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Ecohealth: 7 Ways You Can Help Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade

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Ecohealth: 7 Ways You Can Help Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade

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I used this article for support in my conclusion to provide possible solutions to poaching and reducing illegal wildlife crime. This article provides many ideas to reduce wildlife crime through our everyday lives and throughout our local communities.

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7 Ways You Can Help Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade - EcoHealth Alliance

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Illegal wildlife trade not only exploits vulnerable wild animals, but it has also been proven to be a pathway for new and emerging diseases to spread and infect humans. Join EcoHealth Alliance in stopping the illegal wildlife trade.

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I used this article for support in my conclusion, to provide statistics that show how the WWF is directly reducing poaching and illegal wildlife crime.

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For all their strength and cunning, animals like tigers, rhinos, elephants and gorillas are no match for a poacher's rifle

For all their strength and cunning, animals like tigers, rhinos, elephants and gorillas are no match for a poacher's rifle

Some things leave us open-mouthed in amazement. Dumbstruck. Overawed.

With the first flash of a wild tiger, the approach of a herd of elephants or an encounter with a family of gorillas, words fail. We're left gaping a single syllable: "wow".

We know deep inside that these magnificent animals matter. And yet we've driven many of them towards the brink of extinction through relentless poaching.

For 50 years, WWF has fought to stop this slaughter.

What's at stake?

Poaching is the greatest current threat to tigers, rhinos, elephants, gorillas and other African and Asian species.

It's a crime and it's driving species to extinction. Tigers and rhinos are particularly vulnerable, their body parts being prized in traditional Asian medicine.

The old image of a lone poacher with a rifle, man against beast, is far from the true story nowadays. The current wave of poaching is carried out by sophisticated and well-organised criminal networks - using helicopters, night-vision equipment, tranquilisers and silencers to kill animals at night, avoiding law enforcement patrols.

Why does this continue to happen? The problem is that poaching is rarely a political priority and is a very lucrative business.

"The value of a rhino horn in illegal trade is probably 100 times the average earnings of a villager living next to them," explains Christy Williams who leads our work on Asian elephants and rhinos. "It makes poaching a coveted money-making opportunity."

We work to tackle poaching and the causes behind it on many levels - from training anti-poaching patrols, to campaigning for stronger action against the illegal wildlife trade, to helping local communities benefit from living alongside endangered species through wildlife tourism.

The story so far

Rhinos
With our partners, we've helped to step up efforts to stop rhinoceros poaching in Africa.
When we launched our African Rhino Programme in 1997, there were 8,466 white rhinos and 2,599 critically endangered black rhinos remaining in the wild. Today, there are around 17,500 white rhinos and more than 4,000 black rhinos.

The three species of Asian rhino remain in grave danger: less than 300 Sumatran rhinos and only around 60 Javan rhinos are left, and poaching is an ever-present danger.

"There would be no Javan rhinos in Ujung Kulon [home to most of the remaining population] and Sumatran rhinos in Bukit Barisan Selatan without prompt WWF action to save these species," confirms Williams.

Tigers
We're proud of our work stopping the poaching of tigers too. We're helping boost the number of anti-poaching patrols on the ground, making sure they have the equipment they need to communicate with each other and to act swiftly to tackle illegal activity.

"In the eastern sector of Rajaji National Park in the Himalayas, we helped double tiger numbers within a span of five years from 2004 to 2008," says WWF tiger expert Joseph Vattakaven.

Read more about our work to save the tiger.

Gorillas
From 2003 to 2010 our work in the Virunga Forest on the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda helped increase gorillas by 26%, from 380 to 480. This happened despite the presence of violent militias in the region - a testament to the bravery and dedication of our anti-poaching patrols.

Elephants
In the 1980s, Africa lost half its elephants to poaching - but since the international ivory trade was banned in 1989, numbers have begun to recover.

We helped to bring about the ban, and continue to monitor local sales. Reducing the demand for ivory, and helping local people develop alternative livelihoods, has helped drive down elephant poaching. But there's still a large black market, and the danger hasn't gone away. We continue to run patrols and push governments to enforce anti-poaching laws.

