Wildlife Witness Protection Program

 I was walking down the main path of the zoo one day, mostly lost in my own thoughts.  As I strolled, I was casually ticking off the list of animals that I passed.  It didn't surprise me if once in a while I passed by an exhibit where I didn't see the animal; it wasn't uncommon for a critter to be hiding.   What did surprise me was seeing animals where I wasn't expecting to see one.

In a previously empty enclosure, we now had three tiger cubs.  Granted, our zoo did have a male and a female tiger - but a) they were geriatric, b) the female wasn't pregnant, and c) these cubs were several months old already.  Nor had there been any talk - any - about getting additional tigers from another zoo.  So where did they come from?

It turns out, these three cubs had been illegally kept as pets before being confiscated by the authorities.  The authorities, of course, were in no position to be taking care of three young tigers.  Nor was local animal control.  Only the zoo had the resources to accommodate the animals, provide care while the case was being resolved, and then coordinate their transport to a facility which could provide a permanent home.  

The tigers were a crazy, dramatic example, but such confiscations happen with some regularity.   In some cases, it may be the case of local native wildlife being taken from the wild, maybe by someone who finds an orphan that they keep, which is then confiscated by a state Department of Natural Resources.  These people may not realize that what they are doing is wrong or illegal, and it's not uncommon for them to be let off the hook with little more than a warning.  

In other cases, especially in port cities such as Miami, Baltimore, and New York, animals may be intercepted being smuggled in or out of the country.  Reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates are the main targets of these smuggling cases, some of which may contain hundreds or thousands of animals in a single shipment, often crammed together in unsanitary, unsafe conditions.  In these cases, US Fish and Wildlife will (hopefully) identify the animals and remove them from their trafficking situation.  Zoos are then often asked to take care of the animals while the investigation runs its course.

While the legal proceedings are unfolding, the animals are legally the property of the government, be it at the state or federal level, depending on the investigation.  At the end of the case, if the person who was found in possession of the animal is determined to be in the wrong, the government has the option of transferring that ownership to the zoo.  The zoo may keep the animals themselves, or disperse them to other facilities for permanent housing.

Wildlife crime remains one of the most prolific criminal markets in the world, surpassed only by guns, drugs, and human trafficking.  Unlike guns or drugs, however, wildlife can't be simply tucked in a safe or a storage locker until the case is resolved.  No one cares about the wellbeing or welfare of guns and drugs - they don't have feelings and can't be hurt.  Animals aren't like that - they require expert care if they are to survive, especially if they are in very poor condition already from insufficient care or as a result of being smuggled in inhumane conditions.   

This is where zoos and aquariums come in.  Almost alone, they have the experience and expertise to not only care for the confiscated wildlife, not only saving the lives on individual animals, but to preserve the living evidence in the legal proceedings that help fight against the crime of wildlife trafficking.