Wildlife trafficking is consistently ranked by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as one of the largest illicit industries in the world. Most successful enforcement actions begin with a member-of-the-public report. This guide explains how to make one that gets acted on.
Before you do anything: safety first
Wildlife trafficking is organised crime. Do not confront sellers, do not film conspicuously, and do not buy "to rescue" the animal — buying a trafficked animal directly funds the next capture. Take a photograph if you can do so safely, note the location, time, currency listed, and any details you remember about the seller and any other animals or products on display.
Step 1: Report in the country where you saw it
- Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia: the relevant national forestry or wildlife department, plus the in-country office of established conservation NGOs (which often have hotlines).
- Kenya, Tanzania: Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Tanzania Wildlife Authority (TAWA).
- Pakistan: the relevant provincial wildlife department in Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Balochistan.
- Colombia, Peru: autoridad ambiental — in Colombia, ANLA or the regional Corporación Autónoma; in Peru, SERFOR.
Step 2: Report at home if products are being imported
If wildlife products are on sale in shops or markets in your home country, your customs and wildlife-crime enforcement bodies are the right route. In the UK, that means Border Force at point of import and the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) for in-country reports.
Step 3: Report online listings
For social-media or marketplace listings of trafficked wildlife, report directly to the platform (Meta, TikTok, eBay all have wildlife policies) and to TRAFFIC's Wildlife Trade Portal. Online sales now account for a substantial proportion of exotic-pet trafficking globally.
What makes a report act-on-able
- Photo or screenshot.
- Date and time.
- Precise location (geotag or named landmark).
- Species identification — even an honest "looks like a sun bear cub" is more useful than "a brown animal."
- Whether the animal is alive or a product (skin, bone, horn).
What WARN can and cannot do
WARN is not a law-enforcement agency. We cannot intervene directly. What we are being built to do is fund the in-country veterinary and sanctuary capacity that enforcement actions depend on — animals seized in raids need somewhere safe to go, or seizures don't happen.
Sources: UNODC World Wildlife Crime Report, CITES Secretariat, INTERPOL Environmental Security Programme, TRAFFIC.
We need your support to make this happen
World Animal Rescue Network is at the launch stage of this work. We do not yet have rescue numbers to share — and that is exactly why your support matters now. Every donation helps us put trained teams on the ground, secure veterinary supplies and equipment, and reach the first animals before they are lost.
Donate today to fund our first deployments, or sponsor an animal to back a specific species through rehabilitation. You can also join the network as a volunteer, fundraiser, or monthly supporter.
