wildlife crime & animal welfare...welfare and in relation to animal and wildlife crime. it is my...
TRANSCRIPT
Winston Churchill Report
Wildlife Crime and Animal Welfare
Australia – New South Wales
&
Canada – British Columbia
Emma Meredith
2012
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Contents Page
Acknowledgements 3 Introduction 5 Aims of the project 5 Background to wildlife crime and animal welfare in Northern Ireland 7 Australia 8 Australian RSPCA 12 Wildlife Information and Rescue Service (WIRES) 25 Department of Environment and Climate Change 33 Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities 39 Canada 50 Environment Canada - Canadian Wildlife Service 56 British Columbia Conservation Officers Service (North Vancouver) 62 Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) 76 British Columbia Conservation Officer Service (Squamish) 84 Recommendations 88 Comparison table 93 Appendices 97
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Emma Meredith with a captive-bred common buzzard, a native raptor species in Northern Ireland, which are
often found to be the victims of wildlife crime and persecuted illegally e.g. poisoned or shot.
I have through this fellowship learnt so much and hope that I can offer my experiences and
knowledge with others as Winston Churchill once said:
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”.
I have been fortunate to have been able to visit two destinations and I will take one section at a time,
stop, reflect and write about my findings and hopefully convey the depth of my experience. Winston
Churchill also stated:
“It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time”.
Emma Meredith
Winston Churchill Fellow 2007
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Acknowledgements
The first acknowledgement must go to Duncan Wilson who is a former Winston Churchill
scholarship traveller and who originally mentioned this scholarship to me. Not only has Duncan
(and Billy Finn) been supportive in my life over the recent years but when Duncan first mentioned
the scholarship to me I thought there is no way there is the chance to do something as great as this.
I would also like to thank the Police Service of Northern Ireland for supporting me and allowing me
the time and chance to study and research my passion worldwide.
A massive thank you to the Winston Churchill organisation particularly Julie and Jamie especially
for being so accommodating, helpful and quick to respond to my every need. I’m thankful that you
have been so patient with me especially since I’ve always wanted to complete my Winston Churchill
Scholarship however, on occasions external circumstances prevented me for a longer period than I
would have ever expected.
I would like to thank all the great people who made the Scholarship for me in both Australia and in
Canada I am not going to name each and every one of you as it would be my luck to leave someone
off but I will say Simon your wife’s salmon was exceptional in Canada! To all of you thank you for
your information you all provided and taking the time with me to discuss queries I had in
researching wildlife crime or this report would not have been written.
Finally, last but by no means least, I would especially like to thank my fiancé Marc (and soon to be
husband) for helping me find the places I needed to go to for meetings both in Australia and Canada
(and on occasions driving me). Thank you for being so open-minded and sharing this experience
with me and especially taking the time (I won’t say off work as you worked the entire time!) to
travel along with me on both occasions.
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Baby Daniel, when we visited Australia I was pregnant with you and then in Canada you were only
one year old. What a fantastic experience for a little boy. I hope you travel as much in later life and
learn about wildlife as you did when you were young. Love you.
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Introduction
I applied for the Winston Churchill fellowship in 2007 and very lucky and excited to be accepted
for this prestigious award to travel in the name of Winston Churchill to both Canada and Australia.
The award was to allow me to complete a study that not only was close to my heart but also directly
related to my role in Northern Ireland. Currently my role is as the only Wildlife Liaison Officer
(WLO) for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
I have been the WLO for the PSNI since 2007. My role is to offer advice, support and assistance to
local police who investigate an alleged breach in the wildlife and/or animal cruelty legislation,
therefore my current position is specialised. Throughout the years in post I have been able to
establish a number of excellent contacts in Northern Ireland and the UK and this provided me with
an excellent basis before setting off to work with other organisations abroad and examine how they
carry out investigations of animal cruelty and wildlife crime.
Aims of the project
The purpose of my fellowship was to increase my knowledge and experience in the area of animal
welfare and in relation to animal and wildlife crime. It is my intention to research, observe, analyse
and participate in the work of the leading wildlife organisations in Canada and Australia in order to
identify areas of best practice that could be adopted within Northern Ireland and also share my own
experiences.
My research was carried out over a period of five weeks with travel to Australia and Canada which
was divided between 2010 (Australia) and 2012 (Canada).
My first trip was to Australia between the 15th November and 2nd December 2010 where I had
meetings with numerous government and non-government organisations and discussions about
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wildlife crime and animal welfare issues. My primary focus in Australia was on animal welfare and
I was also able to spend a number of days observing the leading wildlife and animal welfare
organisations in Australia i.e. Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and
Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES). The opportunity of working with the
RSPCA afforded me the chance of working with the officers responsible for enforcing the Animal
Welfare Act and how they work in partnership with the police and National Parks & Wildlife
Service. I was also able to meet with government officials of the Department of Environment and
Climate Change at both state and federal levels.
My second trip was to Canada between the 17th April and 3rd May 2012 with main aims being to
meet with the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) to evaluate their processes for:
Inspections for possible breaches of legislation
Investigation and prosecution procedures
Gathering intelligence in relation to wildlife crime
Developing partnerships with other governmental and non-governmental organisations in
particular the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Secretariat for the
Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
Education for the public in relation to animal welfare
Cross border co-operation with the United States authorities (United States Fish & Wildlife
Service – USFWS) in relation to animals and wildlife issues
I have also examined the legislation in Canada to assess whether the UK could learn anything from
their legislation. The report also highlights a comparison between Northern Ireland, Australia and
Canada and how working practices differ between these countries including how various
government or non-government organisations have responsibilities for animal welfare and wildlife
crime.
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Background to wildlife crime and animal welfare in Northern Ireland
To understand the study, it is important to highlight what animal welfare and wildlife crime issues
are. My current role is to offer advice, support and assistance to local police who are investigating a
breach in the wildlife and animal welfare legislation.
These are primarily the Wildlife (NI) Order 1985 and the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 1972. Both of
these have recently been reviewed and amended by the local government in Northern Ireland, as the
Wildlife & Natural Environment Act (2011) and the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011 respectively.
The latter has recently devolved some powers to the local councils for the investigation and
prosecution of welfare crimes.
Other legislation which I advise on include trading in endangered species internationally (CITES)
and locally (COTES), fishing laws, EU Habitats Directive, Game Laws etc. and therefore I cover a
wide and varied range of issues.
Key issues in Northern Ireland include badger baiting (fighting a dog or numerous dogs with
badger), illegal persecution of birds of prey (usually suspected shot or poisoned), dog fighting, illegal
deer stalking, poaching fish, general cruelty to animals (horses, dogs, cats etc), selling endangered or
licensable species illegally or without the correct documents. These are all examples of wildlife
crime or animal welfare issues which police in Northern Ireland receive reports about and will
investigate within Northern Ireland.
Part of my role as the WLO is to work in partnership with various external organisations to try and
establish a co-ordinated approach to the priority issues in Northern Ireland. The group called the
Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime (PAW) was established to ensure government and
non-government organisations work collectively to try and combat illegal activity in Northern
Ireland.
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The PAW group was established in 2007 and have progressed extremely well over recent years with
an increasing number of organisations joining and participating in events, designing and organising
wildlife crime leaflets and raising the profile of wildlife crime issues through numerous press
releases. The group is represented by a variety of organisations including conservation and animal
welfare charities and volunteer groups, government officials, the police, forestry, angling and
shooting organisations. This group is an excellent example of a strategic working partnership to
help combat wildlife crime to uphold the laws within Northern Ireland.
AUSTRALIA
Whilst researching prior to visiting Australia I was obviously very keen to identify whether an
equivalent to my role in Northern Ireland existed and therefore I began my research by contacting
the Australian police. I received an e-mail from Veronica Taylor NSW police which states the
following:
“Sorry we don’t have a unit within this organisation that looks after wildlife. In NSW, there are two
separate agencies that have two very specific roles. One is the Royal Society for the Protection and
Care of Animals (RSPCA) this organisations main area of responsibilities are animal welfare,
enforcing the Protection Against Cruelty Act (via Inspectors) as well as advocating for the protection
of animals. At a government level we have both state and federal departments of wildlife protection,
the NSW Parks and Wildlife Services www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au for example, manages the use,
maintenance and protection of all natural heritage and wildlife (flora and fauna). There are
Rangers who are employed by this agency whose role it is to ensure animals are not endangered or
hurt”.
Simultaneously, I contacted WIRES whose Chief Executive, Leanne Ayes explained by email:
“Our NSW police do virtually no wildlife rescue / crime etc. RSPCA do all wildlife prosecutions, they
can be contacted through their website www.rspcansw.org.au and search for the Inspectors”.
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It seemed from the preliminary research emails I was receiving that there wasn’t an equivalent to
my role in Australia which was interesting as there already seemed to be a big difference in the way
another country investigated wildlife crime and who had responsibility for the legislation.
On Monday the 15th of November 2010 I left Belfast on the first (very early) flight to London
Heathrow, then on to an 11am flight to Singapore and the linking flight to Sydney, Australia. I only
arrived in Australia at 8pm on the Tuesday and have never been on such a long haul flight – what
an experience. By the time I collected car and luggage I arrived at the hotel at 11pm. McDonalds
was first and was fortunate to navigate to a spot to sit and eat my dinner opposite the Sydney Opera
House in the middle of the night (Photograph 1)! Being on the other side of the world and the
different time-zone meant it was only 8am on Tuesday morning at home. Jet-lag too was a new
experience and my first breakfast in Sydney was at 4am after not being able to sleep. Surprisingly
the shops and café were already open.
Photograph 1. Sydney Opera House by night for a McDonalds!
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On the 17th November I began to explore and to find my way around Sydney and utilised the time
to let my contacts know that I had arrived. I was so excited to see the Sydney Harbour, the Opera
House and Sydney Harbour Bridge (Photograph 2) and walked up George Street, which appears to
be the main street in Sydney. I visited the Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens and already began to
experience the wonderful array of unique wildlife that Australia has to offer. I spotted 18 different
types of birds including a masked lapwing (Photograph 3), sulphur-crested cockatoos (more
typically seen in pet-shops at home; Photograph 4) and channel billed cuckoo and saw my first
flying foxes hanging upside-down (Photograph 5) and flying through the city.
Photograph 2. Me in the botanic gardens looking across at Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera
House.
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Photograph 3. Masked lapwing in the botanic gardens.
Photograph 4. Sulphur-crested cockatoo perched in an Australian eucalyptus tree.
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Photograph 5. Flying foxes roosting upside-down in the botanic gardens.
I sat down in the gardens and started to realise the wonderful wildlife here and extent and size of
Australia. This was further confirmed when I got a taxi back to the hotel and the taxi driver
explained it is 3000km to Southern Queensland and how 600 kilometres to Australians is “just
around the corner”. That is equivalent of travelling from one end of Ireland to the other! I am still
trying to get used to the time change as I’m awake whereas at home I should be sleeping. After
settling in, my next stop was to meet with the RSPCA who are one of the main organisations I wished
to visit and obtain valuable hands on experience.
THE AUSTRALIAN RSPCA
The RSPCA www.rspcansw.org.au is a charitable organisation in New South Wales (NSW) with
their main offices in the suburbs of Sydney close to Bankstown. The organisation covers the whole of
Australia but there are 27 branches in NSW run solely by volunteers. They have over 70 staff in the
veterinary hospitals including veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and receptionists in four
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veterinary hospitals. The Sydney Shelter (at Yagoona) offers one of the largest animal hospitals in the
southern hemisphere caring for up to 120 animals on a daily basis.
The main legislation governing animal cruelty in Australia NSW is called the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals Act 1979 for which only police and RSPCA inspectors have the powers to enforce. This
legislation encompasses everything from neglect, maltreatment and dog fighting. The RSPCA
Inspectors also investigate, pet shops; sale yards; abandoned animals; drought stricken livestock;
continually tethered animals (more than 24 hours); “animal hoarders” (i.e. people with more
animals than they can look after) and acts of intentional harm and cruelty.
I found that there are 32 RSPCA Inspectors in NSW who hold two warrant cards one to be sworn
special constable and the other which is issued by the Minister of Primary Industries and Holders of
Prescribed Authorities. The cards are to authorise investigation and reporting of cruelty issues for
prosecution; this is dissimilar to Northern Ireland as the USPCA (RSPCA equivalent) have no powers.
The main animals that the RSPCA respond to cruelty complaints are dogs with approximately
10,904 complaints annually mainly for failure to provide veterinary treatment, cats and horses for
failure to provide food and water. According to the RSPCA 2010 annual report “the RSPCA NSW
received a total of 15,083 complaints relating to the alleged mistreatment of animals between the
1st July 2009 and 30th June 2010”.
The annual report shows that approximately 14,831 of the 15,083 complaints where attended by
RSPCA inspectors. There were five official cautions issued by the RSPCA Chief Inspector for leaving
dogs in a vehicle, abandoning a dog, failure of a television programme to provide notification to the
RSPCA for using an animal in a theatrical performance.
