wildlife trafficking

Rising Stars

Juliana Machado Ferreira, Wildlife Trafficking Warrior

August 9, 2014 By Melissa Pandika Follow @mmpandika

Juliana Machado Ferreira stalks her prey through a São Paulo street market. Her green eyes are keen, her movements catlike, her posse a group of undercover police officers. The men they’ve been tracking suddenly break into a run. Machado Ferreira lunges. She pounces on one of the men, sending him crashing. An officer handcuffs the other. Unzipped, the bags reveal wooden crates crammed with birds of every color — brilliant turquoise, dewy green, jet black — and cardboard boxes crawling with turtles and lizards. Read more.