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A key motion under consideration at the upcoming IUCN World Conservation Congress would create guidelines for managing the wildlife pet trade, and that’s key because across the world, millions of live animals - mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians - are taken from the wild every year. The illegal and unsustainable wildlife pet trade depends on the appeal of live animals whose capture leaves forests and grasslands silent, stripped of the pollinators, seed dispersers and predators that keep ecosystems functioning.

Namibia has sought permission from European nations in its bid to legally sell a stockpile of elephant ivory worth N$166 million, ahead of a crucial vote at the 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP20) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The conference, scheduled for 24 November to 05 December 2025, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, will bring global attention to the debate over ivory trade, conservation, and international cooperation.

While forensic science has proven highly successful in helping catch perpetrators of human crimes - with a single cell now being enough for forensic sleuths to form a DNA profile - its potential in animal-related crimes remains largely untapped. The Wildlife Forensic Academy (WFA) is a first-of-its-kind forensic training facility. It was launched on 13 May at Buffelsfontein Nature Reserve on the West Coast and will be another weapon in the fight against wildlife crime.