Asian elephants are rarer - only around 25,000-32,000 remain - so they're particularly vulnerable. Poaching for ivory and meat is a serious problem, especially in southern and north-east India.

Did you know?

Less than 60 Javan rhinos survive - they're probably the rarest mammal in existence. Poaching could easily make them extinct.

Facts and stats

26 - percentage increase of mountain gorillas over the past seven years

11,065 - number of rhinos in Africa in 1997. Now there are more than 21,000.

2022 - year by which we hope to double tiger numbers in the wild.

100,000 - African elephants killed a year during the 1980s.

What's next?

Unfortunately, poaching has rocketed recently, driven especially by increased wealth in Asia and a demand for exotic or rare species, largely for traditional Asian medicine. In 2010, 333 rhinos were illegally killed in South Africa, threatening the huge progress we've made over the last 15 years.

"To save elephants and rhinos we need to give them large undisturbed areas that are protected from poachers and development activity like farmlands, mines, drilling and illegal logging," says Williams.

"In some places we are just holding on trying to keep the animals alive, but in other places we are making outstanding progress, swimming against the tide.

"We're building camps where rangers can stay, and providing them with everything from communications links to drinking water. Without camps, rangers can't patrol distant spaces, and that leaves them open to poachers. By putting in security, wildlife occupying remote areas stays alive."

Similar steps are needed to protect tigers from poaching. We're fighting to double tiger numbers in the wild by 2022. Despite official bans on the use of tiger parts in traditional Asian medicine, there's still a booming black market.

"It is possible," says Vattakaven. "We can turn the tables for tigers. As a species they have amazing resilience. Saving tigers is a constant battle and if we stop fighting, we lose the battle."

Poaching always has the potential to undermine so much of the work we've done to protect endangered species. But we're determined to use our 50 years of experience to make sure that this doesn't happen.

Videos: Former poacher talks about his transformation to conservationist and what it takes to track and tag a wild elephant.

What you can do

Watch a video of a snared tiger in Belum Temengor

Help us stop the rise in rhino poaching in South Africa. Make a donation today towards much-needed anti-poaching equipment and support for rangers. This includes binoculars, radios, night-vision gear, bullet-proof armour, and rhino-tracking and camping equipment. It will also provide essential training for anti-poaching units and emergency veterinary treatments for injured rhino.

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For all their strength and cunning, animals like tigers, rhinos, elephants and gorillas are no match for a poacher's rifle For all their strength and cunning, animals like tigers, rhinos, elephants and gorillas are no match for a poacher's rifle Some things leave us open-mouthed in amazement. Dumbstruck. Overawed.

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US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health: Wildlife Trade and Global Disease Emergence

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US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health: Wildlife Trade and Global Disease Emergence

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This article was used to provide support for the fact that many epidemics that happened in the past were caused from animals, also known as zoonotic diseases.

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Your access to the NCBI website at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov has been temporarily blocked due to a possible misuse/abuse situation involving your site. This is not an indication of a security issue such as a virus or attack. It could be something as simple as a run away script or learning how to better use E-utilities, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK25497/, for more efficient work such that your work does not impact the ability of other researchers to also use our site. To restore access and understand how to better interact with our site to avoid this in the future, please have your system administrator contact info@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

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Your access to the NCBI website at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov has been temporarily blocked due to a possible misuse/abuse situation involving your site. This is not an indication of a security issue such as a virus or attack.

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Academic Journal CQ Researcher by Sarah Glazer:  Zoonotic Diseases

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Academic Journal CQ Researcher by Sarah Glazer:  Zoonotic Diseases

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This journal was very useful to provide various statistics on which epidemics directly came from animals, and there are studies provided as well which I mention in my essay.

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This article provided many statistics of the marine animals I mentioned throughout my body paragraphs.

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Poaching is illegal hunting, killing, capturing or taking of wildlife violating local or international wildlife conservation laws. Animal poaching endangers not only the population of targeted animals but also other animals in their ecosystem, as it often disrupts the essential balance of nature within a healthy biome.

