“At the Wildlife Forensic Academy, I came to understand that everything is connected. Wildlife crime is never simple; it is multi-layered, often driven by poverty, and rooted in fragile communities that are either exploited by syndicates or forced to turn to poaching for survival and food. At the same time, protecting nature and ecosystems is essential. The real challenge lies in finding solutions that address underlying social and economic pressures while also building resilience for both wildlife and local people.

Through this experience, I realized how important it is to consider all stakeholders and competing priorities, and how powerful awareness itself can be. From my perspective in the Netherlands, it is easy to feel disconnected from these realities, to look away from them. However, the impacts extend much further than we might think. The Netherlands is also a harbor for trafficked wildlife, and wildlife crime is deeply intertwined with drug trafficking. Recognizing these intersections has shown me that we are not separate from the problem - and that means we can also be part of the solution.”

“As part of our Global Health minor at the Erasmus Medical Center, our group attended the Wildlife and Wicked Problems Masterclass at the Wildlife Forensic Academy (WFA). We had an incredible two weeks filled with learning and hands-on experience. The program covered a range of topics on wildlife crime, including poaching, forensic approaches, business, and legal aspects. We learned how to investigate crime scenes, conduct postmortems, and visited amazing places like the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Two Oceans Aquarium, and West Coast National Park.
We wrapped up the two weeks with a masterclass case presentation, giving us the chance to apply everything we’d learned. The accommodation and African meals were well organized, and there was plenty of time for fun alongside the educational program. Thank you for this fantastic experience!”

“My main goal of joining this master class was to discover a new career path. It didn’t matter what discipline, as long as it had a tangible benefit for wildlife and the health of the planet. This course narrowed down that I still want to remain in biology, as that is where my passion and interest lie, as opposed to law or business, for instance. I have also become more comfortable with the fact that my “path” to the “goal” of a new role is not spelled out for me yet. I am sure now that there is a goal waiting at the end of that path; it’s only about taking the next right step, one step at a time.

The personal connections I’ve made on this trip have been invaluable. I’ve learned so much about myself, the way I interact with others, and the beauty of friendship and connection. I can say with confidence that this experience is the best money I’ve ever spent.

I’ll be leaving this experience with a newfound sense of excitement, confidence, and hope for the future. I’ve been shown that there are many people in the world who share my love for wildlife and a passion to create a more kind, loving, and sustainable life for all. I can’t wait to see what opportunities await”

“Choosing the wildlife forensic academy’s wicked problems masterclass has been one of the best decisions of my life. I had never been to South Africa before but after this trip, I will visit at least once a year for the rest of my life. If it is not the beautiful animals, completely endemic vegetation, or the nicest locals, truly, found throughout the entire world, there is no place I could recommend more than Cape Town. The masterclass itself had two main ways of conveying information. We either lectured in the academy’s classroom with the brightest minds in the business, for example Dr. Eric Van Gorp who is the leading doctor when it comes to emerging zoonotic diseases. On the crime side, Dr. Devin Finaughty was able to teach us inter-workings of a specifically wildlife crime scene. Everything from flies that hangout around decomposition to the actual dead leopard that we tracked and performed a forensic necroscopy as a team. There is no question that this course was designed by the brightest people with the biggest hearts, and I was honoured to be a part of their pilot program. Hopefully, many more classes to take!”

“Before the course, I only had a vague idea of what wildlife crime meant. The course gave me a comprehensive insight into all the areas required to find solutions in this field. That was incredibly exciting and convinced me to specialise further in this area. This course really is an eye-opener. Both for people who have never dealt with this topic before and for people who want to specialise further in this area. Thank you for the opportunity!”