‘How did you come to be here?’ Study digs into origins of Zambian wildlife crime

A study by Wildlife Crime Prevention Zambia and Copperbelt University interviewed 302 inmates across 32 correctional facilities to understand why people enter wildlife crime at its lowest rungs. Bushmeat hunting was the most common offense, followed by crimes involving pangolins, elephant ivory and other protected-species trophies; wildlife offenders make up about 7% of Zambia's prison population.

Forty percent of respondents cited opportunity as the driving factor, and another 16% pointed to circumstances like medical bills or food insecurity. Most were subsistence farmers with no access to loans or savings, and sentences for elephant- and rhino-related crimes can run five to more than 20 years.

About a third of respondents said they wanted to avoid future involvement in wildlife crime, while roughly 5% expected or feared they'd be pulled back in. The researchers note that arresting these lower-level participants does little to disrupt the poaching networks above them, since they are easily replaced.

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