Wildlife crime has exploded on a scale never seen before and is pushing many animals towards extinction. It is one of the biggest forms of organised crime, next to drugs, human trafficking and weapon smuggling. The Wildlife Forensic Academy is the first of its kind and is based one hour drive from Cape Town in South Africa. The Academy is a 1000 m2 experience lab consisting of several wildlife crime scenes, a laboratory, and a courtroom, to provide training to those that wish to contribute to animal welfare and the global conservation of animal species.
Our courses provide students with an overview of forensic evidence collection with regards to wildlife crime, presenting evidence in court as well as assisting students to gain an understanding of wildlife management, ecology and the context of conservation and animal management in South Africa. Upon completing one of our courses, students will be placed as an intern with one of our partner organizations in South Africa. Our internship positions range from organizations that counteillegal wildlife trade, law enforcement agencies, game reserves, laboratory research, data recording and analysis, marine conservation and animal rehabilitation. Our internships are aimed to help students to gain understanding and skills in the field of wildlife forensics, wildlife management, rehabilitation, project management and communication. We also aim to empower our interns to contribute to the field of wildlife forensics and wildlife crime prevention.
