Blog
Up close with tiger poachers – from Cats of the Wild Podcast
From Cats of the Wild Podcast: "Over 6,000 kilometres from Moscow in the Far East of Russia is the remote and harsh habitat of the Amur Tiger - also known as the Siberian Tiger. It is one of the largest cats in the world, and there is estimated to be around 400...
Will it be the Year of the Tiger? It’s up to you
Today, February 1st, 2022, is the first day of the Year of the Tiger, ushering in a year of ‘fortune favors the bold’ with symbolizations of strength, tenacity, and boldness. The Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year, will be celebrated by nearly 2...
National Geographic: Siberian tigers are being hunted at night for their body parts
I am so please to announce that an article about my PhD research on tiger poaching in the Russian Far East has been published in National Geographic! This is such an important step to raise global awareness for an issue about this horrific wildlife crime that Russia...
Patterns of illegal and legal tiger parts entering the United States over a decade (2003–2012)
We would like to proudly share an article from a fellow tiger warrior Sarika Khanwilkar. The picture that goes with this article was taken by one of the authors of this blog, Allison Skidmore, and shows a tiger cub that was trafficked over the US-Mexican border....
The Forgotten Sister
The Forgotten Sister There was once a land of wild expanse that rivaled all else in the world. With imposing beasts and formidable lands that could be found around every turn. A close but forgotten sister of the Serengeti, punished by the same unforgiving...
Extinction Risk in Carnivore Species
Expressions akin to ‘the sixth mass extinction event’, ‘losing biodiversity at an unprecedented rate’, and ‘we are in an extinction crisis’, have made their way into the language of modern culture and mass media. You no longer need to be a scientist to know that the...
Cheetahs Need Our Help!
December 4th is International Cheetah Day! Please educate yourself about how the fastest land mammal is in a race for its very survival: Wild animals are traded extensively worldwide – alive and dead, whole, as parts, and/or derivatives. Wildlife crime, defined as the...
Poaching and COVID-19
If you thought poachers would take a break during the COVID-19 pandemic, think again. While sentimental stories of wildlife reclaiming their land lost to humans during the lockdown are making viral news on social media, opportunistic poachers are taking advantage of...
The Role of Media Framing, with a Special Focus on Shark Week
Discovery Channel's Shark Week is quickly approaching (August 8th-16th) and this year the show will most likely see a continuation of trend as being one of the most viewed summer programs globally. As someone who has worked with great white sharks as a marine...
Cecil, 5 Years Later
Cecil, 5 years later Do you remember the famous killing of Cecil the Lion? There was hope within the conservation world that this incident would be the catalyst to ignite change within the US regarding endangered species regulations. Did that happen? On July 1st,...
Nature, in Captivity
Zoos are a paradoxical entity in that our desire for the continued freedom of wild animals has strangely come to justify their captivity, legitimizing domestication, in that, the zoo animal enters the stage as a monument to the wild animal's disappearance in nature....
International Biodiversity Day
Today, May 22nd, is International Biodiversity Day! Biodiversity is a word that many have heard of but perhaps may not truly understand what it is and why it is so important. Biodiversity is literally the diversity of life; all the flora and fauna on Earth that...
American Tigers
Over the past 20 years weak federal regulations has engendered a pervasive threat to both animal welfare and conservation. Many of us have not realized our dangerous complacency by allowing the marginalization of one of the world’s most iconic species. Images of...
What is Wildlife Crime? Part 2
The academic study of wildlife crime falls between two distinct disciplines: criminology and conservation science. Traditionally, the discipline of criminology has focused on the study of conventional street crimes (e.g. robbery and burglary); criminal law has been...
What is Wildlife Crime? Part 1
As a wildlife criminologist I investigate how the poaching and trafficking of wild animals is facilitated, with the goal of applying contextually specific measures to help combat it. Wildlife crime is a complex and growing phenomenon but has only recently garnered...
Musk Deer Poaching
A rather obscure deer is under increasing threat from poaching to satiate demand in multiple Asian countries. The population of musk deer in the Russian Far East is already facing local extinction and regional population collapse could be imminent if action is not...
The Cost of Gold Mining Reaches the Russian Far East
An American-backed gold mining operation is set to begin in one of the most remote places on the planet- the Russian Far East. While many may view this region as a frigid, empty land, it is the last frontier for the Amur tiger and this mining operation proves how far...
The ‘White Tiger’ Myth
One topic I find particularly frustrating is the perpetuation of ‘white’ tigers in our culture. Due to the captive tiger crisis, there is a lack of salient public awareness as to what a real tiger is. There is one recognized species of tiger, Panthera tigris, divided...