To catch a thief, one must think like a thief. Better still, bait the thief and have them lead you straight to the where the rest are hiding.
This might seem like the opening to a spy thriller, but this is often how Big Life’s intelligence network operates. Last week, one of our undercover intelligence officers was provided information about a huge cache of snares set deep in the Kibwezi Forest, one of Kenya’s last groundwater woodlands whose springs host many rare and interesting species. With three of its four borders surrounded by human development, the pressure on the Kibwezi Forest from poachers and loggers is considerable.
This recent operation, initiated by Big Life intelligence and conducted by KWS and SWT, resulted in a staggering 160 snares being uncovered in the space of a week. Monitoring and preventing wildlife crime is a delicate and complicated process, and this recent incident highlights the importance of collaboration between conservation organizations in tackling this issue.