Poaching can cause populations to drastically plummet, ultimately resulting in extinction. The ripple effect can also imperil other flora and fauna existing within the same biome. Humans are the stewards of the natural world. It is our responsibility to protect wild areas and the animal and plant life that live within their boundaries

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Poaching is illegal hunting, killing, capturing or taking of wildlife violating local or international wildlife conservation laws. Learn what you can do to help us stop the poaching of wildlife.

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Red List: IUCN List of Threatened Species

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Red List: IUCN List of Threatened Species

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This article provided additional statistics and information about endangered and extinct animals. This article also provided more understanding of the health of the biodiversity in terms of poaching.

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State of the Planet: Columbia University: Why Endangered Species Matter

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State of the Planet: Columbia University: Why Endangered Species Matter

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This article was extremely helpful in providing accurate information about animals who are extinct, and at which rate they are continuing to become endangered. This article provided direct evidence of the fact that today, the current rate of extinction is occurring 1,000 to 10,000 times faster solely as a result of human activity.

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Why Endangered Species Matter

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was established in 1973 to protect "imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend" and help them recover.

The Trump administration has put forth a number of proposals that would weaken the ESA. These include measures to allow for the consideration of economic impacts when enforcing the ESA, ending the practice of automatically giving threatened species the same protection as endangered species, and making it easier to remove species from the endangered list.

In a way, this is nothing new because the ESA has been under attack for decades from construction, development, logging, water management, fossil fuel extraction and other industries that contend the act stifles economic development. But between 2016 and 2018 alone, there were almost 150 attempts to undercut the ESA; and last year, from July 8 to 22, Republicans in Congress or the Trump administration introduced 24 such measures and spending bill riders.

These bills included efforts to remove the gray wolf's protected status in Wyoming and the western Great Lakes; a plan to remove from the endangered list the American burying beetle that lives on oil-rich land; and a strategy to roll back protection of the sage-grouse, which also inhabits oil-rich land in the West and whose numbers have declined 90 percent since the West was first settled. The Trump Administration recently opened up nine million acres of sage-grouse habitat to drilling and mining.

Endangered species, if not protected, could eventually become extinct-and extinction has a myriad of implications for our food, water, environment and even health.
Extinction rates are accelerating
Ninety-nine percent of all species that have ever lived have gone extinct over the course of five mass extinctions, which, in the past, were largely a result of natural causes such as volcano eruptions and asteroid impacts. Today, the rate of extinction is occurring 1,000 to 10,000 times faster because of human activity. The main modern causes of extinction are the loss and degradation of habitat (mainly deforestation), over exploitation (hunting, overfishing), invasive species, climate change, and nitrogen pollution.

There are also other threats to species such as the pervasive plastic pollution in the ocean-a recent study found that 100 percent of sea turtles had plastic or microplastic in their systems.

Emerging diseases affecting more and more wildlife species such as bats, frogs and salamanders are the result of an increase in travel and trade, which allows pests and pathogens to hitch rides to new locations, and warming temperatures that enable more pests to survive and spread. Wildlife trafficking also continues to be a big problem because for some species, the fewer members there are, the more valuable they become to poachers and hunters.
How many species are endangered?
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, over 26,500 species are in danger of extinction. This includes 40 percent of amphibians, 34 percent of conifers, 33 percent of reef-building corals, 25 percent of mammals and 14 percent of birds. In the U.S., over 1,600 species are listed as threatened or endangered.

A 2018 report by the Endangered Species Coalition found that ten species in particular are "imperiled" by the Trump administration's proposals: California condor, giraffe, Hellbender salamander, Humboldt marten, leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles, red wolf, rusty patched bumble bee,

San Bernardino kangaroo rat, West Indian manatee, and Western yellow-billed cuckoo.
The web of life
While it may seem unimportant if we lose one salamander or rat species, it matters because all species are connected through their interactions in a web of life. A balanced and biodiverse ecosystem is one in which each species plays an important role and relies on the services provided by other species to survive. Healthy ecosystems are more productive and resistant to disruptions.

