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Countering Wildlife Trafficking Through Automated Detection at Ports

Autodetection has the power to revolutionize wildlife trafficking detection, interception, and deterrence at ports. The lack of automated solutions at air and sea ports makes it difficult to address wildlife trafficking with the same efficiency applied to other security threats. By leveraging technology to increase law enforcement capacity, we can help them prioritize where and how to concentrate efforts to curb transnational wildlife crime.

Wildlife trafficking within global transport

Wildlife trafficking is a serious transnational crime, worth a staggering $25 billion USD annually. It is facilitated by organized crime networks and is a high-profit, low-risk enterprise that undermines economies and global security, increases the risk of global pandemics, threatens local communities and livelihoods, and jeopardizes the future of our planet’s most precious wildlife.

Wildlife traffickers frequently exploit air and sea transport to bring the rarest wildlife and their products to global markets. Large volume illegal wildlife product shipments are often hidden in sea cargo containers, concealed among legitimate goods. Smaller shipments, including very high-value products or live animals, are more frequently transported by air, hidden among vast quantities of luggage and cargo. Wildlife traffickers also smuggle products across land borders to take advantage of less-monitored ports, as major airports and seaports intensify efforts against wildlife trafficking.

Current methods for detecting wildlife smuggling at ports

Port authorities rely on detection dogs or “sniffer” dogs to help screen cargo for illegal wildlife products. However, this comes with significant challenges. The process of manually unpacking and reloading shipping containers to allow dogs to access contents is both time-consuming and labor-intensive. This screening can also be inefficient, especially when handling large volumes, increasing the likelihood that illegal wildlife products may go undetected.

International airports already use advanced scanning technologies capable of automatically screening thousands of bags and containers daily for security threats such as explosives or weapons. Despite this technological capability, no system currently exists to automatically detect illegal wildlife products, creating a significant gap in enforcement. The lack of automated solutions makes it difficult to address wildlife trafficking with the same efficiency applied to other security threats, underscoring the need for technology to bridge this gap and enhance detection efforts.

  • Xray scans of cargo

    Customs officials scan a case of smuggled elephant ivory through an x-ray machine.

  • Officers find a container of elephant tusks

    Customs officials discover a shipment of African elephant tusks in an airport through x-ray imaging.

  • A uniformed man holds a dog in front of cargo container

    A wildlife enforcement agent stands with Ram, a trained sniffer dog, during a training session on detecting illegal wildlife trafficking in sea cargo.

  • Cargo containers stacked at a seaport

    Thousands of sea cargo containers move in and out of international ports each day, making inspection a logistical challenge.

The power of wildlife autodetection

Wildlife autodetection refers to the use of advanced techniques and technologies to identify and flag illegal wildlife trafficking to reduce the burden of human inspection and review of transported goods. Wildlife autodetection has the power to revolutionize wildlife trafficking detection, interception, and deterrence by leveraging technology to increase law enforcement’s capacity and help prioritize where they concentrate their efforts.

In airports, wildlife autodetection systems, such as sophisticated machine learning algorithms, can identify potential instances of wildlife trafficking in passenger bags or air cargo, without the use of airport personnel tasked with passenger security screening.

In seaports, wildlife autodetection systems can analyze vast amounts of data in real-time, such as shipping records, to recognize patterns and anomalies that might indicate the trafficking of endangered species products. These systems can help port officials target containers for additional screening, after which specialized technology can be used to capture scent directly from these containers for sniffer dogs to assess. This creates a more controlled and efficient process for sniffer dogs that is less reliant on human handling, making wildlife detection more systematic and reliable.

“It takes innovative technology, concerted efforts across airports, and collaboration with law enforcement to ensure traffickers do not exploit the connectivity and efficiency of aviation." ALI TOUNSI
Secretary General, Airports Council International Africa

Tech-driven partnerships to protect wildlife

WWF has been deploying wildlife autodetection technology in critical wildlife trafficking hotspots, prioritizing areas where poaching levels are the highest, where demand for wildlife products is the greatest, and the transit areas in between.

Tackling wildlife trafficking is a complex, global problem and is only possible by forging impactful partnerships across sectors:

We foster strong relationships with wildlife authorities, customs officials, border management units, police, and port authorities of these countries to ensure these technologies can be sustained for long-term success.
WWF then convenes industry leaders in the transport sector, Artificial Intelligence (AI) experts, conservation groups, and counter-trafficking organizations to collaborate with these countries, including Airports Council International (ACI) Africa, International Air Transport Association (IATA), Sandia National Laboratories, TRAFFIC, Working Dogs for Conservation, United for Wildlife, and local organizations in countries.
Together, we assess current operations and infrastructure at key ports and develop tailored solutions to enhance existing wildlife detection processes, like wildlife detection algorithms for security screening systems and novel canine olfactory assistance tools.

Our overall goal is to accelerate the uptake of wildlife autodetection systems worldwide. By sharing lessons learned from our pilot programs with our partners, we aim to maximize the effectiveness of the techniques developed. Through these innovative approaches, we are transforming the primary hubs of illegal wildlife trade into strongholds for wildlife protection.

“WWF’s holistic approach connects global partners and uses new technologies to enhance law enforcement, creating lasting impact despite the resource-intensive nature of building partnerships and technology from the ground up. With continued investment, this approach can scale up globally, turning key ports into critical defenses against wildlife trafficking.” LU GAO
Senior Program Officer, Wildlife Conservation, WWF

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