Furthermore, the RSPCA were responsible for issuing 95 penalty notices from 1st July 2009 to 30
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June 2010; initiating 101 prosecutions from 1st July 2009 to 30 June 2010 and charging 101
defendants with 607 offences. There were 244 incidents reported to the NSW police for
investigation in the first instance which highlights police may have a role in investigating
allegations of animal cruelty. These referrals were based on the urgent nature of the animal welfare
and proximity of the nearest RSPCA inspectors. The police primarily pass these reports to the RSPCA
for further investigation.
On Thursday 18th November 2010 I began work with the RSPCA at the Sydney Shelter and
Veterinary Hospital, Yagoona. The day began with a meeting at 10am with Marika Taylor who is the
volunteer co-ordinator and has worked with the RSPCA for six years. Marika signed me up as a
volunteer for the two days’ work experience so I could shadow some of the staff. Marika kindly
gave me a power point presentation on the health and safety issues, role of the RSPCA and a tour of
the centre. My first thought was the size of the centre which was huge I suppose to reflect the size of
the country especially when compared to animal welfare sites in NI. There was a large number of
staff employed, including inspectors, fund-raisers and support staff which was great to see as it is a
charity. Most of its funding is derived from public donations, legacies and private or volunteer
assistance.
Photograph 6. Arrival at RSPCA offices in Yagoona, Sydney
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Photograph 7. Main reception area at RSPCA veterinary hospital
Photograph 8. The RSPCA animal holding facilities at Yagoona, Sydney.
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Marika then introduced me to one of the 12 ‘Special Constables’ called Skye Adams. Skye has been
in this post for eight years and clearly enjoys every day of her work. Special Constables are afforded
powers under the welfare and wildlife legislation, probably the best way to describe them is ‘animal
police officers’. I worked alongside Skye and can honestly say that she is dedicated to her role, has a
vast amount of experience and knowledge and obviously puts the care of the animals at the
forefront.
Skye had a long list of jobs to complete today and it began with visiting a house to investigate report
of rabbits being over-crowded in a house in the Penrith area of Sydney. Skye and I travelled
approximately one hour to the house. This gave me an opportunity to hear about the work of the
RSPCA and to ask many questions about the legislation, powers etc.
We arrived at the house which I must admit I would have never expected there to be a welfare issue
at the house as it seemed really well kept but looks can be deceiving. Skye shouted “Hello” and
knocked the door, but the only response we received was a dog barking. When Skye established that
there was nobody home we walked over to the check on the dog. The water was filthy and the run
had obviously not been cleaned in a long time. The dog appeared healthy looking but did appear to
have not been walked in a long time or not been out of the dog run as greenery had grown over the
gate.
We then checked cages near the dog run. One cage held budgies and Skye felt they were over-
crowded but they still had water and food. The next cage had the rabbits for which the ground
seemed to be full of food but no water was available to them. Skye gave them water and explained
they still appeared to be healthy however, she would advise the owner to clean up their living
conditions.
The final cage held two pheasants – neither of the pheasants moved when Skye gave them water.
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The ground was extremely muddy and Skye then examined one of the birds which she felt was a
case of possible cruelty and it should be taken to the vet. This pheasant was seized.
Skye left her contact details and request for the house owner to contact her and we left. En-route
home I was able to question Skye about issues in the legislation again when the phone rang – it was
the owner of the house we had just visited. The owner was very calm and was told by Skye that a
pheasant was seized – he explained it was disabled. Skye arranged to visit the premises a week later
to follow up the conditions of the other animals and to offer advice on keeping the rest of the
animals. Once the RSPCA vet accessed the pheasant the decision was taken to euthanize it as it was
badly disabled and it would be more cruel to have kept it alive.
Photograph 9. Skye examining the conditions of a captive rabbit.
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Photograph 10. Seizing a pheasant from an aviary after welfare assessment.
Photograph 11. Pheasant seized prior to veterinary examination and euthanasia.
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Points I learned from today include:
RSPCA don’t accept calls from a 3rd party – the person reporting the possible offence must
have seen the issue.
RSPCA only receive 2% government funding which equates to the cost of one full time
inspector
Police have the same powers as the RSPCA
RSPCA do investigate wildlife crimes and welfare issues but generally pass the wildlife
queries that are not offences to WIRES
Five Animal Freedoms are promoted but are not considered legislation these are animals
right to have:
- freedom from hunger and thirst
- freedom from discomfort
- freedom from pain, injury and disease
- freedom to behave normally
- freedom from fear and distress
RSPCA have 27 branches and 32 Inspectors state wide
The local councils regulate stray dogs
People are allowed to keep dangerous dogs e.g. pit bulls but under specific restrictions.
Between 2009 and 2010 = 11,003 animals were adopted or re-homed
They run a suite of campaigns which includes regulation of live animal exports and
lobbying actions to government and the public such as “Ban Exotic Animals in Circuses”
“Choose Wisely” schemes e.g. avoidance of battery hens eggs, and discouragement of sow
stalls to have free range pigs
The local zoo take care of wildlife e.g. smuggled species
There are excellent working relationships with police e.g. Inspectors carry a police radio to
allow rapid communication.
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Legislation issues that may be useful in Northern Ireland:
Legal only to tie up a dog for 23 hours not 24 hours
Tethering a bird, incorrect cage size, feeding incorrect diet may be illegal
Checking on animals at least once every 24 hours is a stipulation in the legislation
On the spot fines i.e. $200.00 for no food/water, $500.00 for not taking an animal to see a
vet when required, $200.00 fine if a tether is too short. The person responsible is asked to
pay or surrender the animal.
Proving intent – offences can be passed to police as their Crimes Act legislation provides a
higher penalty e.g. five years imprisonment.
Aggravated cruelty under welfare legislation can be two years imprisonments or a $22,000
fine.
There is some legislation that appears to bring issues to NSW area
Tail docking is banned in NSW but not the other states. therefore people can buy a dog with
its tail docked and bring it into NSW
Pit bulls are not a banned breed but there are stipulations if members of the public which to
keep them e.g. can’t breed them,
The following day I left Sydney at 06.30am and arrived at the main RSPCA offices, Bankstown at
8.30am. I was able to talk to a few members of the RSPCA today including the Operations Manager,
Matthew French. Matthew explained the legislation and how his role was very office based since his
promotion to a management role. Matthew obviously had a lot of experience of investigating animal
cruelty.
Matthew kindly showed me some evidence from some cases which included a cat caught in a wall
which was successfully saved, a DVD of goat racing which was quite horrific and various other
general cruelty cases. Matthew explained that in NSW the RSPCA probably hold more powers than
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any other RSPCA area in Australia as each state is different and governed by different legislation. A
similar situation occurs in the UK and Ireland with regional legislation variations in Scotland,
England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
I was able to spend today meeting staff within the RSPCA offices and finding out the different roles
they carry out e.g. education role, marketing role, administration staff, fundraising department and
the 12 Inspectors who are responsible for prosecutions. Despite their responsibilities for the
legislation the RSPCA funding from government is to be minimal (approximately 2%) which only
pays for one Inspectors’ position. They are very successful in their role, but are dependent on fund-
raising although often find that that members of the public perceive them to be funded by the
government or a government department. In NI, only the statutory authorities have such
responsibilities and are directly funded by government.
Photograph 12. Some of the RSPCA NSW inspectors and management.
It appeared that there was no RSPCA direct link to a police liaison or wildlife officer as in Northern
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Ireland. Therefore the RSPCA seem to try and build relationships with the police locally as and when
required. A very surprising fact is that up until the legislation changed a few years ago the RSPCA
held powers to enter into a house if they suspected animal cruelty and therefore the police would
call them to work in partnership in relation to e.g. drug issues and animal cruelty where the RSPCA
could carry out the search in conjunction with the police without a warrant.
After finishing today at RSPCA, I was able to visit Bankstown and called into the local police station,
which was located on a road with my name-sake, Meredith Street! As RSPCA have confirmed there
appears to be no animal or wildlife specialist within the Australian police. That evening I explored
the area around Darling Harbour and watched a variety of cheeky silver gulls stealing ice-cream!
Photograph 13. Me outside the Bankstown local police station near to the RSPCA offices.
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Photograph 14. Me in Darling Harbour, Sydney.
Photograph 15. A cheeky silver gull in Darling harbour.
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Over the weekend I spent more time exploring Sydney and spent an afternoon and evening at the
famous Bondi Beach (Photograph 16), in north Sydney and watching the flying foxes at night over
the city from the roof of my hotel (Photograph 16). It was spectacular!
I was also able to meet my aunt and uncle who live in Sydney and I hadn’t seen them for many
years, but it was lovely to get out for dinner with them and to hear about their life in Sydney and
explain my experience and the Winston Churchill Scholarship.
Photograph 16. Bondi Beach in Sydney.
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Photograph 17. View from the roof terrace of my hotel in Sydney.
WILDLIFE INFORMATION AND RESCUE SERVICE (WIRES)
At the start of the week (22nd November) the Wildlife Information and Rescue Service (WIRES) was
my next stop. WIRES gave me the chance to see and work with native Australian wildlife and their
team of rehabilitators first hand. The function of WIRES is to rescue, rehabilitate and release
Australian wildlife; they also have a role in educating the public on wildlife. With the vast amount
of unique wildlife that Australia have the function of WIRES is vital as they have already lost one
animal through extinction called the Thylascine (Marsupial dog) in recent history and WIRES
explained they don’t want to lose anymore. Therefore, preserving the native habitats and animals is
one of the main priorities of WIRES.
It was very clear that WIRES have a good network of people dedicated to their aims and objectives.
There are 28 branches across the NSW state all with a local committee. WIRES handles over
150,000 wildlife calls a year, deals with over 50,000 animals a year and received less than 2%
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funding from the government. WIRES are a smaller organisation than the RSPCA and primarily deal
with wildlife where the RSPCA respond to cruelty issues; both organisations collaborate as they must
work in partnership for issues that include wildlife cruelty. WIRES do not have any investigative or
prosecution powers. WIRES appear to carry out a role that I am not aware exists in Northern
Ireland. When members of the public need advice or an animal rescued they contact WIRES. If one
of WIRES volunteers, which comprised a network of thousands across NSW are unable to collect the
animal and care for it then WIRES have two full-time, paid drivers who collect the animals and
assist the public I was interested to work with one of the drivers to observe their work.
I firstly met with Leanne Ayres the Chief Executive of WIRES who introduced me to Barry
Alexander. I spent the next two days shadowing Barry to understand the working relationships they
have with other organisations and local volunteers and how they deal with the demands of injured
native animals’ daily and gaining experience of wildlife in Australia.
Photograph 18. Barry, WIRES staff member, who collects and rehabilitates Australian wildlife.
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Following my induction and meeting with the WIRES staff I spent the remainder of day with Barry
and he kindly took me out to all his callouts. We released a diamond python, collected an injured
possum from a building site. This was the first marsupial I have seen up close. Marsupial animals
have a pouch for care of their young and are unique to Australia.
We then released a blue tongued lizard and received a call to collect a lizard from a park but
unfortunately the person who called it in didn’t leave their details and therefore we couldn’t find it.
The day ended by calling at a house of a person who had tortoises and felt they didn’t want them
anymore and wanted advice on releasing them. However, the person wasn’t home when we called
so that was the first call for tomorrow.
Photograph 19. Barry, releasing a diamond python.
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Photograph 20. An injured possum rescued at a local building site.
On Tuesday 23rd November, I spent a second day with Barry to obtain more hands on experience of
what the organisation does as well as getting more chances to see native Australian wildlife up close
and in the wild.
Barry had previously collected the tortoise (from yesterday) before he collected me as it was close to
his house and then we went on to attend a call from some gardening contractors wanting assistance
with what they thought was a raptor (bird of prey) which turned out to be a common koel (which is
a type of cuckoo). Barry was able to create a perch for the bird and explained to the men that had
found the bird what it was and that it would be taken to one of their volunteers to be cared for and
rehabilitated. They then made a donation to WIRES and thanked Barry for coming out to see them.
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Photograph 21. Common koel juvenile found injured in a north Sydney suburb by gardening
contractors.
We then delivered the koel to one of the local volunteers for rehabilitation. The owners of the house
kindly showed me round his collection of rehabilitated Australian birds including the distinctive
Australian galahs and the unique tawny frog mouth. WIRES operate an approval and training
system for the network of volunteers to provide a robust service and ensure that best practice is
disseminated for their rehabilitation service for wildlife.
The volunteers give up a large amount of time and personal skills to care for the diverse and
amazing wildlife that Australia has and I was humbled to see the passion and dedication of the
volunteers.
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Photograph 22. Australian galah, a type of parrot in a rehabilitation aviary.
Photograph 23. The tawny frogmouth – a species of nightjar in a rehabilitation aviary
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A visit back to the WIRES office and I was able to talk to Leanne more about the legislation and how
WIRES had very good working relationships with RSPCA, National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS)
and the police.
Photograph 24. Leanne Ayres, Barry Alexander and myself at the WIRES head office, Forestville,
North Sydney.
