ABSTRACT
Wildlife crime occurs at a global scale. Criminal activities involving illegal international wildlife trade can have far wider implications on disease transmission, invasive species introduction and natural resource exploitation. The illegal trade in plants and wildlife can adversely affect people’s livelihoods and the resources they depend upon, as well as threaten already dwindling populations of endangered species. Removal of species from the wild can also upset the delicate balance of nature in the ecosystems where they live. Humans may injure or kill wildlife in a variety of ways sometimes intentionally, sometimes by neglect and sometimes by accident. The task of the investigator is to find out with the assistance of a veterinary pathologist, whether or not the injuries or death were likely to have been human induced, caused by other species or the result of such a factor as hyperthermia, hypothermia or starvation.
