Covert operations, nighttime surveillance, crime-scene investigations. That's probably not what comes to mind when you imagine people working to conserve endangered species.
But some U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees help threatened and endangered species by protecting them from intentional harm. At ports and national wildlife refuges, and under cover around the U.S., conservation law enforcement officials work to stop the exploitation of species that can’t defend themselves.
The federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits “take” of listed species, which includes harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, collecting or attempting to do any of those things.
Take can happen by accident, but sometimes people target species for personal gain. Staff from the Service’s Office of Law Enforcement and National Wildlife Refuge System Division of Law Enforcement work together and with partners to intercept and investigate these crimes against wildlife, often putting their own lives at risk.
They also help protect species that are listed as endangered in other parts of the world. The ESA requires that the Service list species as endangered or threatened regardless of where they live. While each country determines whether hunting an endangered or threatened species within their borders is lawful, the ESA regulates the import of species listed in other countries to the U.S.
Conservation law enforcement officials play a vital role...
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