A recent study found that extreme environmental change could trigger an "extinction domino effect." One of the study's authors said, "Because all species are connected in the web of life, our paper demonstrates that even the most tolerant species ultimately succumb to extinction when the less-tolerant species on which they depend disappear." So saving one species means saving its habitat and the other species that live there too.

"When you lose one species, it affects the ecosystem and everything around it gets a little bit more fragile while it adapts to change," said Kelsey Wooddell, assistant director of the Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability. "Even if it's not a keystone species [a species that others in an ecosystem depend on], its loss will weaken the functionality of the entire ecosystem, which just makes it easier for that ecosystem to stop working."
What are the consequences of extinction? Altering ecosystems through cascading effects
If a species has a unique function in its ecosystem, its loss can prompt cascading effects through the food chain (a "trophic cascade"), impacting other species and the ecosystem itself.

An often-cited example is the impact of the wolves in Yellowstone Park, which were hunted to near extinction by 1930. Without them, the elk and deer they had preyed upon thrived, and their grazing decimated streamside willows and aspens, which had provided habitat for songbirds. This left the stream banks susceptible to erosion, and a decline in songbirds allowed mosquitoes and other insects the birds would have eaten to multiply. When the wolves were reintroduced to the park in 1995, they once again preyed on the elk; plant life returned to the stream banks and along with it, birds, beavers, fish and other animals. (Note: David Bernhardt, acting secretary of the Department of the Interior, just announced a proposal to strip gray wolves of their endangered status in the Lower 48 states.)

Kelp forests are another classic example. They play an important role in coastal ecosystems because they provide habitat for other species, protect the coastline from storm surges and absorb carbon dioxide.

Yet kelp forests are rapidly getting mowed down by exploding numbers of purple sea urchin. California sea otters eat the purple sea urchins that feed on giant kelp. These otters used to number in the hundreds of thousands to millions, but their population has been reduced to about 3,000 as a result of unchecked hunting in the 19th century and pollution. Moreover, in 2013 the sunflower starfish, which also eats purple sea urchins, began dying because of a virus that was likely exacerbated by warmer waters. Without the sea otter and the sunflower starfish predators, the purple sea urchin began feasting on the kelp forests, which declined 93 percent between 2013 and 2018. (A new study found that kelp forests are now also threatened by ocean heat waves.) The explosion of sea urchins not only damaged the kelp ecosystem, it also had serious impacts on Northern California's red urchins that are valued for sushi. Fish that need the kelp forests for spawning, such as sculpin, rock cod and red snapper may become vulnerable in the future as well.

As another example, Wooddell explained that on Guam, after the invasive brown tree snake was accidentally introduced to the island in the 1950s, 10 of the island's 12 endemic bird species went extinct. "Typically birds eat seeds and spread seeds elsewhere on the island but that is no longer a functioning ecosystem," she said. "So the forest and the trees have decreased a lot. And Guam is covered in spiders because the birds are not there to eat them."
Losing apex species has multiple effects
Eliminating the large predators at the top of the food chain, the "apex species," may be humans' most serious impact on nature, according to one study. These large species are more vulnerable because they live longer, reproduce more slowly, have small populations, and need more food and a greater habitat area. Scientists say their loss has played a role in pandemics, fires, the decline of valued species and the rise of invasive ones, the reduction of ecosystem services, and decreased carbon sequestration.

Elephants are an apex species that may go extinct in our lifetime, as a result of tourism, habitat loss and poaching for ivory. This could dramatically change ecosystems in Africa and Asia. Through consumption and digestion, elephants disperse more seeds farther than any other animals; this fosters the growth of plants and trees that birds, bats and other animals depend upon for food and shelter.

Elephants also dig water holes that all animals share, and they fertilize the soil with their rich dung, which provides food for other animals.

The loss of apex species can also affect wildfires. After rinderpest, an infectious virus, wiped out many plant-eating wildebeest and buffalo in East Africa in the late 1800s, plants flourished. During the dry season, this over-abundance of vegetation spurred an increase in wildfires. In the 1960s, after rinderpest was eliminated through vaccinations, the wildebeest and buffalo returned. The ecosystem went from shrubbery to grasslands again, decreasing the amount of combustible vegetation, and the wildfires decreased.
Jeopardizing pollination
Seventy-five percent of the world's food crops are partially or completely pollinated by insects and other animals, and practically all flowering plants in the tropical rainforest are pollinated by animals. The loss of pollinators could result in a decrease in seed and fruit production, leading ultimately to the extinction of many important plants.

