Antonia Malina Gustafsson

Since my childhood, I have felt a deep connection to animals and a strong urge to protect them. At the age of 10, I took my first steps into activism, becoming - perhaps at times a bit too radical - an advocate for vegetarianism and joined a local animal welfare organization.

Shortly after graduating from high school, I traveled to South Africa to complete a FGASA training as a professional field guide. There, I experienced a profound connection to nature. During a night drive, a male leopard appeared just meters away - calm, powerful and I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the moment. Knowing today how many leopards are killed for their skin, this memory reminds me not only of what exists, but of what is at risk of being lost. A few months later, in the Central African Republic, I was confronted with a very different reality. While working as a guide and also supporting the Sangha Pangolin Project, I witnessed the scale and brutality of poaching and wildlife trafficking. Images such as the 2013 elephant massacre in Dzanga Bai left me deeply unsettled. At the same time, meeting inspiring individuals such as Rory Young, co-founder of Chengeta Wildlife, helped shape my path. It was in these moments, that I chose to dedicate my life to seeking justice for those who cannot speak for themselves.

When starting to be in touch with EAGLE, my perspective began to shift. What started a long time ago as a passion for animals, evolved into a deeper understanding of the systems that allow their exploitation to continue. I realized that wildlife trafficking is not only about individual acts of poaching, but about complex criminal networks, weak enforcement, and, above all, corruption. One of the most difficult realizations for me was that many people are aware that wildlife trafficking is illegal and harmful, yet it continues on a massive scale. What shocked me even more was how present and normalized wildlife trafficking seems to be - visible in markets, openly shared on social media, and yet still widely underestimated as a crime. This led me to understand: without accountability, there is no change. Wildlife crime must be treated with the same seriousness as other forms of organized crime, and those involved must be held responsible for their actions.

After several months of training in four different countries, I have been appointed the Coordinator of EAGLE Guinée in January 2026.