Save Pangolins aims to shine a light on some of the inspiring conservationists working to protect pangolins around the world. Here, we would like to recognize Eric Kaba Tah, a pangolin conservationist who has been nominated for the prestigious Indianapolis Prize in 2020. The Indianapolis Prize is awarded to a conservationist who has had a profound impact on wildlife conservation. The prize was created to recognize the real heroes in conservation, people whose work reverberated from the field to local and global communities, and inspired others to find their own voice in conservation. Eric Kaba Tah has been nominated for his outstanding work in investigating illegal wildlife criminals and bringing them to justice. The work he has done has created a ripple effect among illegal wildlife trafficking syndicates, deterred by law enforcement and the actualized threat of facing jail time.
Eric Kaba Tah is the Deputy Director at LAGA, the Last Great Ape Organization, the first wildlife organization in Africa to work in collaboration with law enforcement. He started out as a volunteer and on one of his first field assignments, he joined the LAGA communication department as a media assistant. The LAGA team had seized wildlife parts that were prepared for shipment and Eric took photos of gorilla parts for documentation. The experience had a profound impact on him and he’s been fighting for wildlife conservation and wildlife law enforcement ever since.
Eric has shown great leadership for anti-pangolin trafficking initiatives in Central Africa. Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world, and hope for their future rests on the strict enforcement of the laws that protect them. Before LAGA came to Cameroon, there were zero prosecutions on record of illegal poaching and trafficking. After the creation of LAGA in 2006, ever major illegal wildlife dealer has been arrested and about 87% have served jail time. The success that LAGA had as an NGO collaborating with local law enforcement to investigate, arrest and prosecute illegal wildlife poachers inspired the founding of EAGLE Network, a subdivision created to set up similar NGO and government relationships elsewhere in Africa.
The EAGLE Network works fastidiously and oversees every stage of law enforcement, starting with investigating wildlife criminals, collecting evidence against them, executing the planned arrest, and supervising the prosecution. The network has shifted focus from poachers to traffickers, the major actors in the illegal wildlife trade and has had more than 2,000 traffickers face jail time to date. Corruption is a major systemic issue in wildlife law enforcement, and a large amount of the network’s resources are used to fight it. In the past few years, the network has brought to justice large trafficking networks in Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Senegal, Uganda, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin and Burkina Faso among others.
Eric’s leadership roles within LAGA and EAGLE network will continue to have a positive impact on wildlife conservation throughout Africa, by bringing together NGO and government law enforcement to successfully uphold the laws that protect wildlife and deter illegal trafficking. His 2020 Indianapolis Prize nomination is a well-deserved recognition of his incredible work protecting pangolins and other African wildlife.
Eric shares the nomination with thirty other impressive conservationists who have all brought enduring change and hope to the wildlife community. They have founded wildlife sanctuaries, created research programs, safeguarded wildlife areas, and used science and technology to inform their conservation strategies. These pioneers who have successfully increased numbers of endangered species often have a common thread, engaging and teaching local communities and governments about conservation and sustainability practices. The winner of this year’s Indianapolis Prize will be announced at the Indianapolis Prize Gala on September 12, 2020.