Flying foxes, also known as fruit bats, are the only pollinators of some rainforest plants. They have been over-hunted in tropical forests with several species going extinct. One study noted that 289 plant species, including eucalyptus and agave, rely on flying foxes to reproduce; in turn, these plants were responsible for producing 448 valuable products.

Bees pollinate over 250,000 species of plants, including most of the 87 crops that humans rely on for food, such as almonds, apples and cucumbers.

But in recent years, large populations of bees have been wiped out by the mysterious "colony collapse disorder" wherein adult honeybees disappear from their hive, likely in response to numerous stressors.

Over the last 20 years in the U.S., monarch butterflies, which pollinate many wildflowers, have decreased 90 percent. The rusty-patched bumble bee, another important pollinator and the first bee species to be put on the endangered list, now only occupies one percent of its former range.

Insect populations overall are declining due to climate change, habitat degradation, herbicides and pesticides. A 2014 review of insect studies found that most monitored species had decreased by about 45 percent. And a German study found 75 percent fewer flying insects after just 27 years. As insect populations are reduced, the small animals, fish and birds that rely on them for food are being affected, and eventually the predators of fish and birds will feel the impacts as well. One entomologist who had studied insects in the rainforest in the 1970s returned in 2010 to find an up to 60-fold reduction. His study reported "a bottom-up trophic cascade and consequent collapse of the forest food web."
Endangering the food chain
Plankton, tiny plant and animal organisms that live in the ocean or fresh water, make up the foundation of the marine food chain. Phytoplankton are critical to the health of oceans and the planet because they consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen during photosynthesis.

In 2010, researchers found that phytoplankton had decreased 40 percent globally since 1950, and attributed the decline to rising sea surface temperatures. The scientists speculated that the warming surface waters did not mix well with the cooler, deeper waters rich in nutrients that phytoplankton need. In addition, zooplankton are very sensitive to slight changes in the amount of oxygen in the ocean, and may be unable to adapt as areas of low oxygen expand due to climate change.

The quantity and quality of plankton also affects the nutrition of other creatures further up the food chain. In the Mediterranean Sea, the biomass of sardines and anchovies declined by one-third in just ten years. One scientist speculated that this is because the sardines' and anchovies' normal plankton had disappeared, so they had to resort to eating a less nutritious species of plankton with fewer calories. Changes in plankton quality could be a result of water temperature, pollution or lack of nutrients, but scientists are not exactly sure why the plankton makeup in some places is changing. If it is due to global warming and pollution, some say the situation could worsen.

However, Sonya Dyhrman, a professor in Columbia University's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences who studies phytoplankton with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, is more sanguine about the future. "Microbes like phytoplankton can adapt, can acclimate, and can evolve, so I worry less about lineages of phytoplankton going extinct and more about how phytoplankton community composition will change in the future ocean," said Dyhrman.

A different community composition of phytoplankton could change the food web structure, but Dyhrman is not really worried about the total collapse of fisheries. She is concerned, however, that "there could be changes in ocean ecosystems and we don't really know what those changes will be. What will the architecture of that ecosystem look like in the future? The problem is, the ocean is already changing and we don't understand the architecture of the ecosystem right now well enough to predict what will happen in the future."
Losing nature's therapeutic riches
More than a quarter of prescription medications contain chemicals that were discovered through plants or animals. Penicillin was derived from a fungus. Scientists are studying the venom of some tarantulas to see if one of its compounds could help cure diseases such as Parkinson's. One molecule from a rare marine bacterium could be the basis of a new way to treat to melanoma.

Scientists have so far identified about 1.7 million different types of organisms, but between 10 and 50 million species are thought to exist on Earth.

Who knows what substances or capabilities some of these species might possess that could help treat diseases and make human lives easier?
Destroying livelihoods
According to a study for the U.N., the continued loss of species could cost the world 18 percent of global economic output by 2050.

