Why Poaching Kills

"Only when the last of the Animals Horns, Tusks, Skin, and Bones are sold, will mankind realize that Money can never buy back our Wildlife." - Mild at Heart. This quote strongly puts reality out there with the fact that once most animals go extinct, they will most likely never come back. Poaching is a huge problem because most animals like rhinos, lions, and elephants are being poached. Their tusks and horns are said to cure certain diseases or have medicinal properties. This affects not only animal populations, but the human population and the black market trade. Rhino horns are sold on the black market for thousands of dollars, in fact, it costs $60,000 per kilogram and a rhino horn weighs roughly 2.9-3.7 kilograms. One rhino horn is more
Since 2007, a number of 5,940 rhinos have been killed in South Africa. Awhile ago, there were an estimated 500,000 rhinos worldwide, but now because of poaching three out of five rhino species were put on the verge of extinction. One of the highest cities in which poaching occurs is Vietnam.With studies proving that 4 out of every 6 poachers use high-tech equipment to poach animals. There are also many cops who in return for not arresting poachers will get a part of the benefit a poacher would, selling ivory or a rhino horn on the black market. The elusive wildlife and plant trade is estimated to be worth $70-213 billion a year (PDF) and damages the natural resources of countries and wealth of businesses around the world. The animals that get poached the most include bears, rhinos, tigers, elephants and much more. Leatherback sea turtles are nearing extinction, while their eggs are being sold on the black market as an aphrodisiac. Amur leopards which are very close to extinction with an estimated 30-40 of them left in the world because of poaching, they're killed for their fur and skin to be used for clothing and decoration. Siberian tigers have been classified as endangered with 3,000-3,200 left in the world. They have become so rare that anyone can purchase a small Siberian tiger on the black market for $50,000. The saola, an animal known to the Asian civilians as a mythical creature
A group called air Shepard created a computer controlled drone to stop poaching and capture poachers. “In the past six months where we’ve been operating in Africa, we’ve arrested a lot of poachers,” said Dr. Thomas Snitch one of the founders of this company who developed this drone. This proves that the drone idea that has been presented by air shepherd, has shown its efficiency and is worth it since it helps stop poaching. The benefit of the drones is that they cover a lot more ground than just rangers and can see over a larger area than a human can. Computer data are vital in telling the drones where to fly and control them. The computer's processes data to tell where the animals and poachers are staying and hunting the animals. The drones fly to the high traffic area and use their infrared cameras that are built in to send the footage back to the drone operators. If poachers are spotted then the operator alerts any nearby ranger to stop the poaching and the police can track them down. The drones don't just help the rangers find the poachers easier, they also give them the additional data of the habitats of the animals where they are most poached (Elisha “Drones Used To Stop Elephant and Rhino Poachers in Africa”). Poachers can be caught using drones, which are manufactured by some companies and have the latest tracking devices and features added to help prevent