Elephant Action League

The investigative work of the Elephant Action League (EAL), a non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 2013 in the United States by Andrea Crosta, Gilda Moratti, and Francesco Rocca, is one of the subjects of The Ivory Game,[1] a Netflix Documentary released in 2016. EAL’s mission is to fight wildlife and forest (environmental) crime through what the organization has identified as "concrete, innovative, and collaborative projects".[2] EAL is based in Los Angeles, California, and operates globally.

As an alternative to traditional wildlife conservation NGOs, EAL works to merge the worlds of intelligence, investigation, and conservation in service of wildlife, forests, and the people working to protect these resources.[2]

Threats to wildlife and forests, particularly poaching and trafficking, are decimating many wildlife populations and driving numerous species toward extinction.[3] The complexity, international reach, and participation of organized criminal networks associated with wildlife poaching and trafficking makes combating these crimes very difficult.[4] EAL’s professional intelligence and investigative activities try to shine a light on the many and varied actors involved in environmental crime around the world.[5]

The purpose behind a disruption and prosecution-driven, intelligence-led approach to conservation is to:

  1. Provide national and international law enforcement with intelligence and evidence that can lead to further investigations, arrests, and disruption of criminal networks;
  2. Identify the players and their modus operandi throughout the criminal networks; and
  3. Inform the public and policy makers about the means by which specific wildlife and forest crimes are performed.[5]

How it works

Researchers and investigators collect information and actionable intelligence, build networks of collaborators in the field, research the operations of illegal trafficking networks, target the individuals and organizations that are profiting from poaching of wildlife and the illegal trade, and share appropriate information with trusted law enforcement agencies.

The investigative teams of EAL include former security and intelligence officers, professional investigators, and wildlife crime experts. The intelligence gathered by these teams is used to feed investigative projects, launch new information gathering activities, better understand wildlife supply chains, and facilitate the arrest and prosecution of the individuals behind wildlife crime. Often the information is also shared with other organizations involved in wildlife protection and select law enforcement agencies through confidential intelligence briefs.[6]

Through 2016, EAL has focused primarily on the trafficking of wildlife products within and between Africa and Asia, in particular, the international trafficking of elephant ivory, rhinoceros horn, great apes, big cats, pangolins, and illegal timber.

WildLeaks project

WildLeaks is a long term project created, funded, and managed by EAL as a collaboration by a small group of security and intelligence experts. The mission of the WildLeaks project is to receive and evaluate information and tips regarding wildlife and forest crimes and transform that information into actionable operations.[7] WildLeaks is a wildlife crime whistleblowing initiative that facilitates the collection of confidential information through a Tor-based online platform, where users are able to anonymously and securely share information[8] pertaining to wildlife crime with the project’s subject matter experts.[9][10]

The security and intelligence experts reviewing submissions to WildLeaks evaluate and determine the resulting action steps. Actions may include investigations performed by EAL or in collaboration with trusted partners, sharing of the information with selected law enforcement agencies, and sharing of the information with applicable media partners.[10] Due to its success, the WildLeaks platform is being shared with other NGOs involved in wildlife and environmental protection.[10]

The project utilizes GlobaLeaks software, an open-source, free whistleblower platform.

China investigation & The Ivory Game documentary

Following a report submitted to WildLeaks in 2014, EAL performed a 10-month undercover investigation to expose the areas where illegal ivory opportunistically enters the legal ivory market in Hong Kong and mainland China.

The investigation produced undercover video and other evidence supporting the supposition that ivory traders are utilizing China’s legal ivory market to traffic and sell illegally sourced ivory. EAL released a public report in December 2015, called Blending Ivory: China’s Old Loopholes, New Hopes, that details the findings of this undercover investigation. A confidential intelligence brief was shared with Chinese authorities and arrests were made in connection with the primary target of the investigation.

Undercover footage and interviews from this investigation have been included in the feature film The Ivory Game, a Netflix Documentary produced by Terra Mater Factual Studios and Vulcan Productions, in collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio, premiering November 2016.[11] The Ivory Game filmmakers interweave the stories of multiple characters fighting against both ivory supply and demand. The film follows the Tanzanian task force leader, Elisifa Ngowi, hunting down the crime lord Shetani (the devil);[12] the Chinese activist, Hongxiang Huang, undertaking covert missions to document illegal trade; Andrea Crosta, facilitating anonymous tips from whistleblowers and investigating traffickers; as well as the work of Big Life Foundation and the Wildlife Justice Commission.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Pavia, Lucy (October 30, 2016). "Is Leonardo DiCaprio's Documentary The Ivory Game This Year's Blackfish?". Marie Claire. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "About the Elephant Action League (EAL)". Elephant Action League. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "CITES CoP17 Doc. 18.1 - DEMAND REDUCTION STRATEGIES TO COMBAT ILLEGAL TRADE IN CITES LISTED SPECIES" (PDF). CITES. October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Environmental Crime". INTERPOL. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Investigative Work to Affect Change". Elephant Action League. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Elephant Action League: Intelligence and Investigations". Elephant Action League. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  7. ↑ "WildLeaks - The Project". WildLeaks. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Tor Project: Anonymity Online". The Tor Project. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  9. ↑ "The Technology". WildLeaks. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 Nuwer, Rachel (June 16, 2014). "WildLeaks' Is Like WikiLeaks for Poaching—And It's Working to Stop Wildlife Crime". Smithsonian.com. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  11. ↑ "The Ivory Game". TIFF. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  12. ↑ "'SHETANI' TANZANIA'S MOST WANTED ELEPHANT POACHER AND IVORY TRAFFICKER, ARRESTED BY ELITE TASK FORCE". WWF. November 22, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2016.

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