1st Semester Report 2015
Tangible achievements were obtained, despite many obstacles, over this period in LAGA’s collaboration with MINFOF in the fields of investigations, arrests, prosecutions, media exposure, government relations and international activities with focus on the fight against corruption, and combating the illegal wildlife trade, principally against traffickers in ivory, apess, sea turtle shells and pangolin scales. International networks of ivory traffickers were given special attention through a tactical change in investigative techniques using sophisticated moves to get ivory traffickers whose trafficking has grown in complexity and professionalism over the years. Focus was also put on ape trafficking with several operations carried out targeting chimpanzee and gorilla skull traffickers. 32 significant traffickers were arrested during this period.
For every 7 days a major wildlife trafficker was arrested, 87 % stayed behind bars from the day of arrest. Corruption was observed and combated in more than 80% of the cases. Under the EAGLE network that became fully functional, replication started in EAGLE Uganda that became the newest member of the EAGLE network. Under the EAGLE exchange programme, training sessions continued in Yaounde with legal advisers from Congo undergoing training with LAGA while an activist from Chad was also trained to carry on with replication in the country. Investigators from Togo and Senegal were also trained in LAGA under the same programme.
Governance problems and issues related to breach of procedure were observed in one instance and a correspondence was addressed to the Minister of Forestry and Wildlife for the situation to be redressed.
