TRAFFIC itself has just three investigators covering Southeast Asia and only a hundred staff worldwide. The CITES secretariat employs only one—that's right, one—enforcement officer. Interpol likewise employs one person to manage its wildlife-crime program. Other countries have useful tools, such as wiretap authority, but they don't have the long reach of the Lacey Act, and now U.S. Special Operations has dwindled to three or fewer agents.

At a U.S. congressional committee hearing on the links between national security and wildlife trafficking, I met a woman with a Ph.D. in veterinary science who had helped prepare some of the informational material. "I want to go work undercover in Southeast Asia," she told me. I was impressed: a bright young professional eager to take on the undercover agent's life. "I have some vacation time coming up," she said, "and I'm going to do it."

Is there any other area of law enforcement where a private citizen could even imagine doing undercover work on her vacation?

Misliah dislikes Shepherd because his criticisms appear in the news, but cases do well in the press only if they involve iconic animals that garner catchy names like Taiping Four or Bangkok Six (smuggled orangutans). They don't do well if they're the simple fish called humphead wrasse, or the 14 tons of turtles, monitor lizards, and pangolins found floating in a deserted boat off the coast of China.

One cause for hope may be a new regional organization—the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN). Established four years ago, ASEAN-WEN brings together customs agents, wildlife officers, prosecutors, and police from each of its ten member countries. Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. are also involved, with much of ASEAN-WEN's funding provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development. It's a testament to ASEAN-WEN's potential that Anson Wong subscribes to its newsletter.

Last August Misliah responded to allegations of a corrupt relationship between her department and Anson Wong: "As far as Malaysia is concerned, he abides by local laws and has the necessary licenses," she said. "What he does outside the country is not our concern."