Already, a number of industries have been economically impacted by species loss. The collapse of bee populations has hurt many in the $50 billion-a-year global honey industry. Atlantic cod in the waters off of Newfoundland formed the basis of the local economy since the 15 th century - until overfishing the cod destroyed the livelihoods of local fishermen.
What you can do about extinction
Extinction is hard to see. We may not realize how much of the natural world has been lost because the "baseline" shifts with every generation. Past generations would regard what we see as natural today as terribly damaged, and what we see as damaged today, our children will view as natural.

Wooddell believes the most important thing one can do is to put pressure on Congress and elected leaders to create land management, pollution and other sustainable policies that will protect biodiversity and the environment. However, because it's unlikely that these kinds of top-down policies will be instituted in the current political climate, she recommends mobilizing grassroots community groups to create "bottom-up" policies.

Here are some other things you can do to protect endangered species and prevent extinction:

Eat less meat. Soybean production is one of the main causes of deforestation, and most soybean meal is used for animal feed.

Buy organic food because organic farmers use only non-synthetic or natural pesticides on their crops. Synthetic pesticides may be toxic for other organisms.

Choose sustainable seafood. The Marine Stewardship Council provides a list of certified sustainable fish for responsible eating.

Compost food waste. In New York City, the compost is used for urban farming and gardening, which provide habitat for pollinators.

Buy wood and paper products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, to ensure they're harvested from responsibly managed forests.

Don't buy products made from endangered or threatened species, such as tortoise shell, ivory, coral, some animal skins, and "traditional" medicines.

Be aware of the source of palm oil used in countless food and cosmetic products. Many tropical forests are being razed for palm oil plantations. If a product contains palm oil, make sure it's from a deforestation-free plantation.

Reduce your use of plastic.

If you have a garden, plant native shrubs and flowers that attract butterflies and other pollinators. Milkweed is particularly helpful for monarch butterflies.

Set up a beehive.

Diversify your diet. Eating these 50 foods will promote biodiversity and a healthier plant.

Support and get involved with organizations that are helping endangered animals.

Join the Center for Biological Diversity and use their Take-Action Toolboxes.

Correction: This post was updated on April 3, 2019 to remove a sentence about cownose rays devastating scallop populations off of North Carolina. It turns out that other studies have challenged those findings.

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The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was established in 1973 to protect "imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend" and help them recover. The Trump administration has put forth a number of proposals that would weaken the ESA.

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World Wildlife Fund: Red List update shows up global failure to slow biodiversity loss

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World Wildlife Fund: Red List update shows up global failure to slow biodiversity loss

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This article provided a direct quote from the Amanda Nickson, Director of the WWF International Species Programme which was very useful to my essay in regards to the Tiger being the symbol of additional animals becoming extinct as a result of poaching in the future.

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The latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species should cause alarm over the continuing unprecedented loss of species and the failure so far of mechanisms to arrest biodiversity loss, WWF said today. More than one third of the species assessed for this year's Red List update were classified as threatened with extinction.

Gland, Switzerland: The latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species should cause alarm over the continuing unprecedented loss of species and the failure so far of mechanisms to arrest biodiversity loss, WWF said today.

The 2009 Red List update, issued today by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, shows more than one-third (36 percent) of the 47,677 species assessed are threatened with extinction. The assessment featured a special focus on freshwater species, which are being hit hard by pollution, loss of wetlands and water diversions. The planet's amphibians are the most threatened of all species with 1895 of 6285 species assessed in the Red List threatened with extinction.

The Red List ranks species according to their population status and threat levels. It shows the effects that habitat loss and degradation, over-exploitation, pollutants and climate change are having on the world's species.

"As crucial climate talks in Copenhagen draw near and with the International Year of Biodiversity around the corner, this is a wake-up call for world leaders." said Amanda Nickson, Director of the WWF International Species Programme. "We are a world away from protecting species from the threats they face and meeting the globally endorsed 2002 commitment of the Convention on Biological Diversity to deliver a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010."