In the afternoon, we visited a member of the public’s house who was extremely frightened as she
had a blue-tongued lizard living in her house. It was necessary to move most of her furniture to
allow Barry to skilfully capture it. It was definitely the biggest lizard I have seen! We then released it
outside the apartments near where it was captured. The day ended back in Sydney city collecting a
young Australian magpie chick that had somehow ended up in a fitness establishment and the
owner was extremely scared and grateful of Barry coming to collect it.
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Photograph 25. Barry with the blue-tongued lizard captured under the television unit in a house.
The work with WIRES was brilliant to see such a vast network of people set up to look after native
Australian wildlife was fantastic and everyone working in partnership. Collectively with co-
ordination at a central location (call-centre) so much could be accomplished. My discussions with
Leanne enquired whether a police liaison officer existed which she wasn’t aware of any and she
explained that the RSPCA were responsible for animal welfare and/or a breach in the legislation.
WIRES collaborate with the RSPCA in that they would re-home animals and assist the RSPCA if
required in respect of native wildlife. RSPCA would also investigate reports from WIRES on animal
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cruelty. The role of WIRES is not investigative but to offer a service to the public in protection and
rehabilitation of native wildlife.
In my opinion this is an extremely important organisation and it gave me great satisfaction to see
the people carrying out the work are clearly dedicated. A worthwhile experience whilst working
with local people and seeing how local problems are dealt with and native wildlife being saved. I do
believe this is a type of organisation with such a large network of people that could be developed in
Northern Ireland.
Office of Environment and Heritage NSW - Department of Environment and
Climate Change
After spending some more time in Sydney, I stayed my last night in an area called Coogee Beach and
I left the big city to travel southbound for a meeting on Wednesday 24th November with the
Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC), of the Office of Environment and Heritage
(OEH) which is responsible for state-wide legislation in New South Wales. There are six states in
Australia; namely Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and
Tasmania. All of these states have an equivalent departmental structure.
The Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) is responsible for a suite of nature conservation
legislation in New South Wales and also the state-wide national parks. According to their website
“the OEH and the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) supports the Premier, the Minister for the
Environment and the Minister for Heritage in performing their executive and statutory functions.
OEH develops and leads policy, reform and education in sustainability, biodiversity and native
vegetation, coastal protection and Aboriginal cultural heritage. OEH also manages 7 million hectares
of national parks and reserves, which is almost nine per cent of NSW. The Heritage Branch within
OEH works with communities to identify important places and objects and provides guidance in
looking after heritage items. The EPA is responsible for environmental regulation, particularly the
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regulation of air emissions, contaminated sites, dangerous goods and hazardous materials, noise,
pesticides, forestry activities, waste and water quality.”
The organisation is sub-divided into eight functional groups (Photograph 24) and I had arranged to
meet Ron Haering who is the manager of the wildlife licensing and management team based in
Hurstville, a suburb in south Sydney, and he kindly took the time to discuss wildlife crime and
legislation with me. Ron also introduced me to two of his team, Brendan and Linda, all of whom
were very helpful.
Photograph 26. Structure of the Office of Environment and Heritage NSW
The role of wildlife licensing and management team is akin to that of the Northern Ireland
Environment Agency and are responsible for regulation including:
keeping native animals as pets
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import licences
export licences
scientific licences
using pesticides for the management of birds
rehabilitation of sick and injured fauna
The unit are therefore responsible for licencing and compliance in New South Wales and on
occasions are required to attend court for various investigations. It was clear that the structure for
dealing with wildlife crime differs from that in Northern Ireland. There is state government which
operates locally and a federal government based in Canberra responsible for over-arching national
legislation. The following day I had a meeting arranged with federal principal investigator in
Canberra.
Ron explained the legislation that protects wildlife in New South Wales is called the National Parks
and Wildlife Act, 1974 with regulations that have been updated in 2009. The Department of
Environment and Climate Change implement the legislation and hold the powers to investigate a
possible or alleged breach in the legislation. Other legislation that protects fauna in NSW is the
Non-Indigenous Act and the Exhibitors Act and therefore similar to Northern Ireland a protected
species can fall under one or more pieces of legislation.
Ron and the team explained some of the fines people receive may equate to $11,000 for a threatened
species issue, up to $3,300 for protected fauna. One example was provided where a company were
fined $110,000 when they bull-dozed 20 hectares of land that was protected.
I was informed that the greatest penalty was approximately $5,000 for a flora offences and a person
convicted of egg theft received community service, $2,000 fine and lost their wildlife licence. At this
level of fine I would have thought it would have deterred people from breaching the legislation
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however this didn’t appear to be the case as reports were still coming into the department.
The team explained other issues in respect of protected species that can also be classed as a pest
species such as the flying fox. Legislation exists to control them for crop protection but they are also
classified as protected and in parts of the country are endangered. During the time I spent in
Australia there were proposals which had been sought in the form of a Bill through government to
pass further legislation to shoot flying foxes as it is a pest species. However the RSPCA are objecting
to this proposal as they are also endangered – this appears to also be the case for some invasive
species but also locally common native “pest” species including black swans, cockatoos and galahs.
I asked how wildlife crime was investigated in NSW e.g. egg theft, illegal shooting poaching etc. It
seems local government rangers have powers to investigate and to report wildlife crime, police also
have powers under the legislation, however, in most cases if police receive a report they forward it
to the Department of Environment.
Ron also has a role with issues that fall under international trade and therefore he works extremely
close to the federal government to follow up any allegations of offences made under this part of the
legislation. They also carry out strategic national operations to prevent and detect crimes.
This department reminded me very much of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency in Northern
Ireland which is there to protect and conserve the local biodiversity as well as deal with licencing
issues. Within NIEA they also have a wildlife team comprising of three people and as I met with the
DOE in Australia I couldn’t help but see some similarities here.
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Photograph 27. Meeting with the wildlife licensing and management team of the Office of
Environment and Heritage NSW.
I then travelled 270km south to the capital city of Canberra ahead of a meeting with Luke Bond
from the federal government on Thursday 25th November. I slowly realised the magnitude of
Australia as I drove the three and a half hours and barely covered a small section of the Australian
south-east. As I drove the landscapes changed considerably to beautiful undulating farmland and
grassland and I began to look for more wildlife – and in particular I still hadn’t managed to see a
kangaroo yet. En-route to Canberra I had the luck to spot a distant wedge-tailed eagle, which is the
largest species of eagle in the world, and watched a brown falcon catch a young possum at the side
of the road (Photograph 28). There were stunning flocks of wild galahs that I had seen with WIRES
and saw my first Kookaburra and unfortunately saw my first kangaroo dead at the side of the road
(Photograph 29). I hoped to have the privilege to see a live one sometime soon as all the road signs
were telling me they were nearby….
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After a battle to find some accommodation in Canberra, I found a lovely remote, historic town called
Yass about an hour north-west of Canberra to stay the night before my meeting in the capital city
and exploring the capital territory and Burrinjuck Region.
Photograph 28. A brown falcon, similar to a kestrel in the UK
Photograph 29. A dead kangaroo, often the victims of road accidents, similar to deer casualties in NI.
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Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and
Communities
On the 25th November I drove back into Canberra and met with Luke Bond, Principal Investigator
with the Department Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and subsequently the Acting
Director of Environment Investigation Unit of the Department of Sustainability, Environment,
Water, Population and Communities since 14th September 2010. This department is responsible for
national (i.e. whole of Australia) legislation including:
Environment protection and conservation of biodiversity;
Air quality;
National fuel quality standards;
Land contamination;
Meteorology;
Administration of the Australian Antarctic Territory, and the Territory of Heard Island and
McDonald Islands;
Natural, built and cultural heritage;
Environmental research;
Water policy and resources;
Ionospheric prediction;
Co-ordination of sustainable communities policy;
Population policy; and
Urban environment
The department is responsible for implementing the Australian Government's policies to protect the
environment and heritage, and to promote a sustainable way of life. The department therefore
provides the basis and frameworks for state legislative policies e.g. those disseminated and managed
by Office of Environment & Heritage NSW and equivalent bodies in the other five states. Luke works
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for the federal government and his office was only a short distance from the seat of the Australian
government at Capital Hill and kindly met with me to discuss wildlife crime and related issues in
Australia. Luke previously worked in New South Wales wildlife law enforcement responsible for
issues such as game seasons, hunting and poaching. He was the first person I met on my trip who
had previous experience and direct contact with a police officer who he would have said had a vast
amount of knowledge of wildlife issues who I hoped to meet on the way back up to Sydney.
Luke’s department are primarily directed by legislation known as the Environment Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) which transposes commonwealth and federal law for
Australia. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is the
Australian Government's central piece of environmental legislation. It provides a legal framework to
protect and manage nationally and internationally important flora, fauna, ecological communities
and heritage places defined in the Act as matters of national environmental significance.
Specifically, the EPBC Act aims to:
conserve Australian biodiversity
protect biodiversity internationally by controlling the international movement of wildlife
provide a streamlined environmental assessment and
approvals process where matters of national environmental significance are involved
protect our world and national heritage
promote ecologically sustainable development.
The EPBC Act contains an extensive regime for the conservation of biodiversity including provisions
for dealing with:
listing of nationally threatened species and ecological communities, migratory species and
marine species
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preparing conservation advice and/or national recovery plans and wildlife conservation
plans for listed species and additional protection for listed species in Commonwealth areas
identifying key threatening processes and the preparing threat management plans for such
processes (if required)
invasive species
access to biological resources in Commonwealth areas
import and export of plants and animals (wildlife) and products derived from wildlife
protection and management of World Heritage properties, National and Commonwealth
Heritage places, RAMSAR wetlands and Commonwealth reserves
establishment of the Australian Whale Sanctuary in Australia's exclusive economic zone
A suite of national, international and strategic issues are therefore dealt with by and referred to
Luke’s department e.g. international export and import of animals under Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) legislation. In brief, the state government can
obtain a warrant but when the case is an exotic species e.g. snakes from America it’s referred to
Luke’s department. In Northern Ireland, this same CITES legislation is part of the PSNI responsibility
via the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (COTES) legislation. Parts of the Australian
legislation therefore relate to international wildlife trade and are already built into the law.
Australia is a CITES signatory and the international recommendations of CITES are built into the
regional acts with offence provisions for import, export and/or possession and regulates
trade/possession of live and dead or artefact specimens. Therefore, possession or movement of
species that are listed on the variety of priority CITES annexes or non-natives can be offences e.g.
exotic fish. This important legislation protects endangered or threatened species globally, ensuring a
united response across the world and also is important in controlling invasive species which are a
large global threat to biodiversity.
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What I found amazing was that although I worked on the other side of the world Luke was involved
in Operation RAMP which I co-ordinated in Northern Ireland. In brief, operation RAMP is a
worldwide operation co-ordinated by INTERPOL in 51 countries across five continents targeting
illegal trade in reptiles and amphibians. INTERPOL is the largest police organisation in the world
and aims to provide connectivity between police forces in different countries in tackling global
crime. This showed that there are strong intelligence links with Australia, the UK and globally
through INTERPOL. It was great to hear someone on the other side of the world working on the
same issues the PSNI deal with which I wouldn’t have seen first-hand without this scholarship. Luke
was clearly very experienced in the legislation and international crime and is also currently the
Vice-chair of the Wildlife Crime Working Group for INTERPOL.
Luke then described to me how they have an operational group to disseminate and co-ordinate
information sharing across Australian and includes New Zealand and Asia. This group is known as
Australasian Environmental Law Enforcement and Regulators neTwork (AELERT) and comprises a
network of environmental regulatory agencies. Its aim is to build relationships between jurisdictions
to facilitate the sharing of information and improve the regulatory compliance capacity of member
agencies. The group encourages inter-agency cooperation, sharing and integration of expertise, and
provision of a cooperative forum to raise standards in the administration of environmental law.
Given the scale of the country, issues and the variety of agencies such a network is considered
essential and membership of AELERT includes nearly 120 organisations from Australia and New
Zealand (Appendix 1). Membership provides a collective partnership and forum for national
government agencies (Australia & New Zealand); state/territory government agencies; regional/local
government and councils (Australia & New Zealand) and affiliate members (e.g. RSPCA, hunting
councils, criminology specialists, solicitors and academic research institutes).
The group examines best practice, legislation and training opportunities and requirements through
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working groups which meet regularly. Luke is involved in the Operation Working Group and aims
to target specific issues as required and create a forum for intelligence sharing and exchange of
information. Luke explained that responsibilities can be fragmented and therefore producing overall
statistics for the country can be difficult. This would also be the case in Northern Ireland in respect
of statistics and it seems Luke’s department seems to be one department which the PSNI, NIEA,
Councils and Customs share in Northern Ireland.
Following my meeting with Luke, after a long day I headed back to Yass and spent an evening
relaxing going for a walk in the park and went out for dinner at a small restaurant in Yass. The
following day I was able to spend some more time in Canberra, visiting the Capital Hill area and the
National Museum. I was also able to visit the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust office in Acton, but
unfortunately it was closed. There was the most fantastic statue of Sir Winston Churchill and I was
humbled again to realise I had the opportunity to be in Australia as a result of the trust. What a
privilege.
Photograph 30. Me at the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust office in Canberra.
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Photograph 31. Me and Sir Winston Churchill in Canberra.
