05/23/2026
🛡️🐒 The illegal wildlife trade continues to be a major threat to primates across Africa. Demand for the pet trade, private collections, and even primate meat places wild primates in danger.
One of the ways PASA works to protect wild primates is by combating wildlife crime and building the capacity of local law enforcement. With support from the UK Government’s Darwin Initiative, our project provided training to over 80 government officials and local chiefs to increase their knowledge on wildlife protection laws, interception of wildlife crime, and the critical work of sanctuaries caring for confiscated live wildlife in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 🚔 🏛️ 🚨
🎯 In two key border provinces, we assisted the provincial authorities in establishing a wildlife-crime data-collection system. We provided front-line law enforcement officers with a guidebook on frequently trafficked species and their protection status to help them identify protected species and intercept the illegal trade.
⚖️ Arresting traffickers is only part of the battle. Without successful prosecution and conviction, wildlife traffickers face few deterrents. That’s why we’re also engaging judiciary officials, increasing their knowledge of wildlife crime, and establishing communication between frontline enforcement and their judiciary counterparts.
🤝 No one organization or single government agency can tackle wildlife crime alone, especially when tackling systemic challenges that undermine effective biodiversity governance. Our activities aim to contribute to the broader, collective effort in the DRC, and aim to improve synergy across government agencies, civil society partners, and in-country primate sanctuaries.
We’d like to thank our local colleagues, Dr. Kizito Kakule and Merger Tshomba, for their dedication and local leadership in implementing the project’s activities in the DRC.
