Wildlife Forensic Academy

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.
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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.

The 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 the WFA in South Africa.

The Wildlife Forensic Academy is currently offering two internship positions: Social Media & Marketing Intern and E-Learning & Marketing Intern. The internships are designed to provide students with practical experience and an opportunity to develop their skills in communication, marketing, social media, e-learning, project management and the broader field of wildlife forensics and conservation.

Interns will work on a hybrid basis, spending part of their time at the Wildlife Forensic Academy and part of their time working remotely. In addition to their specific internship responsibilities, interns will assist with general tasks and activities at the Academy and will have the opportunity to attend and assist with events, courses, workshops and other WFA activities.

The internships are aimed at helping students gain practical understanding and skills in the field of wildlife forensics, wildlife management, rehabilitation, project management and communication. The Wildlife Forensic Academy also aims to empower the interns to contribute meaningfully to the field of wildlife forensics, conservation and wildlife crime prevention while gaining valuable professional experience.