AWI Recognizes Eight Wildlife Defenders with Prestigious Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award aalberg Tue, 11/25/2025 - 10:04 photo by AWI December 2, 2025 Samarkand, Uzbekistan—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), in coordination with the Species Survival Network (SSN), today recognized eight recipients across three continents with the Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award for going beyond the call of duty in their commitment and dedication to combating wildlife crime. The awards were conferred at the 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.  The Bavin Award is named for Mr. Clark R. Bavin, the late chief of the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, who pioneered the use of complex sting operations to catch wildlife criminals. Since 1994, AWI and SSN have bestowed this award upon more than 150 individuals, organizations, and agencies that have engaged in exemplary efforts to enforce wildlife laws to combat wildlife crime.The 2025 award winners come from seven different countries, illustrating a global commitment and responsibility to protect wildlife threatened by illegal trade. Their work utilizes time-honored techniques such as seizures, raids, and large-scale investigations, as well as new approaches such as computerized tomography scanning, to protect various trafficked and poached species—from pangolins to pumas.“Wildlife criminals are continually developing more sophisticated strategies to use and abuse animals around the globe,” said DJ Schubert, senior scientist of wildlife biology for AWI. “From intercepting poachers to identifying smugglers and forged documents, the innovative tactics utilized by this year’s Bavin Award recipients demonstrate an increasingly diversified approach to combatting wildlife crime.”The winners of the 2025 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award are:Anti-Smuggling Bureau of China Customs for continuing to strengthen its capacity to fight wildlife crime, including through implementation of advanced scanning technology at key customs checkpoints, which has contributed to a substantial reduction in wildlife trafficking in China.Director-General Athapol Charoenshunsa, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Thailand, for visionary leadership, innovative enforcement strategies, success in dismantling environmental crime networks and suppressing illegal logging, dedication to resolving human-wildlife conflicts, and trailblazing work in endangered species repatriation.Craig Fellowes, MBE, wildlife crime and training officer, Badger Trust and National Wildlife Crime Unit, United Kingdom, for a long and distinguished career that has included developing and conducting CITES enforcement training courses presented to thousands of UK and international officers and coordinating the seizure of significant quantities of trafficked wildlife products.  Lieutenant Colonel Dilafruz Karimova, environmental and tourism security specialist, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Tajikistan, for leading operations to thwart illegal logging and mining and poaching of endangered species and for deploying advanced intelligence gathering, trainings, task forces, and community outreach to disrupt transnational wildlife crime networks, while breaking barriers for women in her field.  Institute of Zoology Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, for combating wildlife crime and addressing trade-induced threats to endangered species in Uzbekistan, including by establishing the country’s first CITES specimen collection and training center and creating a sniffer dog training program to detect trafficked wildlife products.Major General Watcharin Phoosit, commander of the Royal Thai Police's Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division, for his central role in dismantling numerous transnational wildlife trafficking networks and collaborating with national and international partners to train officers and carry out significant seizures and sustained investigations targeting major wildlife crime syndicates.Nature Protection Service (SEPRONA), Spain, for its multifaceted approach to dismantling wildlife criminal networks using rigorous law enforcement, international collaboration, trainings, and community engagement, which has led to the rescue of thousands of illegally sourced live animals and the downfall of major smuggling operations.Dr. Emiliano Villegas, operational coordinator, Environmental Control Brigade, Argentina, for exceptional efforts investigating the largest wildlife crime case in Argentina’s history, which led to multiple indictments, the seizure of thousands of hunting trophies, and the rescue of animals destined for illegal hunts on private reserves.“The individuals, organizations, and agencies recognized today are truly on the frontlines of the battle to end illegal wildlife trade,” said Susan Millward, AWI executive director and chief executive officer. “As wildlife continue to face threats from greedy criminals and syndicates, the work of these wildlife heroes—as well as those they inspire—is critical for imperiled species and for all global citizens.”More information about the Bavin awards can be found here. Media Contact Information Kim Meneo, Animal Welfare Institutekim@awionline.org, (202) 446-2116 The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.