At the dawn of the 21st century, poaching and the illegal ivory trade were the biggest threats to the African elephants' survival. Down to as few as 400,00 animals by 2012, the African elephant was on the path to extinction in the wild. African rhinoceros' species were in even more jeopardy.

Dr. John Benson, a renowned Canadian forensic wildlife biologist, RCMP Inspector, and senior strategist and trainer with INTERPOL's Wildlife Crime Unit, together with Dr. Kate Beckett, long term colleague, romantic partner, forensic wildlife biologist, and a senior Special Agent with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, were jointly invited by INTERPOL's Wildlife Crime Group, to work together as advisors and trainers on a new initiative named Operation Cobra, targeting the world-wide illegal trafficking in elephant ivory and rhino horn.

Operation Cobra chronicles the exploits of John Benson, Kate Beckett, and their team in East Africa and North America working with local wildlife and law enforcement agencies to take down wildlife poaching ringleaders and break up international wildlife trafficking syndicates, often risking their lives and the lives of their trusted team members, Dennis Bear and Anna Dupree, and their two German shepherd police dogs, Sydney and Nelle.