Trade Secret, enablers of the illicit trade in polar bears
Description
In this episode, founding editors Rachel Wolcott and Lindsey Rogerson sit down with Adam Cruise, a South African investigative journalist whose work exposes realities of wildlife trade and conservation policy. Adam shares insights from the acclaimed documentary Trade Secret, which uncovers how legal wildlife trade often fuels illegal trafficking, with devastating consequences for species like polar bears, lions, and rhinos.
The conversation explores the complex web of international agreements, including CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), and the troubling role of euphemistic language such as “sustainable utilization” and “conservation hunting.” Adam reveals how these policies, supported by influential NGOs, blur the lines between protection and exploitation, creating loopholes that organized crime syndicates exploit.
Listeners will also learn about the financial crime dimension—how wildlife trafficking intersects with money laundering and poly-criminal networks—and what red flags compliance professionals should watch for. From shocking scenes in Canadian and Norwegian warehouses to the global demand for exotic pets, this episode challenges assumptions about conservation.
Links
Polycriminality and pangolins: following wildlife crimes’ tracks in financial services
Glass eel trafficking connects €3bn money laundering networks
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