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The next day since I had received a few recommendations from Ron Haering and his team of places
to visit I went exploring to find some of the National Parks and Nature Reserves. I drove about two
hours west and along some winding, dirt roads to Burrinjuck Nature Reserve and Burrinjuck Dam. I
spent a brief time discussing the issues with fish poaching with the reserve wardens at Burrinjuck
Nature Reserve and lake and was able to spend the day by the lake at a very active camp site and
recreational area. Finally too, I got to see my first kangaroos (and joeys) in the wild!!
There were also Australian king parrots, noisy friarbirds, crimson rosellas, red wattle-birds, crested
pigeons, superb fairy-wrens, red-winged parrots and a satin bowerbird. The male bowerbird builds
the most beautiful “shrine” to attract a female, but it was only a young male that I saw.
Photograph 32. Kangaroo and joey (young kangaroo) in the pouch at Burrinjuck.
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Photograph 33. Me and kangaroo at Burrinjuck.
Photograph 34. Australian king parrot feeding on berries at Burrinjuck Nature Reserve.
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I had originally intended to travel down to Victoria for a meeting but due the extensive flooding and
rainfall in Australia, particularly in Victoria and a conversation with my contact in Victoria, I had to
cancel this meeting. It was also a 10 hour drive which I hadn’t realised - Australia is certainly a big
place! I stayed another day in Yass and began instead travelling back towards Sydney along the east
coast and to a new meeting arranged in Batemans Bay with the police officer that Luke had
recommended I meet. This began my travelling over the next four days during torrential rains that
resulted in more extensive flooding all over Australia.
I travelled four hours south-east to the coast at Batemans Bay, via a bakery, in Bugendore
recommended by the motel staff in Yass called Gunna Doo Bakery, and I can thoroughly
recommend their pies! The meeting on Monday 29th November was unfortunately cancelled due the
police officer having to attend a series of meetings and therefore I was not able to meet him.
So I continued my travel back to Sydney in time for my flight. En-route I visited the most stunning
beaches (Photograph 35) and huge expanse of wilderness at Booderee National Park in Jervis Bay
recommended by Ron and Brendan previously. Here I was able to meet briefly with some of the
national park rangers and see the proactive management of wildlife in action and their extensive
fencing of the park to contain and protect native species. The habitat management included the use
of poisons for controlling rats etc for the protection of native wildlife and birds. In this area in
particular the endangered bristlebird was being protected from fox by the use of 1080 poison via
bait stations (Photograph 36). The poison 1080 (sodium fluoracetate) is a widely used control agent
in Australia, banned in most countries, to control pest species, such as dingoes, wild dogs, rabbits
and foxes (and in New Zealand to control invasive possums, stoats and rats).
'Booderee' is an Aboriginal word from the meaning 'bay of plenty' or 'plenty of fish'. The park is
owned by the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community and has always been a significant place for native
Australians. The crystal clear waters and variety of habitats have over 200 species of bird, 30 species
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of mammal and 180 species of fish. I could not believe the size of the national park which was
63km2 which is a huge area, in comparison to our nature reserves in Northern Ireland and in fact
we do not yet have any national parks.
The logo of the park is the white-bellied eagle, which is related to the white-tailed eagle which has
recently been reintroduced in Ireland and whilst I did not manage to see any eagles I did see a
number of birds including sacred kingfisher, cormorants, terns, variegated fairy-wrens, whistling
kites and a very wet kookaburra and another new marsupial - the wallaby.
From Booderee, I travelled along the east coast to Wollongong for my last night prior to leaving and
was able to reflect, in the long hours of torrential rain, about the fantastic travel and people I had
met in Australia and also how much I had learned and could not wait to share with the people at
home.
Photograph 35. Pure white sand beaches in Booderee National Park, Jervis Bay. Stunning!
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Photograph 36. Prominent poison warning signage in Booderee National Park, Jervis Bay.
Photograph 37. A very wet kookaburra just outside Booderee National Park, Jervis Bay.
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Canada
The Canada experience was what I could only describe as unbelievable. The country and people
totally exceeded my expectations and I would have loved to stay longer. I can honestly say I will be
back and I would never have known this without this Scholarship! Thank you Winston Churchill!
The research was purposely slightly different to that in Australia as my role in Northern Ireland is
divided into wildlife and animal welfare issues. Therefore, in Australia I was primarily working
alongside the animal welfare organisations and examining national and regional wildlife crime
strategies and working with welfare organisations. Whereas in Canada my goal was to work with
wildlife legislative enforcement organisations and learn more about wildlife crime and issues that
arise and how the organisations responsible combat wildlife crime and the functional partnerships
or strategies for investigation of wildlife crime.
In Canada I chose Vancouver to be my research base. I spent the first day orientating myself and
getting to know Vancouver and trying (again) to overcome the jet-lag. I was staying in a self-
catering apartment in Downtown Vancouver which was on the 17th floor with a stunning view over
the city and the mountains in the background and on the first day there was a bald eagle that flew
right passed the balcony of my apartment – how amazing! I was also able to take a walk along
Granville Bridge and saw my first Canada goose in Canada which at home are known to be an
aggressive and invasive non-native species.
Amazingly I could see snow on the mountains immediately behind the city and it appeared there
were several contrasting landscapes and I soon realised that Canada was also such a friendly and
welcoming country. There were sea-planes flying into the city, which appeared to be an important
mode of transport and all the high rise buildings were getting their windows cleaned by men and
women on ropes attached to the tops of the buildings!
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Photograph 38. View from my apartment in Downtown Vancouver
Photograph 39. My first Canada goose in Canada!
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Whilst organising meetings in Canada one of my first points of contact was John Wong who is the
regional director for the Wildlife Enforcement Directorate. John kindly provided me with a brief
introduction and overview of the wildlife service and responsibilities. John stated:
“In Canada, the enforcement of wildlife crime is multi-jurisdictional - a product of our large
and diverse country. Federally, we are split up into two separate departments to oversee wildlife:
Environment Canada (Wildlife Enforcement) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. On top of
that there are also Provincial/Territorial wildlife/environmental law enforcement services (in the
province of BC they are the BC Conservation Officer Service). In simplified terms, the federal
services deal with federal species/issues (i.e. international trade) while the territorial/provincial
services their species/issues. In practice there is overlap and that overlap differs from coast to coast
- but we all strive to work together cooperatively.”
John suggested a contact in his department (Todd Boychuk) and therefore this provided me with the
opportunity to set up my first meeting. I felt I wanted to prepare myself and therefore before I
arrived in Canada I had already researched some of the legislation so when I attended meetings I
wasn’t completely new to it. The Canadian wildlife legislation appears to be protected by four main
parts of legislation:
Wildlife Canada Act
Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade
Act (WAPPRIITA)
Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994
Species at Risk Act
The Wildlife Canada Act is the main legislation, similar to that of the Northern Ireland law which is
Wildlife (NI) order 1985 as amended, in that it is primarily there to protect the countries native
wildlife. The Canadian legislation allows for creation, management and protection wildlife areas for
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research, or conservation and public interpretation of wildlife.
The wildlife areas (called National Wildlife Areas) are to preserve habitats that are critical to
migratory birds and other wildlife species, particularly those that are at risk. In most areas activities
such as hiking, photography, canoeing and bird watching can be carried out without a permit
however the Wildlife Area Regulations prohibits all activities that could be harmful to species and
their habitats unless an activity permit is issued.
After reviewing the legislation, Section 13 in the legislation highlights the offences and punishments
for contravention of act or regulations. Examples of this are if a corporation is found guilty of an
offence and is liable to a fine not exceeding $100,000 and in the case of an individual, to a monetary
fine not exceeding $50,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both. If a
person is found guilty of an indictable offence and is liable in the case of corporation, to a fine not
exceeding $250,000 and in the case of an individual to a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, or both.
When there is a subsequent offence and the person is convicted of an offence under this act a
second or subsequent time, the amount of the fine may be doubled. I believe this magnitude of fines
is definitely a good idea, and fines themselves (hopefully) act as a deterrent and the UK could
certainly learn from this.
The Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act
(WAPPRIITA) which applies to a number of animal and plant species and includes:
Species on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES);
Foreign species whose capture, possession, and export are prohibited or regulated by laws in
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their country of origin;
Canadian species whose capture, possession, and transportation are regulated by provincial
or territorial laws;
Species whose introduction into Canadian ecosystems which could endanger Canadian
species i.e. invasive species.
The WAPPRIITA forbids the import, export and interprovincial transportation of listed species,
unless the specimens are accompanied by the appropriate documents (licences, permits). In all cases,
the Act applies to the plant or animal, alive or dead, as well as to its parts and any derived products.
The CITES legislation is also applicable to Northern Ireland as over 150 countries have signed the
Convention however unlike WAPPRITTA in Canada in NI it is enforced by police under the Control
of Trade and Endangered Species (COTES) and any animals listed under CITES transported into or
outside the country is enforced and investigated by Customs in Northern Ireland.
The Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 is federal legislation which conserves the migratory bird
populations by regulating harmful human activities that could be detrimental to the birds. Permits
must be sought for all activities affecting migratory birds, with some exceptions. Regulatory
requirements for notifiable activities such as bird hunting, aviculture, sale, gift of birds, areas of
scientific research etc. are covered in the Regulations. This Act and its complementary Regulations
ensure the conservation of migratory bird populations by regulating potentially harmful human
activities. A permit must be issued for all activities affecting migratory birds, with some exceptions
detailed in the Regulations. In the Migratory Birds Regulations, there are regulatory requirements
regarding Migratory Bird Hunting, as well as other activities related to migratory birds, including:
sale, gift or purchase
shipment
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aviculture
taxidermy
activities involving birds causing damage or danger (e.g., agriculture)
activities involving overabundant species
activities at airports
activities for scientific research purposes
collection, possession, sale or trade of eiderdown
import of migratory bird species that are not indigenous to Canada
The Migratory Bird Sanctuary Regulations grant sanctuary status to areas that provide habitat that is
important to migratory birds. These sanctuaries help protect the birds from hunting and all other
disturbances while they are in breeding and other staging areas. The following aspects of hunting
are regulated by the Migratory Birds Regulations:
required permit;
possession limits;
hunting methods and equipment (weapon, type of shot, etc.);
retrieving birds that have been killed;
times during which hunting is permitted.
In addition, regulations regarding migratory bird hunting identify hunting areas, seasons, permitted
species and the daily bag limit per species and per region. These regulations are revised and
modified each year. The Regulations ban all activities that are harmful to migratory birds, their eggs
or their nests. However, some activities, such as hunting, may be practiced with the appropriate
permit.
The Species at Risk Act (SARA) is to prevent species at risk from disappearing and to recover species
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that are extirpated, endangered or threatened due to human activity. Species of special concern also
must be monitored to prevent them being endangered or threatened. SARA also provides for the
issuing of permits or the conclusion of agreements for certain scientific or educational activities and
for the implementation of special emergency measures
Environmental Enforcement is further protected under the following legislation although these have
less significance to wildlife crime:
Environmental Enforcement Act
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
Pollution Prevention Provisions of the Fisheries Act
Non-Toxic Shot (effective 1st September, 1999) the use of lead shot was banned in Canada
for migratory game bird hunting except when hunting woodcock
Environment Canada – Canadian Wildlife Service
On Thursday 19th April 2012, I met with Todd Boychuk who works for the Canadian Wildlife
Service (CWS) part of Environment Canada. In brief, Environment Canada’s main function is to
protect the environment, conserving the country’s natural heritage and to keep the Canadians
informed and safe by providing meteorological information. Environment Canada’s mandate is to:
Preserve and enhance the quality of Canada’s natural environment, including water, air,
soil, flora and fauna
Conserve Canada’s renewable resources
Conserve and protect Canada’s water resources
Forecast daily weather conditions and warnings, and provide detailed meteorological
information to all of Canada
Enforce rules relating to boundary waters
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Coordinate environmental policies and programmes for the federal government”.
It seems the Environment Canada team that I met is similar to that of the work of the Northern
Ireland Environment Agency and is primarily involved in research and making statutory decisions.
There are approximately 6800 employees from a broad range of fields who work in over 100
communities in Canada. The diverse expertise of the employees strengthens their ability to deal with
increasingly complex and changing environment issues from laboratories and weather stations to
national wildlife areas and field officers. Canada has Provincial and Territorial areas defined as
follows:
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland & Labrador
North West Territories
Nova Scotia
Nunavut
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Yukon
The area I was visiting was British Columbia which is located on the west coast and shares a
boundary with the USA (Washington State). The Environment Canada staff use the following map to
help identify each area (Photograph 40).
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Photograph 40. The geographical distribution of the Environment Canada enforcement agencies.
Todd Boychuk works in the wildlife enforcement division. Todd is the operations manager in
Southern District and is based at Burrard Street near the harbour in the centre of Vancouver. Todd
explained that he has (at present) got four staff however staffing resources are often constrained
due to the availability funding. This is an area we can all empathise with as it seems a similar issue
throughout the world!
