Vos, Andro
Biography
Andro Vos has a background in law and forensic sciences, having studied at the University of Leuven in Belgium. He then dedicated some 35 years to the criminal justice chain in the Netherlands, the last 15 of which he served as Programme Director at the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI). During his tenure, Vos played a leading role in innovative forensic projects.
The shift in his career trajectory came during a visit to South Africa—invited to lecture at Stellenbosch University and Southern African Wildlife College near Kruger National Park. There, he encountered a poached rhinoceros and witnessed firsthand how forensic traces were carelessly destroyed by rangers and veterinarians. He realized that wildlife crime, a serious form of organized crime, lacked the forensic rigor necessary for effective prosecution. Vos founded the Wildlife Forensic Academy (WFA) in South Africa, aiming to bring forensic-based justice to wildlife crime.
To sustain WFA’s operations, Vos developed a model where universities from Europe, Asia, and the U.S. send students on immersive field courses (in fields like ecology, forensic science, veterinary medicine). Their fees help fund rangers’ scholarships for training.
