESBURG - An anti-wildlife trading organisation said it's clamping down on illegal operations in South Africa by using foreign and private intelligence to stop the operations of criminal syndicates.
This followed the United States Department of the Treasury made a commitment to finance a South African task force that would combat the illegal wildlife trade. Founded by Prince William, United for Wildlife held a two-day event at the Kruger National Park with the government and non-governmental organisations.The organisation said the illegal trade market was estimated at roughly $20 billion globally every year.
“The illegal wildlife trade is organised crime at a global scale, devastating wildlife populations and pushing some of South Africa's most iconic species, like elephants and rhinos, towards extinction,” said United for Wildlife's Rob Campbell.“South Africa is at risk of this trade, unfortunately, with its abundance of wildlife. But it’s not just the wildlife that is at risk, there's also a human side to this.