Todd introduced me to Ross Dolan who is the manager in charge of intelligence and who also works
for the wildlife enforcement branch. I was able to ask both Todd and Ross a number of questions all
of which they answered with vast knowledge. Questions included my own queries about the initial
research I had carried out in respect of the legislation and it was great to hear I had located and
been researching all the correct legislation! They were also able to elaborate on the information I
had gained from and to understand first hand examples of species at risk which include the
Vancouver Island marmot (only approximately 100 breeding pairs), woodland caribou, swift fox
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and killer whale which are included in the Species at Risk Act in Canada.
It seemed although both Todd and Ross had vast powers to search seize and investigate they were
primarily involved in enforcing the WAPPRITTA legislation at a federal level. I can honestly say that
their office is proof of their many successful interventions of wildlife crime including crocodile and
alligator heads, snakes, elephant ivory (intricately carved and uncarved pieces), shark jaws, many
stuffed birds such as a shoveler, grouse, loon and emperor goose just to name a few (Photographs
41, 42 and 43).
Photograph 41. Me with an elephant tusk and narwhal tusk to my right with the wildlife
enforcement division of Environment Canada.
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Photograph 42. An alligator head and ivory chess-board seized by the Environment Canada team
Photograph 43. Ivory, shark jaws and grouse seized by the Environment Canada team
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On asking if there were any good points in the legislation, both Todd and Ross agreed the Sections 6
(1, 2, and 3) in respect of illegal importation and exportation of animals are sections in the
legislation they used regularly and felt were most useful. They routinely work in partnership with
other statutory organisations and they have very good working relationships with the USA (US Fish
& Wildlife Service) and on occasions officers travel to the USA to carry out covert operations. This is
an area where my own role could benefit with cross-border initiatives with the Republic of Ireland.
Environment Canada also have a good working relationship with the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police (RCMP) it was clear that police do have powers to implement the legislation in particular they
can offer a first responder role and then, where necessary, the investigation is passed to the correct
body to carry forward. Typically this would then involve the team at Environment Canada.
I was interested to find out the main crimes that Environment Canada wildlife team responded to. It
seemed there was a huge demand for Asian medicines and black bears are regularly poached in
Canada for their gall bladders which are used in such medicines. Despite protection of these species,
they are often poached and parts are smuggled to Asia and also used locally by these communities. A
second issue that continues to reappear is smuggling of rhino horn and ivory and the Vancouver
Asian Community appear to illegally import tiger penis and hoodia (a plant) which are all CITES
listed.
I was delighted to find out that the wildlife team have links for intelligence gathering with Interpol
and the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) based in the UK which means that Canada, Australia
and Northern Ireland are linked worldwide with respect to wildlife crime. Ross explained that he
deals mainly with strategic issues in identifying where main crimes are taking place and deploys
resources based on this information and therefore counter-acting crime proactively. This is similar
to that in Northern Ireland, where regional crime and issues, e.g. ‘hot-spots’ or key issues are
targeted specifically where necessary.
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The division explained there is an excellent inter-governmental working partnership called the
North American Enforcement Group which includes representatives from Canada, Mexico and
America. However, unlike Northern Ireland there are no meetings with various government and
non-government organisations whereas in Northern Ireland there is the group called the
Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime (PAW) which is extremely beneficial to gathering
intelligence and reporting crime and raising the profile of wildlife crimes.
The meeting was interesting and very informative and the conclusion from the meeting is that the
Environment Canada is similar to that of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency in Northern
Ireland in respect of research, protection and designation of sites and also the PSNI in respect of
investigation and enforcement. WAPPRITTA is definitely at the forefront of their work and I found
the officers to be dedicated to their work and clearly enjoy it.
Strategic intelligence gathering is a clear priority for Environment Canada and helps decide on what
is targeted and deployment of resources e.g. issues in relation to Chinese medicines or illegal
poaching of protected species. Environment Canada provided contact details for The Wildlife Trade
Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC) operated by WWF and IUCN and another contact that was
recommended in the US Fish and Wildlife Service in USA. I emailed both the WWF intelligence
analyst from the Virginia CIA and USWFS headquarters to obtain their thoughts on wildlife crime
and the main areas and queries on cross-border initiatives. However I never received a response.
British Columbia Conservation Officer Service (North Vancouver)
On Friday 20th April 2012 I spent with the British Columbia Conservation Officers and in advance
of my meeting I prepared by carrying out some research in the internet. In brief, the Conservation
Officer Service www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/ is a public safety provider focussed on natural resource law
enforcement and human wildlife conflicts prevention and response. Their vision is to be “a
progressive and respected leader in environmental compliance and enforcement, shared
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stewardship and public safety”. My research further revealed that British Columbia is home to more
than 1138 species of vertebrates, including 488 bird species, 142 mammal species, 18 reptile
species, 22 amphibian species, 83 freshwater fish species and 368 saltwater fish species. There are
152 wildlife species and sub-species which are considered candidates for endangered, threatened,
or vulnerable status. Three of these are legally designated (by the provincial government) as
endangered in B.C. the burrowing owl, the American white pelican and the Vancouver Island
marmot. The sea otter is also designated as threatened, whilst other species are under consideration
for listing.
Management of wildlife in Canada is shared by the federal, provincial, and territorial governments.
Federal responsibility includes protection and management of migratory birds as well as nationally
significant wildlife habitat, and responsibilities for endangered species, control of international
trade in endangered species, research on wildlife issues of national importance, and international
wildlife treaties and issues. For the most part, provincial and territorial wildlife agencies are
responsible for all other wildlife matters. These include conservation and management of wildlife
populations and habitat within their borders, issuing licenses and permits for fishing, game hunting,
and trapping, guidelines for safe angling and trapping and outfitting policies.
The Ecosystems Branch is responsible for biodiversity science, standards and policy for the Ministry,
and is responsible for the preparation of a biodiversity strategy for British Columbia. Important
aspects of this work include the development of more specific strategies on living rivers and species
at risk. The Branch develops legislation, regulations, standards and guidelines to protect natural
diversity. It also manages the acquisition and application of science-based information and
knowledge for aquatic and terrestrial habitats and species. The Branch establishes protocols and
performance measures for monitoring and reporting on the state of provincial biodiversity and the
effectiveness of activities being used to sustain it.
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The conservation officer service is based approximately a half an hour drive outside Vancouver.
The Ministry of Environment have over 100 staff dedicated to wildlife crime issues (and many other
environment issues) throughout Canada and when you consider the scale of Canada I would
imagine more officers are required.
My meeting was with Chris Doyle who is the Inspector in the South Coast Region and Simon Gravel
who is a Conservation Officer. On arriving at their office I was somewhat in awe of their
surroundings, an area where I would expect them to see wildlife on a daily basis I imagined a black
bear would walk past their windows regularly (Photograph 44).
Photograph 44. British Columbia Conservation Officer Service offices in North Vancouver.
The meeting with Chris and Simon was very informative they explained that the conservation
officer’s mandate isn’t only wildlife but it also includes pollution, habitat destruction, public safety
and litter. It seems there are both federal and regional levels of government for conservation and
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wildlife crime investigation and additional support from the staff responsible from Department of
Fisheries and Oceans and although all organisations e.g. conservation officers and wildlife
enforcement division at Environment Canada have their own remit they work together very closely.
Although the mandate of the British Columbia Conservation officers Service (BCCOS) is for
terrestrial animals in the province of B.C including small animals, non-migratory birds, licenses for
fishing etc. they also have powers to investigate other areas outside their remit as they are classed as
special constables.
There is considerable crossover with Environment Canada generally for public safety issues and
licensing, however transport across international borders e.g. bear parts to Asia is generally
investigated by Todd’s group at the CWS/Environment Canada and the conservation officers.
Working partnerships are vital for all the organisations and there appears to be excellent relations
for with respect to planning or wildlife and where resources can be pooled together to tackle
wildlife crime.
One idea which I thought was excellent is that there is one telephone number for the public to call
called “Report all Poachers and Polluters (RAPP)” www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/rapp/form.htm. The RAPP
line means if a member of the public would like to report a crime for poachers or polluters then
they ring the number which is based in Victoria and manned 24 hours a day seven days a week and
run by the solicitor general ministry on behalf of the Ministry of Environment. The person
answering provides a centralised point of contact and is strategically aware of which organisation
needs to be consulted e.g. if the issue is a matter for the conservation officer service they are
informed and if the matter is for Environment Canada then they are informed. I was informed it is a
wildlife crime line but it does receive many calls of issues that are not necessarily crimes. Northern
Ireland has similar issues and there doesn’t appear to be any way to counteract or stop it both in
Canada or NI except for promotion to minimise incorrect use of the number.
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Photograph 45. Logo and phone number of the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline.
The conservation officer service was able to provide me with some recent statistics to give me an
idea of what is reported to them, which included both reports for human/wildlife conflicts and
wildlife crimes:
Month Human – Wildlife Conflicts Wildlife Crimes
April 2011 949 381
May 2011 2280 443
June 2011 3141 365
July 2011 3627 353
August 2011 3696 417
September 2011 4167 496
October 2011 3699 735
November 2011 1887 491
December 2011 1078 328
January 2012 830 253
February 2012 718 267
March 2012 707 297
Total 26779 4826
At the meeting we discussed the role of the RCMP and unlike Northern Ireland as there is a huge
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issue with public safety and native wildlife e.g. bears eating rubbish in towns and attacking humans
then there is a very close link with the RCMP. BCCOS were able to provide me with some contact
details for a localised specialist with the RCMP and I arranged to meet him later in the week.
I asked what the conservation officers felt was the main issues and public safety issues were at the
forefront as well as poaching illegal bear parts. It appears that not unlike Environment Canada that
there is a continuing growing Asian population in Canada and bear soup is popular with
consequential large demand for this and parts for traditional medicinal purposes. The poaching of
sturgeon (fish) for caviar was another recurrent issue locally.
Education work is important to the conservation officer service and there is a close working
relationship with the B.C. Wildlife Federation which represent the hunting community who have a
rewards programme for people reporting wildlife crimes. Further to this there are initiative called
“Bear Smart” www.bearsmart.com and “Bear Aware” www.bearaware.bc.ca which are national and
provincial initiatives and to advise people to not leave any food and to ensure BBQ’s are cleaned
properly etc to ensure wildlife is not attracted into gardens or towns.
These initiatives are therefore to minimise the occurrence of human-wildlife conflicts which
requires considerable resources from the BCCOS since they are routinely involved in animal capture
and translocation but occasionally they are required to humanely destroy problem animals. Human
deaths are on occasions caused by bears or cougars in particular. The BCCOS informed me that this
is one of their key roles, in public protection and minimising wildlife-human interactions. This often
necessitates specific and specialised capture techniques and the officers routinely use live-capture
traps, tranquilizers to re-locate animals away from human habitation. I was able to see for myself
some the equipment that was utilised to capture bears and Simon explained some of the processes
involved and the welfare issues associated with capturing live animals.
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Photograph 46. Warning signage on a live-capture bear trap used by the BCCOS.
Photograph 47. Me standing beside one of the mobile BCCOS live-capture bear traps.
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The Conservation Officers have a manual to which they can refer called the “Officers Field Offence
Guide”. This provides a quick reference guide to offences, what section the offence falls under in the
legislation and the appropriate action(s) and/or fines.
Photograph 48. British Columbia Conservation Officer Service Field Office Guide.
Whilst there numerous offences I have provided a few examples below to indicate the scale of
offences and fines:
Wildlife Act
Offence Section Action
Destroy Muskrat/beaver house/dam 9 (1) $345
Hunt without a licence 11 (1) (a) $230
Person under 19 hunts without supervision 11 (5) £230
Trap without licence 11 (8) $230
Unlawful import of live wildlife 21 (1) (a) $575
Unlawful export of wildlife 21 (1) (b) $375
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Wildlife general Regulation B.C. 340/82 failure to comply with condition of:
Offence description Section Action
Hunting licence 16.01 (a) $115
Species licence 16.01 (b) $115
The field offence guide is a great tool and on the spot fines are certainly an area the NI legislators
may find useful in the future as not only are on the spot fines a great deterrent but it also saves court
time and money.
Later that day I was able to explore the top of Mt Seymour where there was six feet of deep snow
and then down to the coastal 25°C at Horseshoe Bay about half an hour north of Vancouver.
Photograph 49. Me and my hire car at Mt Seymour in the snow, in the middle of summer!
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This latter location is where the ferry departs to Vancouver Island and I was lucky enough to spot
some bird species with which I was very familiar in my old job at WWT namely goosander and
bufflehead; which was amazing to see them in the wild in Canada.
Over the next few days I was able to explore Vancouver and visited the Aquarium and the beautiful
Stanley Park. These places were both fantastic and I managed to find a huge heronry, chipmunks
and (black) North American squirrels in Stanley Park which had interpretative signage and
traditional totems poles informing people of the local wildlife and culture.
