Poaching: illegally removing animals from the environment, specifically the wild,

threatening many species with the chance of extinction.

It has existed since before the Middle Ages, but it is becoming an increasingly
dangerous problem as more and more species are being threatened. Poachers in Africa,
the continent that’s been hit the hardest by poaching, have put elephants, rhinos, and
lions in danger of being endangered. :

Poachers kill or capture animals to either sell them to local buyers or on the global
black market of illegally-obtained wildlife. While it is a horrendous act, it makes a good
profit.

Some animals are captured by poachers to be sold as exotic pets, such as birds,
primates, and reptiles. People are willing to pay big bucks to have these creatures, with
no remorse for the immoral and illegal methods used to obtain them.

Poachers slaughter animals so that they can sell them for commercial value as food,
jewelry, medicine, or decorations. For example, the Chinese middle class has become
increasingly interested in ivory, the material in elephant tusks, and the rising demand
for it has provided much motivation for poachers. A single pound of it can sell for over
$1500, and tusks can weigh 250 pounds.

Rhino horns are used in traditional Chinese medicine, but more importantly, they are
becoming increasingly popular as a symbol of status and wealth. The demand for them
has caused poaching numbers for South African rhinos to skyrocket. More than 8,300
rhinos have been poached in just a decade, and that number is only going up. The rate
of poaching has shown signs of slowing down in the last few years, but this is probably
because the rhino population is declining drastically, so there are less total rhinos
available to poach.

Rhinos are not the only species suffering from poaching. African elephants, valued for
their ivory tusks, are also a prime target for poachers. Starting from the early 2000s,
the number of elephants killed illegally for their tusks rose at an uncontrollable rate.
Recent efforts from governments and interest groups have managed to curb poaching
numbers, but the fight for the elephants continues.
Not enough is being done. If poachers continue to find ways around the laws, then the
deaths will continue. According to the African Wildlife Foundation, elephants will
continue to be poached at a high but relatively stable rate, but rhino poaching will
increase 356 percent by 2030. This is a frighteningly high number for a species that’s
already critically endangered, and it may mean the end for the species.

As far as the economy goes, it would be reasonable to assume that poaching in

countries actually helps the economies of said places because it drives a profitable
underground market. This would be comparable to the illegal drug trade in the United
States, which is worth billions of dollars to the economy. However, this couldn’t be
further from the truth. A study conducted by the University of Cambridge and the
World Wildlife Fund revealed that an increase in poaching actually corresponds with a
decrease in tourism, which hurts the economy. The study concluded that African
economies lose around $25 million due to tourists not wanting to visit areas hit by
poachers.
Besides the economy, it is also critical to examine the effects that poaching has on the
environment. Every animal plays a crucial role in its ecosystem, and removing them
from the area can drastically affect the entire web. Once again, elephants are a prime
example of this. Forest elephants are like gardeners - they disperse seeds and nutrients
great distances as they travel, keeping plant species alive, and they open up the forest
floor as they eat and knock down trees. As the food web shows, elephants are also of
utmost importance to the balance of their ecosystem. If elephants continue to be
poached, it will disrupt the whole environment, taking out a primary source of food for
many predators and eliminating a major factor in the diversity of life.

While there is no concrete evidence to suggest that poaching can destroy entire
ecosystems and also no data that shows the impact of poached animals on ecosystems,
the implications of poaching should be well understood. Every species plays an
important role in its intricate food web, and removing much of their population
through poaching will only disrupt that balance.

Currently, governments around the world have made stricter laws to punish people
that are caught poaching. However, since the act of poaching is inherently illegal,
stricter laws have done little to deter the poachers. Governments have also hired
rangers to protect certain reserves and preservations from poachers, and this has
thankfully caused a decrease in the number of deaths due to poaching.

Organizations like the World Wildlife Fund and the International Anti-Poaching
Foundation are also taking steps to raise awareness for poaching and take steps to
prevent it. They take donations and use them to push governments to protect
threatened species, speak up on behalf of the rangers who defend the turf against
armed poachers, and reduce demand for illegal wildlife parts.

In the future, the governments should create more wildlife conservation areas so that
the animals can be better protected, and they should also seek to work together with
each other to stop poachers because studies have shown that poaching is reduced
more effectively when conservancies are working together.

As high schoolers, we can donate to rangers who protect the animals from poachers
and to the International Fund for Animal Welfare. We could also visit national parks to
support the wildlife economy. If money is an issue, there are many alternatives. We
could volunteer with the Anti-Poaching Foundation, sign petitions that aid anti-
poaching efforts, or simply commit to the World Wildlife’s Pledge to end wildlife crime.
At the very least, we can spread awareness for poaching and make sure all the products
we buy don’t come from illegally killed animals. All these steps help to further the goal
of minimizing the poaching problem into a nonexistent threat.
https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino-info/poaching-stats/

- Over 8,300 African rhinos poached in just a decade

- Number of rhinos poached every year is decreasing, but that’s likely because the
rhino population is decreasing
http://www.poachingfacts.com/poaching-statistics/
https://campaign.awf.org/poaching-deaths-visualized/

