ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the nature and extent of wildlife crime and the offenders who are cited for these offenses in Florida a state relatively understudied in the literature on wildlife crime and conservation policing. Wildlife crime has often been conceptualized as 'poaching' or 'camouflage-collar crime' while offenders engaged in this type of activity are often viewed as 'camouflage criminals' or 'folk outlaws'. McSkimming and Berg argue that researchers know more about why people poach in terms of motivations and justifications, and less about the socio-demographic characteristics of wildlife offenders. Without a consistent and national database to track the problem, it may be premature to make claims that wildlife crime is on the rise or on the decline. The racial and ethnic makeup of Florida is also diverse with the percentage of a county's population identified as Black ranging from 2.8 to 56.0.
