Fighting for
the Wild
Leave Them Wild is an organization that specializes in the use of ethnographic methods to gather data and analyze wildlife crimes. Allison Skidmore, the founder, is a National Geographic Explorer. Her PhD research focused on the poaching and trafficking of Amur tigers in the Russian Far East. Data collection utilized qualitative methods, including interviews and observations, with those directly involved in tiger poaching—the poachers, buyers, middlemen and smugglers—to understand the details of this criminal act from the viewpoint of the offenders themselves. These novel research methods focused on the identification of pinch points in the crime commission sequence for a more nuanced understanding of criminal modus operandi, with the objective of highlighting intervention points that are most likely to disrupt the flow of illegal trade. Allison recently founded Leave Them Wild to provide consulting and training services for researchers interested in wildlife crime related problems. With a focus on the successful utilization of theory and methods within the fields of ethnography and criminology, the goal of Leave Them Wild is to facilitate other researchers who want to gather data, analyze, and ultimately prevent wildlife crime. The illegal wildlife trade is highly contextual; however, these methods are applicable to most regions plagued by high instances of some form of wildlife crime coupled with a lack of information.
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...
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