MEDIA: You are invited to cover this event; pre-registration required.

What:
Rutgers School of Criminal Justice will sponsor the Wildlife Crime Symposium to mark the inauguration of its Center for Conservation Criminology. The symposium will focus on issues concerning poaching of elephants, parrots and leopards, illegal commercial fishing, and law enforcement. Dr. Richard Leakey, conservationist, paleontologist, archaeologist, and professor of anthropology at Stony Brook University, will deliver the keynote address in which he will share his research on wildlife crime and its global impact.

Who:
Richard Leakey is the son of the famous paleoanthropologists, Louis and Mary Leakey, two of the foremost fossil hunters of the 20th Century, known for their many discoveries relating to early human evolution. In his own equally stellar career, Richard Leakey discovered “Turkana Boy,” the almost complete skeleton of a young hominid who roamed the wilds of Kenya 1.5 million years ago. Leakey also served in the government of post-colonial Kenya, and for several turbulent years, headed the Kenya Wildlife Service. In this latter role, he masterminded the international ban on the ivory trade that has been credited with restoring the population of Africa’s elephants until the recent resumption of unrestrained poaching. 

In addition to Leakey, other speakers and presenters include:

Dr. Beth Adubato, assistant professor, New York Institute of Technology
Dr. Ronald Clarke, University Professor, Rutgers School of Criminal Justice
Mr. Antony Leberatto, doctoral student, Rutgers School of Criminal Justice
Dr. Andrew Lemieux, research fellow, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement
Dr. William Moreto, assistant professor, University of Central Florida
Dr. Mangai Natarajan, professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Dr. Gohar Petrossian, assistant professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Dr. Stephen Pires, assistant professor, Florida International University
Ms. Julie Viollaz, doctoral student, John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the CUNY Graduate Center

When:
Tuesday, May 14, 10:00 am- 4:00 pm

Where:
This program will take place at Rutgers-Newark’s S.I. Newhouse Center for Law and Justice (123 Washington Street).

Event Contact:
This event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. Click for more details and to register.

Media Contacts:
Helen Paxton, paxton@andromeda.rutgers.edu, or Ferlanda Fox Nixon, ferlanda@andromeda.rutgers.edu, of the Office of Communications, 973-353-5262.