Photograph 50. A female goosander in Horseshoe Bay, British Columbia
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Photograph 51. A female bufflehead in Horseshoe Bay, British Columbia
Photograph 52. Traditional Indian totem poles in Stanley Park
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I also found a purse in Vancouver when I was out getting some shopping and found it belonged to
an address a few miles from my apartment to which to return it and met John and Lorna Andrews,
the parents of the Erin who had lost her purse. John had previously worked in Northern Ireland, and
they kindly took the time to show me around Vancouver, The Ironworkers Bridge, Cypress
Mountain (part of the area which hosted the 2010 winter Olympics), Lions Gate Bridge, Kitsilano
Park and Granville Markets.
At Kitsilano Park, John showed me the pair of bald eagles that were nesting right in the middle of the
city! I had lunch with John at The Flying Beaver (where we enjoyed a bison burger) and watched the
seaplanes coming into the Richmond Terminal near Vancouver Airport and we went for a five mile
walk along the Iona Jetty (known locally as “The Spit”) where I saw Caspian terns, pintail, American
wigeon, ruddy duck, great northern diver (or loon as they are called in Canada) and numerous bald
eagles (some only about 20 feet away).
I would never have found these places without John and Lorna and spent some time with them and
so grateful at the time they spent showing me around Canada. They were both so welcoming and
represented everything that Canada was to me with such lovely people who make you feel
instantaneously at home.
Meeting people during my travels was a very personally important part to my Winston Churchill
Scholarship in both Australia and particularly when I was visiting Canada I can genuinely say that I
made some friends throughout the study I was doing but also people whom I know I will meet
again. I was also able to ask John and Lorna about their experiences of wildlife crime issues in
Canada and they both confirmed to me that I was indeed meeting the correct people in their
experience too.
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Photograph 53. A black squirrel near Beaver Lake in Stanley Park
Photograph 54. Part of Winter Olympic ski area at Cypress Mountain
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Photograph 55. A Caspian tern flying along-side Iona Jetty, Vancouver
Photograph 56. A bald eagle flying right beside me at Iona Jetty, Vancouver
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I had arranged to meet up, and work with, the BCCOS again in Squamish, north of Vancouver, and
began to look forward to exploring some more of British Columbia. In Vancouver I was able to get
to Granville Island again, bought some souvenirs and met up with John and Lorna again for lunch.
To get to the market I travelled across the river at Granville on an “Aquabus” water-taxi which was
a great experience.
John then kindly bought me a “Bear Bell” – which he said would come in very useful since I was
heading towards Squamish and Whistler were there are lots of bears and cougars! I hadn’t managed
to see a bear yet and was excited to leave the city and get into the wilderness, following my arranged
meetings with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Photograph 57. Aquabus to Granville Market, with Granville Bridge in the background.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
I met with Sergeant Philip Wong on the 27th April 2012 to discuss the role of the Royal Canadian
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Mounted Police (RCMP) in respect of wildlife crime and to see if there is a similar role to mine in
Northern Ireland. Once again, I wanted to get first-hand experience of working and discussing
issues with a police officer in respect of wildlife crime.
Although Sgt Wong is a response police officer, due to the number of on-going reports on wildlife
crimes and animal conflicts Sgt Wong seemed to have adopted the role of a liaison officer and
specialises in this area. The role of liaison officer has a different slant on the role to mine in NI as Sgt
Wong works closely with the external organisations with respect to public safety and particularly
bear-human attacks.
Although the police are responsible for public safety issues in Northern Ireland we would not class a
bear attack on people as a wildlife crime probably for two reasons. One, because we don’t get black
bears (!) and some of the more dangerous animals Canada has e.g. cougars and two, it is more likely
to be classed as a public safety issue.
Public safety is clearly in the forefront of all police forces however a wildlife crime in Northern
Ireland would be classed specifically as a breach in the wildlife legislation. PSNI (and in parts the
Northern Ireland Environment Agency) are the only statutory organisations under the wildlife
legislation who can investigate a breach in the legislation whereas in Canada these investigations
are carried out by BCCOS and CWS/Environment Canada with further support and assistance from
RCMP. During 2011 the North Vancouver RCMP Detachment received:
110 calls for service (i.e. calls relating to animals)
64 calls for black bears
29 calls for other wildlife (e.g. cougars, deer, racoons etc)
17 calls for non-wildlife or domesticated animals (dogs bites, etc)
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Photograph 58. Sgt Wong (RCMP) with his patrol vehicle in Vancouver.
Sgt Wong and I discussed a number of queries I had about the wildlife legislation. Whilst police can
uphold and operate under the wildlife law in Canada since there are dedicated organisations who
investigate these specific issues the cases files are usually passed to the specialist organisations
depending on the issue. Sgt Wong confirmed that there is a strong working relationship with the
other statutory organisations. I got the sense this was extremely important as the conservation
officers can’t be everywhere and therefore police often also need to control or deal with animals for
the requirement of public safety. I was interested to know whether the BCCOS field officer guide
was used by the police and although it is mainly wildlife related, Sgt Wong was able to confirm that
police had their own manual which incorporated wildlife issues.
What I found encouraging is that when there is a wildlife issue that is classed as serious organised
crime then police meet with partners such as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans or
conservation officers and decide which organisation is best placed to investigate it and the resources
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required. There appears to be an excellent communication network with all organisations involved.
I was interested to know if there is an intelligence overlap and any information sharing agreements
in place with external organisations, and found that this was indeed on-going and under continued
development in order to increase the functionality of the information from the public,
communication with other statutory organisations and the gathering of wider intelligence.
Sgt Wong then kindly took some time to take me on a tour around the police station where I met Sgt
Cameron, Sgt Bracewell and Inspector Attfield. I also spent some time talking to Supt. Kennedy who
was clearly very aware of the great work Sgt Wong was carrying out with the external agencies. Sgt
Wong and I then travelled to North Vancouver in his police car and whilst we were out the Sgt was
approached by a member of the public who had a petty theft issue and wanted to know what police
had done about it. Sgt Wong clearly knew about this one issue (which impressed me to no end as
I’m sure there are so many issue such as this) and in his professional manner was able to calm the
member of the public down and reassure him that police were investigating and requested the
member of the public to contact the officer investigating and ask for an update. It was so great to see
Sgt Wong in action which reiterates the multi-faceted approach the police role requires in public
reassurance as well as investigation of all crimes.
It was clear that public safety was definitely at the forefront of the RCMP work in respect of wildlife
and human interactions which includes issues with skunks, racoons, coyotes, black bears and
cougars which is what I expected but it was still nice to hear this first hand from Sgt Wong. Unlike
NI, the RCMP shares the legislation with other statutory originations who investigate. However Sgt
Wong was clearly aware of the wildlife issues as he was able to mention that there was a recent
press release on a bear being dismembered on Vancouver Island (see press release under Appendix
2). This was a clear example of a wildlife crime and one I intended to follow up with the BCCOS
when I meet them next.
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After another morning in Vancouver, and visiting the famous Laughing Men in English Bay, which
John and Lorna had also previously told me about; I travelled about an hour and a half north along
the west coast from Vancouver to Squamish and settled in to a new apartment. This was located just
outside Squamish and had stunning view of the mountains and I could start to see why I might need
my “Bear Bell” that John had bought me, this was just such beautiful and expansive wilderness.
Photograph 59. Vancouver artwork “The Laughing Men”.
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Photograph 60. View from my Squamish apartment over mountains and an abandoned golf course.
I travelled around Squamish over the weekend and visited Brackendale which is the site of the
largest wintering bald eagle population and I also went to visit where the First Nations local
communities lived. I drove through the forests in Squamish and managed to spot some black-tailed
deer at the side of one of the forest tracks and watched them, or they watched me, for ages. After
orientating myself, I was keen to see some more wildlife and was advised that the local rubbish
dump was one place to go. Whilst dumping rubbish from my apartment I went to the local landfill
and saw hundreds of gulls, ravens and 30-40 eagles. I knew from BCCOS that bears often feed in
these places, but often cause trouble or come into contact with humans. Conflicts soon follow.
Unfortunately bears often have to be destroyed at these interface areas where wilderness is in close
proximity to human habitations. I began seeing some evidence of bears including road signs and
scratches and claw scrapes on the bear-proof bins. I was very thankful to John for my “Bear Bells”
which went everywhere with me!
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Photograph 61. Some black-tailed deer in the forests of Squamish
Photograph 62. Brackendale landfill site with hundreds of gulls and ravens feeding on rubbish.
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Photograph 63. Sign for bear country!
Photograph 64. Scratches and scrapes on the bear-proof bins
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British Columbia Conservation Officer Service (Squamish)
I had arranged to contact the BCCOS when I arrived in Squamish and was due to meet the officers
on 1st May 2012. Following further exploration of Whistler (north of Squamish), where the main
Olympic Village was located I got to meet with Simon Gravel again to gain hands on experience. My
day with Simon started by visiting their main office in Squamish and seeing some of the animal
parts and evidence e.g. bear skins, teeth and skeletons that had been seized by the conservation
officers.
Photograph 65. A bear skull seized by the conservation officer in the evidence room
He also showed me a metal detector that is used for gathering evidence at crime scenes and
particularly when trying to find bullets in the snow. Snow mobiles were also stored here for use in
accessing remote crime scenes during the winter and patrolling up mountains. We were then able
to get out on patrol and headed towards Whistler and Brandywine Falls National Park and I also met
some of Simon’s colleagues, Peter Busink and Kent Popjes.
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Photograph 66. A bear pelt seized by the conservation officers in their evidence room
Photograph 67. Conservation Officer Simon Gravel and his patrol vehicle.
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I was able to discuss some on-going bear poaching cases being investigated by the officers. The
officers explained that poisons were often used in wildlife crimes in Canada. This is an issue that I
only know too well in Northern Ireland and the PSNI unfortunately also collect dead animals, birds
and poisoned baits. Kent explained that a recent case had strychnine (type of poison) found in a cow
bait presumably to target scavenging bears or cougars and whilst not placed specifically to target
birds these are often first to locate carcasses e.g. vultures, ravens and eagles and get poisoned.
Simon and I then went out on patrol around the Whistler area for fish poachers and checking local
parks for any disturbance or offences. I finally got to see a real live black bear too, I had a brief
sighting of a bear on my way home from Whistler the previous day and I showed Simon where I
had seen it – and it was still in the area, but I got a great view (and almost a photograph)! Simon
beeped the horn and chased it from the road in a process called “hazing” to condition the animal to
avoid humans and move away from roads to protect them from cars or interacting with humans.
Photograph 68. A black bear near the side of the road seen whilst on patrol with Simon.
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Simon then also took me to the site of the winter Eagle Run at Brackendale where he explained the
significance and importance of the eagles to the local economy and tourism but that occasionally
conflicts arise with poisoning and individuals poaching for economic reasons. Simon explained that
on ceremonial occasions the First Nations communities utilise eagle feathers for clothing or head-
dresses. Unfortunately they are often illegally killed (see Appendix 3) and sold and since they are
protected the conservation officers have tried to reduce the number of illegal deaths by requesting
any found dead, e.g. on the road are given to the conservation officers and at the end of the year
they divide out what they have within the First Nations communities.
The day was really good and felt very pro-active. That evening I was invited to dinner with Simon,
Peter, Kent and their families and I was humbled and so grateful by the welcome I received and the
fantastic food – officially the nicest salmon I have ever eaten! Thank you all of you for making me
feel so welcome and giving so freely of your time, experience and knowledge and for allowing me to
be part of your lives for a short while.
The following day I had one last day exploring British Columbia and went further north into the
mountains towards Pemberton and similar to my travels in Australia found another stunning bakery
called the “Blackbird Bakery” where I got a lovely coffee and a freshly made croissant with
chocolate. Yum!
On the way home I spotted an osprey nest (with an osprey on it!) on top of a huge pylon and a
bobcat right beside the road and when I got back to the apartment I got a glimpse of a cougar
crossing the golf course from my balcony. What a wildlife experience and I have learnt so much
from my travels and seen so many fantastic things and met so many lovely people thanks to the
Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and this scholarship.
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Photograph 69. A bobcat seen right beside the road between Squamish and Whistler
Recommendations
From the experience in both Australia and Canada I have a number of recommendations that
Northern Ireland could consider, including:
In Canada one telephone number is used to report all poachers and polluters – the R.A.P.P.
line. This would be an excellent idea for Northern Ireland as the responsibilities of
investigating legislation is scattered between the Northern Ireland Environment Agency,
PSNI, Department of Culture Arts and Leisure, Loughs Agency, Department of Agriculture
and Rural Development and local councils. A disadvantage to this is that general reports are
also reported not just crime which is similar to NI.
Field Offences Guide – The BCCOS, RCMP and CWS/Environment Canada have guides to
refer to which is a quick and easy tool to find offences and penalties without searching the
full legislation. This is a small and compact booklet to carry out in patrol.
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Higher fines in Canada and Australia - the fact that Canada has higher fines is considered a
deterrent for wildlife crime offences. This is an area pertinent to recent changes in the
Northern Ireland welfare and wildlife legislation and recently custodial sentences (up to two
years) have been introduced (2011/2012) and the levels of fines have been increased to
level 5 (currently £5000) for animal welfare convictions or for wildlife crime convictions.
Both fines and custodial sentences can be considered together.
