In Victoria, we are lucky to live alongside an abundance of native animals, and it doesn’t matter if they live in the wild or at home as a pet...
We all play a part in keeping them safe and protecting their welfare. Thankfully, there are also dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to combat crimes against our native wildlife.
As part of our latest ‘Wildlife Crime: It’s Your Call’ campaign, Crime Stoppers Victoria sat down with Conservation Regulator Senior Forest and Wildlife Officer Peter Simpson for a glimpse into a day in the life of someone dedicated to fighting wildlife crime.
Peter is part of the Major Operations and Investigation Unit, and although he’s worked in environmental and wildlife regulation for more than 25 years, he still says no two days are the same.
“One day I could go into work with all the great intentions of doing business as usual or mandatory training, but then I’ll receive a phone call or email with details about wildlife crime,” he explains.
That information could then prompt an investigation by the Conservation Regulator involving anything from interviewing witnesses and suspects to executing a search warrant to seize evidence and/or animals related to a wildlife crime.
The varied role of a Forest and Wildlife Officer, however, also brings exposure to confronting material and traumatic incidents, and even with his extensive experience, Peter shares that some wildlife crimes still shock him.
“[I’ve seen] everything from people running over wildlife, through to large scale animal poisoning… Particularly in the wildlife trafficking space, you do see a lot of cruelty.
“You just can’t imagine people are capable of that,” Peter reveals.
But knowing the community finds wildlife crime unacceptable, and most people want to protect native animals motivates Peter in his work, and he recognises importance of public assistance in solving cases of wildlife crime.
“I have been involved in a number of investigations where, if it wasn't for support from the community and information that they provided, we wouldn't have been able to solve the case.”
Peter recalls the invaluable community contribution to solving a wildlife case he investigated in 2018 after receiving a report from a landowner whose property adjoined an area of public land in Gippsland’s south.
“[the report was] about eight to 12 wombats that had been killed and basically stacked up like firewood around the campsite.”
Peter and his team opened an investigation but quickly hit a dead end. With no suspects or new leads to follow, they used the media to call for public help in the hopes someone would come forward.
“As a result of the media coverage, some individuals actually made reports and provided information,” Peter remembers.
From this information, investigating officers made follow up enquiries and identified some persons of interest. The individuals involved were finally found guilty at the Korumburra Magistrates’ Court of several offences under the Wildlife Act 1975.
Unfortunately, not all cases successfully resolve like this, with many wildlife crimes remaining unsolved.
Despite this fact and him having seen some horrific acts of cruelty, Peter maintains he is “lucky” to be working for the Conservation Regulator.
“I feel very privileged to do the job that I do. It is that real sense of satisfaction, making a difference and working with fantastic people to protect native animals, particularly our threatened species, because at the end of the day, once they’re gone, they’re gone and that’s it.”
The Conservation Regulator is the lead agency for investigating and prosecuting native wildlife crime in Victoria, and with Crime Stoppers offering a clear avenue for anonymous reporting, both organisations are seeing a community empowered to come forward and share what they know, which as Peter knows, can make all the difference.
If you witness or suspect any wildlife crime:
You can tell Crime Stoppers what you know, anonymously, on 1800 333 000or at crimestoppersvic.com.au.
