Seventeen men were convicted of poaching crimes in Idaho and two more are at large after a two-year investigation into a “network” of people illegally killing dozens of animals. Idaho Department of Fish and Game conservation officers led the investigation after discovering a group of hunters they suspected of illegally taking game animals in the […]
Tag: poachers
Wildlife traffickers moving ‘dirty money’ within web of organized crime, researcher finds
The illegal wildlife trade is deeply connected to other forms of organized crime, including arms dealing, drug trafficking and human smuggling, a new study has found. Michelle Anagnostou led the research as part of her PhD at the University of Waterloo (UW). She said she was struck to discover, while doing the research, the big […]
Petition: Stop the Rhino Poaching Crisis in South Africa
This year has been a devastating one for rhinos in South Africa. Since the beginning of 2025, 195 rhinos have been killed by poachers in the country. The good news is that this number is a slight drop from the same period in 2024. But for a critically endangered species, every single unnecessary death is […]
Deer poachers ordered to pay nearly $120,000, issued worldwide hunting bans
(WJW)- Five men from Mississippi have been ordered to pay nearly $120,000 in restitution and have also received a temporary worldwide hunting ban after being accused of poaching white-tailed deer. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the crime spree took place over four years in southern Illinois. The men are accused of using […]
International tiger smuggler faces prison sentence after yearslong manhunt: ‘An important success in fighting wildlife crime’
After nearly a decade on the run, an international wildlife trafficker has been brought to justice, according to The Hawk. Tashi Sherpa, a key figure in an illegal smuggling ring that stretched across India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China, was sentenced to five years in prison in May. Interpol applauded India’s State Tiger Force for leading […]
The watchers who prey on Israel’s falcon poachers
For the volunteer watchers scanning southern Israel’s wheatfields, protecting migratory falcons from poachers is a highly coordinated security operation. The raptors may top the food chain in the wild, but here the predators can themselves become the prey. Many protected species of migratory birds spend their winters in this agricultural area close to the Gaza […]
Serial Poacher Somehow Gets a Lifetime Hunting Ban for the Third Time
A 34-year-old Oregon man was sentenced late last month for a flurry of game violations that included poaching a trophy-class bull elk and a trophy-class buck in Grant County. Prosectors say Travis Alexander Palmer killed both animals with a rifle during archery season. He also happened to be spotlighting from his vehicle on a public […]
How to Wage War on Poaching, According to a Former South African General
For years, South Africa’s wildlife has been under attack. Some of the country’s most iconic species, including rhinos, elephants, and lions, are being systematically slaughtered by poachers, who are funded and supported by criminal gangs. These animals are killed for their parts — their horns and tusks and claws and bones — which are then […]