Subsequent offences – double fines. If a person is convicted of an offence under the Wildlife
Act. If the crime is committed for a second or subsequent time and the person is convicted of
an offence then this may result in double the fine amount in Canada. Again this acts as a
deterrent for repeat offenders.
Australia and Canada - on the spot fines. On the spot fines are used if a dog fouls in
Northern Ireland but the fact that on the on the spot fines for wildlife crime and animal
welfare are used in Canada and Australia is a recommendation for Northern Ireland this
could not only be an excellent deterrent but also a way of not using up money, resources
and time with court and Public Prosecution Service.
Community engagement such as gathering dead eagles and sharing them with the first
nations to try and eliminate crime and work in partnership. The BCCOS are clearly working
closely with the First Nations and recognising their cultural needs and are actively
promoting and gather dead eagles to try and eliminate crime. Understanding the cultural
and/or reasons for some wildlife crimes are important to all law enforcers and such
understanding and information can be utilised to try and help eliminate it.
In Australia the organisation WIRES was set up to try and protect and conserve native
wildlife. The network is set up with limited paid staff and only two vehicles on the road. The
network of volunteers to care for the animals is truly amazing. For Northern Ireland to
conserve and protect wildlife and keep any costs down for injured animals then this may be
a future idea for a charity.
The “Bear Smart” campaign is a possible good example in respect of animals and people
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conflicting; this is maybe more relevant for the local councils in Northern Ireland to
establish in respect of dog attacks or Dangerous Wild Animals legislation for NIEA.
Covert operations between America and Canada under the CWS/Environment Canada – NI
and ROI could refer to and learn from joint working relationships that Canada and USA
have created. Environment Canada staff routinely travel to the USA to work closely with
their counterparts in combating wildlife crime. I believe a way this could be created is to
have a wildlife officer in An Garda Siochana (police) in the Republic of Ireland to work in
partnership with and plan joint operations.
In both Canada and Australia there are many people working to try and combat wildlife
crime in different departments and organisations. There are both strategic and operational
units evident in all the organisations I worked with. This is similar to that in Northern
Ireland and also my role in co-ordinating and disseminating information and the legislation
to the PSNI officers and liaising with external organisations. A collective approach
integrating experience and knowledge from all organisations in partnerships appears to be
important globally and it is important to maintain involvement and communication
between all stakeholders and statutory organisations.
Both Canada and Australia had federal and state systems for dealing with wildlife crime
issues and particularly required given the overall sizes of these countries. Whilst there is no
direct comparison within Northern Ireland there exists strategic command and operational
units and clear lines of responsibility and communication are required particularly given
the range of legislation covered. In NI the government, police and customs all have
centralised command units dealing with strategic issues and therefore, as with federal and
state systems, there is a clear requirement for continued concise and agreed
communications between strategic and operational units and engagement with
stakeholders.
In Canada The B.C. Wildlife Federation pays rewards up to $2000 for information leading to
the conviction of persons who have violated laws related to the protection of fish, wildlife,
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or the environment, or damaged the property of companies or individuals who provide
access to hunters and anglers (www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/rapp). This would certainly
encourage reporting of wildlife crime and I found this to be an excellent example of
encouragement for the public to report a crime and a positive mechanism from a
conservation organisation.
There are many aspects that I encountered during my research and travels that allowed me to reflect
on some considerable positives in NI and perhaps could be transferred mutually or are also found to
be utilised in Canada and Australia. In particular:
NI has an excellent reporting database of wildlife crime. The PSNI and Northern Ireland
Environment Agency work closely with various other organisations to try and ensure all
reporting on wildlife crime is to the police who are the key law enforcement organisation.
The PSNI gathers the statistics and intelligence and this information is forwarded to the
National Wildlife Crime Unit. The NWCU can then compare these statistics and intelligence
reports with other areas in the UK and help identify regional and national priorities.
Northern Ireland has developed (in a very short space of time) a Partnership for Action
against Wildlife Crime (PAW). The purpose of the PAW group cannot be understated as this
entails over 15 separate organisations in Northern Ireland working together to promote the
reporting of crimes and upholding the law and diverse opinions and experience are brought
to the group within a common goal. This is an excellent collaboration and working
partnership with both statutory and non-statutory agencies. Similar mechanisms existed in
Australia (AELERT) and North American Enforcement Group to share knowledge and work
strategically to combat crime. Collectively organisations can accomplish much more than
when operating in isolation.
Every police officer (approximately 7000 officers) can respond to and investigate a wildlife
crime in Northern Ireland with the specialist knowledge of the wildlife officer and the
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specialist assistance of the groups involved in PAW where required. This is an advantage as
an investigating officer (IO) is identified immediately at the time of reporting.
The PSNI have information sharing agreements with external agencies and therefore
established a good working partnership.
I have found the links to NWCU in all countries I visited which is certainly a positive
especially if I use the example Operation RAMP. It was great to see a globally co-ordinated
approach.
Since the completion of my scholarship I have had many opportunities to promote the Trust and to
share my life-changing experiences from my travels. In particular in February 2011 the NI
legislation on Welfare of Animals was under review and I was able to provide information on the
spot fines to local government as a recommendation. Furthermore I have prepared an article in the
PSNI internal magazine which was published in February 2011 following my trip to Australia and
distributed information to the PAW group at every subsequent meeting. Local media were most
interested in my study and my press release (August 2012) was published locally in the
Newtownards Chronicle and nationally in the Belfast Telegraph.
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Comparison Table
Item Northern Ireland Australia Canada
Legislation The Wildlife (NI) Order
1985 as amended
The Welfare of Animals Act
(NI) 1972 (as amended to
2011)
Control of Trade in
Endangered Species
(COTES)
Fisheries Act (NI) 1966
Game Laws
EU Habitats Directive
Lead Shot Over Wetlands
Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals Act, 1979 as
amended by the Animal
Welfare Legislation
Amendment Act 2009.
Wildlife law includes
National Parks and Wildlife
Act, 1974 with Regulations
for 2009
Acts and Regulations
Wildlife Enforcement:
Migratory Birds Convention
Act, 1994
Canada Wildlife Act
The Wild Animal and Plant
Protection and Regulation of
International and
Interprovincial Trade Act
(WAPPRIITA)
Species at Risk Act
Responsibilities of Police Police have powers for all
the legislation above. In the
case of the wildlife
legislation mainly police
investigate a breach in the
legislation.
Police have powers for all
the legislation above
Police do have powers to
investigate a breach in all
legislation however in
respect of wildlife law it
seems police offer a first
responder role and pass
investigation on to
Environment Canada
Responsibilities of the non-
government and
government organisations
Council animal welfare
officers and DARD can
investigate animal welfare
and police investigate more
serious organised crime.
Non-government
organisations have no
statutory powers in
Northern Ireland.
RSPCA have 32 Inspectors
to investigate animal
cruelty.
Wildlife crime is
investigated by the NSW
Department of
Environment and Climate
change
Federally, government are
split up into two separate
departments to oversee
wildlife: Environment
Canada (Wildlife
Enforcement) and the
Department of Fisheries and
Oceans. There is also
Provincial/Territorial
wildlife/environmental law
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Item Northern Ireland Australia Canada
enforcement services (in the
province of BC they are the
BC Conservation
Officer Service). The federal
agency deal with federal
species/issues (e.g.
international trade) while
the territorial/provincial
services their regional
species/issues.
Investigation and
prosecutions procedures
Member of the public
report to local police a
possible breach in the
wildlife legislation and
police investigate with the
specialist advice of the
wildlife liaison officer.
Report is submitted to the
Public Prosecution Service
and the outcome is decided
by the Court.
Animal Welfare – can be
investigated by an animal
welfare inspector in the
council and DARD.
Depending on
circumstances more serious
organised crime issues
where these pertain to
animal welfare issues are
investigated by the PSNI
Animal Cruelty - Member
of the public reports to the
RSPCA who investigate.
More serious organised
crime involving animal
cruelty is passed to the
police e.g. approximately
200 cases in 2009.
Wildlife crime = member of
the public reports to
Department of
Environment and Climate
change
Member of public report to
RAPP one line for all who
then pass investigation onto
the correct organisation e.g.
Environment Canada or
conservation officers.
Gathering intelligence in PSNI gather information RSPCA collate statistics Higher level links to Interpol
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Item Northern Ireland Australia Canada
relation to animals cruelty /
wildlife crime
and forward to the National
Wildlife Crime Unit –
various organisations also
gather information and
submit to police through
PAW representatives
annually
Higher level links to
Interpol – linking to the
National Wildlife Crime
Unit in the UK
- linking to the National
Wildlife Crime Unit through
Environment Canada.
Conservation officers have a
system where they can
gather statistics locally
Developing partnerships
with other organisations
e.g. government customs,
prosecuting organisations
Partnership for Action
Against Wildlife Crime in
NI with links to the UK
through PAW
Meetings are attended by
all the organisations
quarterly e.g. RSPCA,
WIRES and government
agencies.
AELERT nationwide
strategic partnership to
identify priorities and
communication between
agencies
North American
Enforcement Group –
Canada, Mexico and
America meetings.
Meetings through Bear
Aware and Bear Smart
campaigns.
Education of the public on
wildlife crime / animal
welfare
PAWNI, events, website,
intranet site, conferences,
presentations, TV
appearances, press releases
Each organisation seems to
promote separately i.e. the
RSPCA have their own PR
department.
RAPP and Bear Aware/Bear
Smart initiatives
Cross-border co-operation Within the UK PAW group
– partnerships are
developed cross-borders in
all parts of the UK
Partnerships are
development and on
occasions the RSPCA work
closely with other states
RSPCA if they have a case
that crosses the boarders.
Australia have links
through INTERPOL
Work closely with Interpol
and America
Any statistics on wildlife
crime / animal welfare
investigations
In 2011 the PSNI received
>9000 calls relating to
animals and approximately
RSPCA Inspectors
investigate more than
12,000 complaints every
The BCCOS have
Human-wildlife conflict
reports 26,779 and
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Item Northern Ireland Australia Canada
450 wildlife crime reports year. Many of these
complaints are dealt with
on the spot by educating
owners of their
responsibility. The cruelty
cases are referred to the
courts for prosecution.
wildlife crimes 4,826
RCMP reports – in 2011
110 calls for service (calls
relating to animals)
64 calls for black bears
29 calls for other wildlife
(e.g. cougars, deer, raccoons
etc.)
17 calls for non-wildlife or
domesticated animals (dog
bites, etc.)
What are the main wildlife
crime / animal welfare
issues
NWCU identified the UK
priorities as badger
persecution, bat
persecution, CITES issues,
freshwater pearl mussel,
poaching, raptor
persecution
RSPCA - most common
complaints are failure to
provide adequate food,
veterinary treatment and
adequate shelter.
Traditional Asian medicines
and illegal poaching and
export of native species e.g.
grizzly bear; black bear also
human-wildlife conflicts
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Appendices
Appendix 1
AELERT Member Agencies www.aelert.net
National Government
Australian
Australian Customs and Border Protection Service; Australian Maritime Safety Authority; Australian Pesticides
and Veterinary Medicines Authority; Clean Energy Regulator, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and
Forestry; Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency; Department of Sustainability, Environment,
Water, Population and Communities; Murray–Darling Basin Authority; National Industrial Chemicals
Notification and Assessment Scheme; National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management;
National Water Commission; Office of the Gene Technology Regulator
New Zealand
Ministry for Primary Industries; Ministry for the Environment; NZ Environmental Protection Authority
State/Territory
Australian Capital Territory; Department of Territory and Municipal Services; Environment and Sustainable
Development Directorate
New South Wales
Department of Planning and Infrastructure; Environment Protection Authority; Game Council NSW
Office of Environment and Heritage; Office of Water – Department of Primary Industries; Roads and Maritime
Services; Sydney Catchment Authority
Northern Territory
Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport
Queensland
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; Department of Environment and Heritage Protection;
Department of Natural Resources and Mines
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South Australia
Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources; Department of Planning, Transport and
Infrastructure; Department of Primary Industries and Regions; Environment Protection Authority
Department for Manufacturing, Innovation, Trade, Resources and Energy
Tasmania
Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment
Victoria
Department of Primary Industries; Department of Sustainability and Environment; Environment Protection
Authority; Lower Murray Water; Melbourne Water; Parks Victoria
Western Australia
Department of Agriculture and Food; Department of Environment and Conservation; Department of Mines
and Petroleum; Department of Water; Environmental Protection Authority
Regional/Local
Australian
Brisbane City Council (QLD); Bundaberg Regional Council (QLD); Gold Coast City Council (QLD); Ipswich
City Council (QLD); Sunshine Coast Regional Council (QLD); Toowoomba Regional Council (QLD); Mount Isa
City Council (QLD); Armidale Dumaresq Council (NSW); Ballina Shire Council (NSW); Bega Valley Shire
Council (NSW); Bellingen Shire Council (NSW); Byron Shire Council (NSW); Campbelltown City Council
(NSW); Cessnock City Council (NSW); City of Canada Bay (NSW); Clarence Valley Council (NSW); Coffs
Harbour City Council (NSW); Dubbo City Council (NSW); Dungog Shire Council (NSW); Fairfield City Council
(NSW); Gilgandra Shire Council (NSW); Gloucester Shire Council (NSW); Gosford City Council (NSW);
Goulburn Mulwaree Council (NSW); Great Lakes Council (NSW); Greater Taree City Council (NSW); Griffith
City Council (NSW); Hawkesbury City Council (NSW); Hunter Water (NSW); Kempsey Shire Council (NSW);
Kiama Municipal Council (NSW); Kogarah City Council (NSW); Kyogle Council (NSW); Lake Macquarie; City
Council (NSW); Lismore City Council (NSW); Lithgow City Council (NSW); Maitland City Council (NSW);
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Muswellbrook Shire Council (NSW); Newcastle City Council (NSW); Penrith City Council (NSW); Port Stevens
Council (NSW); Queanbeyan City Council (NSW); Rockdale City Council (NSW); Shoalhaven City Council
(NSW); Singleton Council (NSW); Sutherland Shire Council (NSW); Upper Hunter Shire Council (NSW);
Wagga Wagga City Council (NSW); Western Sydney Regional Illegal Dumping Squad (NSW); Wingecarribee
Shire Council (NSW); Wollondilly Shire Council (NSW); Wyong Shire Council (NSW); Yass Valley Council
(NSW); Young Shire Council (NSW)
New Zealand
Bay of Plenty Regional Council; Environment Southland; Waikato Regional Council; Greater Wellington
Regional Council; Hawke’s Bay Regional Council; Taranaki Regional Council; Tasman District Council;
Environment Canterbury Regional Council
Affiliate Members
Australian Institute of Criminology; Transnational Environmental Crime Project, Australian National
University; Australian Centre for Agriculture and Law, University of New England; Hunter Councils
NSW Better Regulation Office; Local Government Association of Queensland; Flinders Law School, Flinders
University; Government Investigations Unit, Crown Solicitor’s Office (SA); RSPCA SA; Criminology Research
Unit, School of Sociology & Social Work, University of Tasmania
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Appendix 2
Poaching suspected after dismembered bear found in B.C.
