In 2022, project activities related to the long-term goal to better identify, prosecute and sanction illegal killing of wildlife have been very intensive. To this end, we organized an additional three-day training session for police officers, followed by a one-day consultative working meeting, where, in addition to police officers, representatives of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Hunting Inspection were also present. Throughout the year, we also organized 11 educational seminars to familiarize field staff (foresters, professional hunters and game wardens) with standard procedures in case of finding an animal carcass that is suspected to be a result of illegal killing.
By consulting participants at the events and drawing on their field experience and practices from previous years, we have reached important conclusions on how to improve current practices in identifying, investigating, and sanctioning illegal killing of wildlife. The outcome of all the events is a revised protocol with instructions on how to act in case of suspected illegal killing of wildlife, which is an upgrade of the protocol already developed in 2020. The protocol will serve as an important tool for field staff who are most frequently confronted with this type of crime. The Protocol is published in an electronic version, available here (in Slovenian language).
Educational seminar to familiarize field staff with standard procedures in case of finding an animal carcass that is suspected to be a result of illegal killing.