Former CIA Tracker Turns to Targeting Poachers

Former CIA tracker Nada Bakos is now helping in hunt for poachers

It has been recently reported that an ex-CIA tracker Nada Bakos is now taking up a new assignment: Targeting poachers. Bakos, a former analyst, was well-known from 2002 to 2006 in helping in the hunt for one of the world's most wanted terrorists: Abu Musad al-Zarqawi. After her retirement in 2008, Bakos is now joining forces with a cyber security expert named Jeffrey Carr in a volunteer effort to go after poachers. The effort, dubbed Project Grey Goose, was renowned for producing a 2008 report about Russian cyber attacks that coincided with the nation's invasion of Georgia. The group consisted of as many as hundred volunteers, including U.S intelligence officers. They studied publicly-available data, in order to expose how the attacks worked and who was behind them. Now, the project has turned to the threat of global poaching. According to Carr, the project has attracted fifteen volunteers so far. He further added that the team will conduct tactics similar to the ones used in bringing down terrorists and other such threats. These include searching online websites and other information to identify key figures in the trade. In addition to that, they may also come across aliases and use other databases and websites to connect those aliases with real names. Whatever they find, they will turn over to the FBI or other authorities.

I'm extremely proud to see what Ms. Bakos is doing regarding the fight against poaching and other wildlife-related crimes. With her intelligence in helping target terrorists, it will be a major help for various global organizations such as TRAFFIC, which specialize in battling poaching and wildlife trafficking. I'm also very happy to see that the group she is going to be working is also turning its attention towards these environmental threats. I strongly believe that if intelligence officers and other officials from agencies like the CIA or the FBI lend a helping hand in combating poaching, wildlife trafficking, and other crimes against nature, it would certainly help such organizations that specialize in tackling these problems in both national and global levels. With organizations like TRAFFIC teaming up together with the CIA and other such agencies known for dealing with other global crimes, it would definitely help put a stop to poaching and other crimes related to wildlife.

View article here