Significant results in the fight against wildlife crime in Africa for Ofir and the EAGLE network

March 2024. In Côte d’Ivoire four traffickers were arrested with two elephant tusks weighing 42 kg. There were several indications that the tusks came from an adult elephant slaughtered in the Tai National Park that has an estimated population of 300 elephants. Elephants, the country’s emblem, are on the brink of extinction in the country: their numbers have halved in thirty years.

June 2024. A trafficker who seems to specialize in lion parts, was arrested in Uganda with three lion skins. One of the skins was very fresh. Lion numbers in Uganda are plummeting, estimated to have only 200-300 remain in the whole country.

These two stories are examples of significant results in the fight against wildlife crime by the EAGLE network. This network was set up by Ofir Drori, FFN winner in 2011. A total of 90 wildlife traffickers were arrested in 2024. More than two-thirds of them for trading ivory and other elephant parts. Big cats and primates also are major victims of wildlife trafficking, as are pangolins and eels on a smaller scale.

Overview of 2024 results
The team spirit in the EAGLE network and the inner motivation plays a strong role in getting results and fighting obstacles. In 2024 the following has been achieved:

• 66 ivory traffickers were arrested with 474 kg of ivory, which include 67 tusks and 260 ivory pieces
• 13 big cat skin traffickers were arrested during 8 operations in 3 countries with 14 leopard skins seized. A trafficker arrested with 3 lion skins in Uganda
• 8 primate traffickers were arrested, 5 in Togo, 2 in Cameroon, and 1 in Cote d’Ivoire. A shipment from Brazil of highly endangered 12 Lear’s macaws and 17 golden lion tamarins on a sailing boat stopped and 5 traffickers arrested in Togo
• 2 pangolin scales traffickers were arrested in Congo with 81 kg of scales from the endangered giant pangolin
• 81% of the arrested traffickers remained behind bars at least at the early stages of the prosecution
• 1.548 media pieces were published in national media
• At least in 6 of the operations, corruption was exposed during the arrest or shortly after
• The courts handed down several good sentences to wildlife traffickers in Congo. One of them was given a significant punishment of 4 years in prison.

An impressive list of results that the EAGLE network and Ofir can be proud off.

The EAGLE network
Ofir Drori is from Israel and arrived in Cameroon in 2002, where he soon founded the activistic NGO LAGA to fight wildlife crimes. Seven months later LAGA brought about the first ever wildlife prosecution for the whole of West and Central Africa. LAGA’s innovative model has expanded into the EAGLE (Eco Activists for Governance and Law Enforcement) network, nowadays active in 7 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. To this date more than 2.000 wildlife traffickers are imprisoned because of their actions.

The overarching objective of the EAGLE network is to improve the application of national and international environmental legislation. However, Ofir soon found out that they have to fight corruption in most of these countries to get the law implied. Corruption is prevalent in all levels of the enforcement and judicial process. EAGLE network detected corruption in 85% of the arrest operations and in 80% of the cases in court.

Wildlife trafficking is a major form of organized crime, with a high level of criminality and connected to many other forms of crime. The EAGLE network tries to catch not the poacher but the trafficker, to impact a higher level of organization in these crime circuits. EAGLE network works on a transferable model of collaboration with governments in investigations, arrest operations, legal follow-up and media activities aimed at enforcing the law. One of the methods they use is to have investigators infiltrate criminal networks to arrest them in coordination with national authorities. These undercover operations are dangerous and need to be super-well prepared. Risk-assessments and safety protocols are in place for every operation. Despite risking being hurt, or even putting their lives on the line, the EAGLE network people are motivated to do their job by the injustice towards the animals, and the levels of corruption they see in their government. Their activism is justified by the lack of enforcement.