This panel will bring together former RCMP Money Laundering Investigations Specialist Stephen Scott and Forensic Accountant Rosina Rosales to discuss the international wildlife trade, how it impacts Canada, the Canadian wildlife trade, identifiers and participants domestically and abroad. All the panelists have spoken in public, in on-line forums and as trainers and practitioners in their fields.

Wildlife crime is a topic that has a domestic and international impact. The fight against wildlife trafficking of living and deceased animals requires multiple agencies and the private sector to coordinate in a global effort to protect the animals and flora and to identify and reduce the demand for animal and forest products. Incredible profits are made at the retail end of the spectrum, while local poachers are paid and motivated as a means to their own economic survival. Middlemen are used to pay bribes and provide logistics to get the illicit products from the savannah to the markets and art galleries. Wildlife products and animals are generally captured, culled or killed in one part of the word and shipped alive or dead to another market, often by a circuitous route. This results in a paper and money trail that can be followed to not simply target the poachers but also the supply chain participants, wholesalers, retailers and ultimate buyers of illicit goods. Additionally, studies have shown there is a link between organized crime groups, drug trafficking and potentially terrorism since this is a profit driven crime. This panel will share experiences that will enhance the audience’s awareness of the issues, identify financial and “shipping” indicators associated to illegal wildlife trafficking, identify Canadian potential participants thereby offering a somewhat different luncheon topic that is timely and relevant to Canada and the world.