Construction of Blame and Offending

Construction of Blame and Offending—Similar to defining and determining who is a victim within the complicated chain of wildlife trafficking, unpicking who is the offender can also be challenging. This chapter introduces the idea that there is also a hierarchy of offending. In terms of the offender, there are those that might be considered ‘blameless’ due to the circumstances under which they illegally poach or harvest wildlife. Who can blame the impoverished villager for killing an endangered animal to get money for food? Within this spectrum though there are also the intermediaries, the smugglers, the corrupt law enforcement and government officials, the transnational organised crime groups, the corporations and states benefiting, and the buyers all playing some role within a wildlife trafficking operation. With the differing levels of blame, responsibility, and guilt that can be attached to the different actors, the next section delves into what punishments are then deemed to be appropriate for these different hierarchies.