- Rhino poaching numbers expected to increase dramatically - rhinos are already

a critically endangered species
https://www.savetheelephants.org/about-elephants-2-3-2/statistics/
- Half of all African elephants were lost to poaching and the ivory trade from 1979
to 1989
- Estimated 100,000 elephants killed between 2010 and 2012 (really?)
- World’s forest elephant population reduced by 62% from 2002 to 2013
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5982520/
- Number of poached rhinos increasing over time
- Decreased at the end because the rhino population has decreased and there
aren’t as many rhinos that can be poached
- https://www.rhinoconservationbotswana.com/the-poaching-crisis
- Black rhino population has been decreasing as a result of poaching
- At least 5940 black rhinos have been poached since 2008
- The number of rhinos poached has increased for the 6th year in a row
- https://theproblemofpoaching.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/why-is-poaching-
such-a-problem/
Environmental Impacts
- https://www.labroots.com/trending/plants-and-animals/8258/elephant-
poaching-impacts-entire-ecosystem
- "Without intervention to stop poaching, as much as 96 percent of Central
Africa's forests will undergo major changes in tree-species composition and
structure as local populations of elephants are extirpated, and surviving
populations are crowded into ever-smaller forest remnants," explained John
Poulson from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, the lead
author of the study.
- "Because they are very large animals, they can eat fruits and disperse seeds too
big for other animals to digest. And because they are highly mobile, they help
disperse these seeds far and wide through their dung," Poulson continued.
- "Many of Central Africa's forests are nitrogen limited. Elephants help
compensate by moving nutrients, especially nitrogen, across the landscape as
they defecate. If populations continue to shrink, this nitrogen will be
concentrated in smaller and smaller areas, limiting future tree growth
elsewhere."

- https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/the-devastating-effects-of-
wildlife-poaching/
- When the North American Gray Wolf was on the brink of extinction, due
to trophy hunting and poaching, the elk populations in Yellowstone
National Park soared. With no natural predator, the elk nearly ate the
aspen tree to extinction. Now, because of the increasing populations of
gray wolves in the park, elk populations are balancing out and the aspen
tree is recovering.
- https://greentumble.com/the-devastating-consequences-of-wildlife-poaching/
- Pangolins perform a mighty task. A single pangolin digs through the
earth, aerating and enriching the soil and eating an estimated 70 million
insects annually, primarily ants and termites [32]. Not only is the
pangolin sustaining the balance of its ecosystem, but is benefitting any
humans in the area living in wood houses.
- Savannas, a grassland, are best recognized by their diverse and plentiful
animals: birds, insects, giraffes, gazelles, lions, rhinoceros, antelope,
jackals, zebras and cheetahs. Rhinoceros, who selectively graze the
vegetation and elephants, who consume leaves from the low broadleaf
trees characterizing the savanna and available in the forest ecosystems
some habit, are each considered keystone species for their unique
services sustaining their ecosystems [33,34].
 - Where nutrients are found in the soil and how animals move them about
has been found to have dramatic effects for the savanna, governing
seasonal migration patterns, habitat differences and populations [35].
- Gorillas, who live primarily in the forests, feed on fruit and bamboo,
invertebrates and termites, are also considered a keystone species,
providing among other services, the invaluable service of spreading seeds
for more fruit trees [36].
- Tigers are a keystone species due to their large impact on keeping prey in
check [37]. They live in varied habitats from grasslands to evergreen
forests, rain forests and mangrove swamps throughout Asia, but
wherever they roam, they need a large area.
- A typical tiger consumes 88 pounds of meat a day. Due primarily to
human population expansion, only about 7% of their historical natural
habitat exists. People are afraid to live near tigers, which results in illegal
killing and their now small range makes it easier for black market
poachers to find and kill them.
- https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2018/03/duke-researchers-find-
poaching-elephants-hurts-forest-ecosystems
- Poulsen explained that elephants are “gardeners of the forest” because
they transport seeds and nutrients great distances. Doing so maintains
tree species, as well as opening up the forest floor by eating and knocking
down trees, branches and smaller plants.
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/articles/heres-what-might-happen-local-
ecosystems-if-all-rhinos-disappear-180949896/
- According to a recent study published by Scandinavian and South African
researchers in the Journal of Ecology, rhinos maintain the diverse African
grasslands on which countless other species depend.
How to Stop Poaching
- https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/10-simple-ways-you-can-
help-stop-wildlife-poaching-today/
- Sign petitions that aid anti-poaching efforts
- Sign the World Wildlife’s Pledge to end wildlife crime - don’t buy illegal
animal products, and advocate for animal rights
- Donate
- To rangers who protect the animals against poachers
- To the International Fund for Animal Welfare
- Volunteer with the Anti-Poaching Foundation
- https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2017/11/28/act-now-to-save-
wildlife-5-actions-that-make-a-difference
- Visit a National Park to support the wildlife economy
- http://visionlaunch.com/5-solutions-poaching/
 - The government can create programs that protect the animals - by hiring
rangers with the authority to punish poachers, raising awareness for
poaching, and making it illegal to buy products from illegal poached
products
- Government can create wildlife conservation areas
- Make conservancies a network, not individual entities
https://psmag.com/news/poaching-isnt-just-bad-for-the-elephants-it-hurts-the-
economy-too