Table 2 Crime script for poaching and trafficking Amur tigers, with possible intervention techniques
From: Using crime script analysis to elucidate the details of Amur tiger poaching in the Russian Far East
Stage | Steps | Spatial | Temporal | People | Intervention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preparation | Hunter decides to poach a tiger and has connection with a local buyer in advance (usually poachers also sell legal game to their established buyer) OR local buyer receives order from further down supply chain (Chinese buyer/regional buyer) and actively recruits a poacher Obtain heat vision goggles or a spotlight if cannot afford goggles Recruit co-offenders Gain access to vehicle (4 × 4 and preferably 2 vehicles) Buy license to hunt (for any legal species) so a firearm can be legally purchased and possessed Buy camera traps (if not using a vehicle). Learn movements of tigers after compiling photos (Sometimes this information is sold directly to buyer who will pay for coordinates) | License purchased in hunting lease (poacher can be a ‘member’ of a specific hunting lease or can pay more to hunt as a non-member Rural villages Goggles purchased from China Cameras traps purchased from China or the US | Anytime | Hunting lease manager Poacher(s) Local buyer | Make hunting licenses more difficult to acquire Better accounting for game licenses sold and what is subsequently killed Stricter controls on firearms including more randomized weapon checks by ranger patrols Stricter border control and monitoring on the importation of heat vision goggles from China Mitigate human-wildlife conflict in rural villages Link tigers to culture pride/heritage Encourage anonymous reporting of poaching pre- activities Generate social pressure against poaching through outreach programs Pay communities for camera trap evidence of tiger presence |
Pre-activity | Driving on roads, both main roads and secondary roads Spotlighting or using heat vision goggles Lie in wait in a hide up to a few days in a pre-established location | Outside of protected areas, usually hunting leases PAs (more rare) Roads, including primary roads and secondary roads, usually logging roads | Usually in winter Night | Poacher(s)- usually groups of poachers in two separate cars | Encourage forest regeneration programs to reduce presence of logging roads Prohibit construction of new roads as much as possible Set up camera traps at entrance of secondary logging roads Increase ranger patrols to two officers to discourage intimidation Increase ranger patrols at night Increase ranger patrols outside of protected areas |
Activity | Shoot tiger from car on road If necessary, follow tiger into forest, shoot again Or shoot tiger from hidden location | Outside of protected areas, usually hunting leases PAs (more rare) Roads, including primary roads and secondary roads, usually logging roads | As quick as possible Night Usually in the winter | Poacher(s) | Increase ranger patrols at night Increase ranger patrols outside of protected areas Incentivize citizens to report suspicious behavior or vehicles parked on the side of the road at night Pay hunters a winter stipend to reduce need for poaching revenues |
Post-activity | Call local buyer to give GPS coordinates for buyer pick up in forest OR transfer entire carcass to car OR process carcass on site, take desired parts, burn skin Leave scene Deliver processed parts or entire carcass to local buyer if delivery has been pre-determined OR drive carcass to Ussuriysk if poacher wants to take the risk for more money and has a connection with a regional buyer Local buyer drives products to regional hub and sells to regional buyer Regional buyer organizes and bribes appropriate people to smuggle goods over Chinese border Smuggler crosses border on a pre-determined date | Location of kill Local village Roads Ussuriysk (or Arsenyev/Blagoveshchensk) Blagoveshchensk/Heine, Kraskino, Poltavka, Pogranichny/Suifenne, Turiy Rog | Products usually stockpiled by local buyer and a specific day of transport is arranged with regional buyer in Ussuriysk Transfer can be any time of year, but more frequently in the winter | Poacher Local buyer Regional buyer Smuggler Custom agents | Increase wages of wildlife rangers to deter bribery Rotate personnel to limit impact of corruption Increase effort to arrest and convict poachers System of anonymous tipping to turn poachers in (possibly with reward incentive) Increase patrol efforts and roadblocks on main roads to Ussuriysk Increase wages of custom officials at Chinese border as an incentive to not accept bribes Increase roadblocks/ vehicle checks at night Encourage detecting suspicious foot paths in remote forest areas |