The documentary, produced by The Hague-based Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), follows a team of investigators as they unravel a network of pangolin traffickers across continents. This award-winning film will be made freely available online.
An intelligence-led undercover investigation
Using tried and tested investigative techniques applied in drug and gang crime, WJC’s law enforcement team gathers and analyses intelligence from undercover specialists and intelligence networks across Australia, Africa, and Asia to unravel a major wildlife trafficking syndicate, resulting in the seizure of one of the world’s most trafficked commodities: pangolin scales.
Saving pangolins from extinction
Pangolins play an important role in nature as regulators of insect populations, helping maintain soil health and balance in their habitats. Due to illegal trafficking for their scales and meat, all pangolin species are now threatened with extinction. Their decline affects overall biodiversity in forests and grasslands, making their protection vital for ecological stability.
About the film
Directed by filmmaker and wildlife investigator, Matt Durrant, Seizure follows a real-time investigation led by police detective Steve Carmody. The film received recognition in several international film festivals, including:
- Best Short Documentary – Swedish International Film Festival
- Best Short Documentary – Activists without Borders Film Festival
- Best Documentary – New Media Film Festival.
About WJC
The Wildlife Justice Commission is an international NGO that works to disrupt and dismantle the transnational criminal networks trafficking wildlife, timber, and fish. Using intelligence-led investigations, it gathers evidence on organised criminal activity and shares it with law enforcement agencies around the world to secure arrests and prosecutions. The organisation also engages in policy advocacy to strengthen global responses to wildlife crime and promote accountability.
A decade of exposing global criminal networks
From its headquarters in The Hague, WJC has made a significant impact on global wildlife crime. Over the past decade, it has dismantled 69 criminal networks involved in wildlife trafficking, facilitated 307 arrests of high-level traffickers and rescued over 12,000 live animals from the illegal pet trade.
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