The Pros And Cons Of Poaching

Poaching affects animals all over the world, but it has taken many cultures too

long to realize what is happening to our wildlife population. For example, “Over the past 40 years alone, nearly 52 percent of the world’s wildlife have been wiped out of existence.”("10 Shocking Facts About How the Illegal Wildlife Trade Drives Species Extinction." One Green Planet. May. 22, 2016). Some species that are being killed by this terrible act include, but are not excluded to elephants, tigers, sharks, rhinos, and gorillas. We need to be the voice for these poor animals by putting an end to poaching for good. Poaching is a cruel act of violence against wild animals, and if we human beings don’t put an end to it, we will have to say goodbye to many
In fact, certain cultures fail to see the negative aspects of executing innocent animals due to their beliefs, due to the fact that many poachers use an animal's skin for accessories such as purses and because of the large profits poachers receive. “In Asia, tigers are primarily killed to supply underground black markets with its organs, pelts, and bones. These items are highly regarded in mythological medicine. This includes: the eyes, hair, internal organs, even tiger penis – which is used in a soup as an aphrodisiac.”(11 Facts About Poaching Animals." DoSomething.org. Web. May. 22, 2016). “In Africa, tens of thousands of elephants are being killed every year for their ivory tusks. The ivory is often carved into ornaments and jewellery – China is the biggest consumer market for such products.”("Threats to African Elephants." WWF Conserves Our Planet, Habitats, & Species like the Panda. May. 22, 2016). “All over the world there are over 100 million sharks being slaughtered by humans yet we depict them as vicious and blood-thirsty killers. These species are being slaughtered for shark liver oil and for shark cartilage for pseudo cancer cures. Sharks are
This is because their horn has similar healing powers to that of a tiger. “Rhino horn is now worth about $100,000 per kilogram. This has led to sophisticated criminal gangs becoming involved, with connections I suspect may lead all the way up to the highest echelons of government. Captured poachers come from the poorest of the poor societies, and yet they're well-schooled in how to react and behave when caught. Many of them are armed foreign nationals, invading our country and killing a precious natural resource, and yet they are treated like royalty when apprehended. Despite a massive and exorbitantly costly anti poaching exercise being conducted by KNP's dedicated game wardens and field rangers, Kruger National Park lost on average of 2.5 rhinos every day during 2015. Despite a massive effort by many of the most dedicated conservationists imaginable, this war is not being won.”(Kevin Robertson. “Rhino wars: South Africa is at war with rhino poachers, and it's not pretty.” Sports Afield. March-April 2016. May. 25, 2016). These poor animals don’t even stand a chance of fighting back with all the weapons poachers carry on them. As mentioned before I also don’t believe in the healing powers that are supposedly associated with the rhino's horn. It’s just an act so poachers can scam people and make a large