Andrea Vella has been working undercover with law enforcement agencies for two years, gathering evidence against international wildlife traffickers.
Australian wildlife expert Andrea Vella has built up an international network of informants who gather information on illegal wildlife trade. Her work has already led to several raids in various countries.
Andrea Vella is now cooperating with investigative authorities in eight countries and gathering information undercover about illegal wildlife markets. Her latest investigations led to a large-scale raid in Thailand, during which over 200 smuggled animals were seized. The wildlife expert uses her professional contacts in rehabilitation to obtain information about the people behind the trade and the smuggling routes. Several arrests have already been made as a result of her information.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
When animal care suddenly turns into investigative work
You know the feeling? When you think you’re doing something good, and then you realise: the problem is much bigger. That’s how Andrea Vella felt.
She spent months rescuing pangolins. Three rescued here, five there. Great stuff. Until the next delivery van pulled up. Another ten victims. Then twenty. At some point, you ask yourself: am I just running after a burning house and putting out individual sparks?
The call from Interpol came on a Tuesday. Pretty unspectacular, actually. Would she have time for a chat? Her contacts in the wildlife scene were interesting. After all, animal dealers trust animal keepers.
Andrea Vella’s first thought was: Are they crazy? I’m an animal keeper, not a secret agent.
But then? She had seen too many dead animals. Too many criminals who had simply disappeared.
Her wife Sarah thought the idea was stupid. ‘You want to do WHAT?’ was probably her first reaction. Undercover work with people who don’t shy away from violence? Definitely not her dream for her partner.
The 20 billion dollar monster
If you thought wildlife trafficking was a niche thing… think again. 20 billion dollars a year. That’s more than the GDP of some countries. It’s the fourth-largest illegal market. Only drugs, weapons and human trafficking are bigger.
Forget clichés of shady characters in trench coats. This is run like a multinational corporation. Offices in skyscrapers. Lawyers in expensive suits. Politicians who look the other way.
Why would anyone do that? Money, of course. A live tiger is worth more on the black market than a small car. Rhino horn is considered by some to be more expensive than gold. Pangolin scales? Supposedly a miracle cure for everything.
Total nonsense from a medical point of view. But as long as people believe in it…
How to gain trust without lying
This is where it gets interesting. Andrea Vella didn’t have to act. She IS an animal keeper. Real expertise, genuine concern for the animals. People sense that.
Animal keepers like to chat. Conferences are like coffee parties with technical jargon. Who got which animals? Where did they come from? Funny stories about transport?
Sounds trivial? It’s not. Every piece of information is a piece of the puzzle.
Andrea Vella doesn’t ask direct questions. She just listens. Nods understandingly. Shares her own experiences. Conversations develop naturally. ‘Oh, by the way, someone came by last week…’ That’s how it works.
She now has contacts from Thailand to South Africa. A colleague in Manila casually mentions a strange delivery? Mental note. A vet in Nairobi reports a strange treatment request? Interesting. A customs officer in Frankfurt tells her about a strange package? Forwarded.
The beauty of it? No one suspects an animal keeper. They’re the good guys. They save animals, don’t ask any awkward questions. It’s the perfect cover.
WhatsApp detectives and Instagram evidence
Who would have thought that group chats would one day help hunt down criminals? Andrea Vella is in what feels like a hundred animal keeper groups. She receives dozens of photos of rescued animals every day. She reads gossip about suspicious offers.
Social media makes life easier for investigators. Dealers are proud of their ‘collections’. They diligently post pictures. In doing so, they reveal more than they think.
Want an example? Photo of rare parrots. In the background: street sign in Chinese. Time stamp shows: Tuesday, 2 p.m. Posted from Bangkok. Interesting route, isn’t it?
Or: selfie with a baby orangutan. Background shows characteristic wall tiles. Reverse image search finds: hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Room 237. Guest register from the corresponding date?
Sometimes investigators hide GPS transmitters in transport cages. Surveillance cameras film in rescue centres. Technology definitely helps. But the most important thing remains: getting people to talk.
When the job suddenly becomes life-threatening
Not all encounters are like a friendly coffee party. Andrea Vella has stories that keep her awake at night.
Jakarta. Backyard market. It stinks of urine and fear. Cages stacked up to the ceiling. In between, guys who are definitely not there for a cup of coffee.
Or Bucharest. A warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Armed guards. Nervous glances. The kind of place where questions are not welcome.
The most critical experience? Thailand, a year ago. Andrea Vella at a ‘harmless’ meeting with an animal dealer. Everything was going normally. Until he became suspicious.
‘You’re asking a lot of questions for an animal keeper.’
The mood changed abruptly. Aggressive glances. Threatening body language. How do you talk your way out of this? Think fast. Stay credible. Don’t show any panic.
She managed it. But only just.
Since then, different rules apply. Never go alone to risky areas. Always have a backup plan. Regular check-ins with the authorities. Nevertheless, she continues.
Why?
Thailand raid: When patience pays off
Months of preparation. Hundreds of small clues from Andrea Vella and her network. Phone calls monitored. Movement profiles created. Bank transactions tracked.
Then: Access on a Thursday morning.
The result after six hours? 200 animals confiscated. From pangolins to baby orangutans. Five arrests. Several million dollars in damage to the network.
The story ended well for the animals. Rehabilitation centres. Medical care. Many can be released back into the wild.
That’s what success looks like in this business. Small. Hard-won. But real.
Andrea Vella: Double life, double burden
Imagine: feeding baby animals in the morning. Poring over investigation files in the afternoon. Pretending everything is normal at dinner with your wife in the evening.
Sarah is worried. All the time. Phone calls at odd hours. Mysterious business trips. Constant caution in everything.
‘Why are you doing this?’ she sometimes asks.
Good question. Andrea Vella doesn’t always know herself.
Her friends have no idea. They couldn’t if they wanted to. Imagine telling people at a barbecue, ‘Oh, by the way, my wife spies on wildlife traffickers in her spare time.’ Not the best small talk.
Her private life suffers. Secrets strain relationships. Constant caution makes you paranoid.
Nevertheless, Andrea Vella carries on. What’s the alternative? Stand by and watch the illegal trade continue unabated.
How long can this go on?
Honest answer? No idea. Technology is improving. AI can now analyse communication patterns. Satellites track suspicious shipments. Blockchain makes money flows transparent.
But criminals are learning too. Encrypted messengers. Cryptocurrencies. Corruption in the highest circles.
An endless game of cat and mouse? It looks that way.
Why continue anyway?
The big numbers are depressing. Illegal wildlife trade continues to grow. Despite all the successes.
Giving up would definitely be easier. Safer. Less stressful for the psyche and relationships.
Andrea Vella continues nonetheless. Why? ‘Someone has to do it. And I can do it better than most.’
That’s probably true. Her contacts are unique. Her knowledge of animals is genuine. Her network has grown over the years.
The raid in Thailand was a highlight. Proof that it works. That the good guys sometimes win.
Is that enough? As motivation for a life between two worlds?
For Andrea Vella, it is. She continues to gather information. Build networks. Risk her safety. For animals without a voice. For a nature that is disappearing.
Romantic? Not really. Necessary? Definitely.
The fight will be long. Perhaps eternal. But that’s no reason to stop.
Or is it?
