The best way to ease scourge of wildlife crime and a get a co-ordinated response to tackle it, is to treat it like drug-trafficking “Please, let’s stop talking about illegal trade in wildlife. It’s not illegal trade — it’s crime,” says John Sellar, an independent anti-smuggling, fraud and organised crime consultant who spoke at a breakfast seminar organised by the South African Institute of International Affairs and the Conservation Action Trust in Cape Town last Tuesday.“We’re talking about organised crime and until we live up to that and we address this issue as a criminal issue, we’re not going to get our responses right."A Scott with four decades of experience in law enforcement, Sellar exudes the no-nonsense attitude of an old-fashioned cop and he’s certainly no bunny hugger. “I’ve never thought of myself as working in wildlife conservation. My motivation has never been to save the tiger, save the elephant, save the planet”.When it comes to the debate over the efficacy of lega...
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