Bobby Rupert stands in front of the dismembered bear carcass he discovered in the Somass River near Port
Alberni. April 24, 2012. (CTV); Date: Tuesday Apr. 24, 2012 4:10 PM PT
Conservation officers on Vancouver Island are investigating a suspected poaching case after the discovery of a
black bear with its head and paws removed.
Tseshaht First Nation fisherman Bobby Rupert discovered the dismembered and decomposing carcass floating
in the Somass River near Port Alberni.
"The colour of the carcass startled me at first. I thought it was a human remain," he told CTV News.
"I don't know if it's our people or somebody came and dumped it here."
The Conservation Service believes the bear was killed by poachers. "This is outside the regulations and it is
illegal activity," officer Steve Ackles said.
He said similar cases are uncommon, but not unheard of. In August, a 39-year-old B.C. man was arrested at
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Vancouver International Airport (YVR) after border officials found three bear paws inside his luggage when
he tried to board a flight to China.
Adrian Nelson of the anti-fur group Fur-bearer Defenders said that while it's difficult to get reliable
information about the extent of the illegal trade in animal parts, there are signs it may be on the decline.
"It's an aging population that believes in these medicines, these natural things from animals -- we have shark-
fin soups and bear parts and things like that. That being said, we are still seeing a trade in this here and
overseas," he said.
Conservation officers say that while they pursue numerous poaching cases every year, securing charges can
be a slow process. Although charges were recommended in connection to the bear paws found at YVR airport,
Crown has yet to approve them.
www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20120424/bc_dismembered_bear_poaching_120424/20120424
/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome"
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Appendix 3
Bald Eagle press release - First Nations want 'reconciliation' on issue of eagle-killing.
Just as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has begun hearing stories from residential school survivors,
Canada’s top native leader say it is time for governments to listen to aboriginal demands to legally kill a small
number of eagles for ceremonial purposes.
Just as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has begun hearing stories from residential school survivors,
Canada's top native leader says it is time for governments to listen to aboriginal demands to legally kill a small
number of eagles for ceremonial purposes.
"The source of conflict isn't new, but we have an opportunity in this era -- an era that I would suggest is one
of reconciliation," said Assembly of First Nations Chief Shawn Atleo.
Doug White, of the First Nations Summit, added that Section 35 of the Constitution, which provides protection
to the treaty rights of aboriginals, doesn't line up with Canadian laws that makes it illegal to kill eagles for any
purpose.
"So the difficult work that's in front of us is addressing that reality where Canadian society criminalizes our
behaviour, our most sacred teachings," White said.
Native leaders, who gathered Thursday in Vancouver at a news conference, argue first nations people should
not be penalized by modern laws for "harvesting" a few birds to follow the ancient customs of making
ceremonial items bearing eagle feathers.
Atleo, wearing a woven hat with eagle feathers dangling from the back, said the courts are clogged with
similar issues, and he thinks this would best be worked out by native leaders and government leaders sitting
down together.
"We want to participate with government looking at how we can practise our rights, including the harvesting
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of eagles if we require for our purposes, not for money to change hands," said Sto: lo Tribal Council Grand
Chief Doug Kelly. "We want to make sure we can practise our rights without fear of prosecution."
This showdown was sparked by the fallout from a B.C. government investigation into the slaughter of 50
eagles, whose carcasses were found in North Vancouver in 2005. The birds' feathers and talons were believed
to have been sold on the black market, which is said to be a multimillion-dollar underground economy.
Eleven native men were charged, but Kelly and others argue the accused were not responsible for the eagle
slaughter but were caught in a so-called sting operation by B.C. conservation officers.
In a statement Thursday, the environment ministry maintained the investigation by the Conservation Officer
Service was "appropriate and professional." It declined to provide anyone to be interviewed about the other
issues raised during the news conference.
Many of the dozens of comments posted to The Sun's web-site about this story indicate the group may not
enjoy a lot of public support, with many readers disagreeing with the suggestion that aboriginal people should
be able to kill eagles for any purpose.
The native leaders took a strong stand against the slaughter of the 50 birds and killing eagles for economic
purposes, insisting they want to protect the birds for future generations but still have access to a few for
making sacred regalia.
"In 2005 when there were 50 carcasses found in this part of the world, everyone was horrified," White said.
"That behaviour is something different than what these men are being prosecuted for."
The 11 men charged in the eagle poaching case face a total of 105 charges for unlawful possession of dead
wildlife, trafficking in dead wildlife and other related charges.
Kelly insists that many of the accused were approached by undercover conservation officers, many of them
native people, who "enticed" the accused to kill an eagle for them or to make a headdress for them for spiritual
purposes.
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The accused agreed to help, but are not the criminals who killed the 50 eagles, Kelly said.
Francis James, one of the accused, pleaded not guilty and his trial is underway in Chilliwack. He declined to
provide specifics about the allegations against him, but said generally that he did not kill any of the original
50 birds.
"I don't think we should be victimized any more for practising what we believe in," said James, who is skilled
in making regalia out of eagle feathers.
Lek-hoosh, a member of the Sts-ailes Nation, claimed he was a target of the alleged sting but was never
charged.
Lek-hoosh claimed an undercover native conservation officer brought him a stuffed eagle and asked that the
feathers be turned in a headdress. The man later offered to pay for the regalia, but he declined, saying that
would be wrong.
Lek-hoosh also claimed the agent brought a Caucasian "girlfriend" with him, who said she had relatives with a
museum and would like to buy some native artifacts from him. Lek-hoosh said he also turned down her offer.
"I feel like it was a vicious attack on first nations people, to try to [make me] do something illegal," he said.
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Appendix 4
Overview of itinerary
Australia
Mon 15th & Tue 16th November 2010
Travel – leave Belfast on the first flight to London Heathrow. 11am flight to Singapore and linking flight to
Sydney Australia. Arrive in Australia at 8pm on Tue 16 November 2010. In the UK the time change means it
was only 8am on Tue morning. By the time I collected car and luggage I arrived at the hotel at 11pm.
McDonalds was first!
Wed 17th November 2010
A day used to find my way around Sydney and a day to make my contacts aware that I had arrived. I was so
excited to see the Sydney harbour and Sydney harbour bridge and walk up George street (which appears to be
the main street in Sydney). I visited the Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens. Still trying to get used to the time
change as I’m awake whereas at home I’d be sleeping
Thu 18th November 2010
RSPCA – Marika Taylor - 10am meeting
Sydney Volunteer Recruitment Co-ordinator. Marika’s role is to introduce new volunteers to the RSPCA and to
sign me up as a volunteer for two days for insurance purposes. Marika then introduced me to Skye who is an
Inspector whom I worked with the rest of the day. Skye introduced me to most of the RSPCA main offices
where I’m to visit tomorrow.
Fri 19th November 2010
Another day with the RSPCA. Today began at 6.30am as it takes 2 hours to get to the RSPCA main offices. I
was to ask for Tracy who then introduced me to the Operations manager, Matthew French. Matthew clarified
a lot of questions and then I spent the rest of the time meeting people and finding out about other people’s
positions within the RSPCA main offices e.g. marketing, operations, HR etc.
Sat 20th November 2010
Free – visit Darling Harbour
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Sun 21st November 2010
Free day
Mon 22nd November 2010
WIRES – Leanne Aires – CEO
Worked alongside Barry all day
Tue 23rd November 2010
WIRES – Worked with Barry all day
Wed 24th November 2010
Ron Haering
Manager, Wildlife Licensing and Management
Protected Areas Policy and Programs Branch
Department of Environment and Climate Change
Also met with Brendan and Linda in Hurstville
Head for Canberra in afternoon
Thu 25th November 2010
Meeting with Luke Bond in Canberra
Principal Investigator, Department Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
Fri 26th November 2010
Winston Churchill visit – the premises were closed with no indication of opening hours. Photo’s taken
Sat 27th November 2010
Free day
Sun 28th November 2010
Travel to Batemans Bay to organise accommodation in the hope to meet with Police Officer on Monday -
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unfortunately due to the officer having an unexpected meeting this was cancelled.
Mon 29th November 2010
Free day to write up report and research
Tue 30th November 2010
Visited Coogee Bay
Wed 1st Dec 2010
Travelled back to Sydney and visited sites on the way
Thu 2nd Dec 2010
Leave early in morning
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Canada
Tue 17th April 2012
Arrive 11pm in Vancouver
Wed 18th April 2012
Confirm accommodation, car hire and email contacts
Thu 19th April 2012
Meet with Wildlife Enforcement division (Canadian Wildlife Service) in Canada, Vancouver, Burrard Street
Todd Boychuk
Ross Dolan
Owen Hargrove
Fri 20th April 2012
Meet with the British Columbian Conservation Officers Service, North Vancouver.
Chris Doyle, Inspector in Charge of operations
Simon Gravel Conservation Officer
Visit Mt Seymour National Park
Sat 21st April 2012
Work on report and research
Email TRAFFIC with reference to international trade to try and arrange meeting as recommended by Todd
Boychuk
Email US Fish & Wildlife Service to ask questions
Email RCMP to arrange meeting
Sun 22nd April 2012
Visit Stanley Park to see native wildlife
Read all the information provided by the wildlife service i.e. information on the introduction of migration
legislation, CITES species, Game Warden magazines and statistics from the US Fish & Wildlife Service.
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Found purse and delivered back to a house and met John and Lorna Andrews who are big wildlife fans and
suggested they took me on a tour (tomorrow)
Mon 23rd April 2012
Visit to Cypress Mountain to see Vancouver from an aerial view and Kitsilano Park, back through Stanley Park
over the Lions Bridge and to Granville markets. Lunch in Flying Beaver at Richmond sea-plane terminal and
on to walk five miles at Iona Jetty to identify local birds from bald eagles, Caspian terns, pintail, American
wigeon etc
Email to Simon gravel to verify email address to RCMP as it didn’t appear to work.
Tue 24th April 2012
Work on report in morning; Arrange meeting with RCMP
Market visit
Wed 25th April 2012
Administration – report writing
Thu 26th April 2012
Meet RCMP
Philip Wong in North Vancouver. Visit North Vancouver
Also met:
Sgt J Cameron
Sgt K Bracewell (who previously spent some time working in NI)
Superintendent C Kennedy (who will soon visit NI for the police world and fire games)
Inspector D Attfield
Fri 27th April 2012
Move accommodation to Squamish and work with more conservation officers. Emailing contacts to arrange
meetings with conservation service in Squamish – visit to the First Nations area in Squamish.
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Sat 28th April 2012
Orientation – Squamish (home to the Bald Eagle which is often killed illegally for its feathers).
Sun 29th April 2012
Sightseeing around Squamish
Emailing Sgt Peter Busink to arrange meeting and working with an officer for a day.
Mon 30th April 2012
Administration work
Tue 1st May 2012
Meet with Sgt Peter Busink and Kent Popjes, Simon Gravel to work with the BCCOS for the day
Respond to call on dumping, patrol fishing area searching for illegal fishing. Fantastic evening dinner
Wed 2nd May 2012
Last of sightseeing of native wildlife
Thurs 3rd May 2012
Sadly leave Canada