"This failure and the mechanisms to overcome it will need to be the dominant agenda item on next year's meeting of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity."

Through its global initiatives, WWF is pursuing major efforts to arrest biodiversity decline in some of the most spectacular and highly diverse places on the planet, and to recover populations of some of the most endangered species, such as tigers.

It is estimated that less than 3200 tigers exist in the wild in a wide arc of countries from far eastern Russia to India and Indonesia. Tigers - a top predator residing at the top of its food chain - occupy less than seven percent of their original range, which has contracted 40 percent from 10 years ago.

As tigers require a large home range, protection of the species and its habitat bring huge benefits to thousands of other species. An international summit scheduled for 2010 in Vladivostok in Russia is a critical opportunity to reverse the decline in tiger numbers and ensure their survival in the wild.

"Tigers are a symbol of what is happening to many species across the globe, and demonstrate the urgent need for the world to come up with the political will, policies, resources and incentives to maintain a living and diverse planet." said Ms Nickson. "The IUCN is frank that its assessments are likely to understate the real extent of the loss of species."

Significant international meetings next year to address biodiversity loss and the threats to planetary life support systems include a major Conferences of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Ms Nickson noted that the CBD's 2010 target had probably underestimated the growing impact of climate change, which is now being increasingly recognised as an additional threat leading species of animals and plants towards extinction.

The assessment of freshwater species continued to alarm, with more than one third of assessed freshwater fishes under threat of extinction and approaching half of all molluscs. In Lake Dianchi in China, the assessment found all seven freshwater snails and 12 of the 13 freshwater fish species new to the Red List were threatened by overharvesting, pollution and introduced fish species.

However, in a rare ray of hope in the new assessment, one freshwater fish, the Australian Grayling has been moved from being listed as Vulnerable to being listed as Near Threatened as a result of conservation efforts which included putting fish ladders on dams, improving streamside vegetation and policing anglers.

For further information: Sarah Bladen, Conservation Communications, t +41 22 3649019, m +41 79 4150220, e sbladen@wwfint.org

For more information please visit www.iucnredlist.org

Global figures for 2009 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:
* Total species assessed = 47,677
* Total Extinct or Extinct in the Wild = 875 (2%) [Extinct = 809; Extinct in the Wild = 66].
* Total threatened = 17,291 (36%) [Critically Endangered = 3,325; Endangered = 4,891; Vulnerable = 9,075].
* Total Near Threatened = 3,650 (8%).
* Total Lower Risk/conservation dependent = 281 (<1%) [this is an old category that is gradually being phased out of the Red List]
* Total Data Deficient = 6,557 (14%)
* Total Least Concern = 19,023 (40%)

NB: Not all species on the IUCN Red List are threatened. There are now more species on the IUCN Red List. This means that the overall percentage of threatened species has gone down by two percent. This is not because the status of the world's biodiversity is improving, but because we have assessed more species. In the past, Red List assessments often focused on species that were already thought to be threatened, but as the Red List grows to include more complete assessments across entire groups, we are beginning to have a better idea of the relative proportion of species which are threatened against those which are not threatened.

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Red List update shows up global failure to slow biodiversity loss

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The latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species should cause alarm over the continuing unprecedented loss of species and the failure so far of mechanisms to arrest biodiversity loss, WWF said today. More than one third of the species assessed for this year's Red List update

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This article is about the statistics of many tigers, some being endangered or close to extinction. I used this article to provide statistics and facts throughout the middle of my paper.

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There are two recognized subspecies of tiger*: the continental ( Panthera tigris tigris) and the Sunda ( Panthera tigris sondaica). The largest of all the Asian big cats, tigers rely primarily on sight and sound rather than smell for hunting. They typically hunt alone and stalk prey. A tiger can consume more than 80 pounds of meat at one time. On average, tigers give birth to two to four cubs every two years. If all the cubs in one litter die, a second litter may be produced within five months.

Tigers generally gain independence at around two years of age and attain sexual maturity at age three or four for females and four or five years for males. Juvenile mortality is high, however-about half of all cubs do not survive more than two years. Tigers have been known to reach up to 20 years of age in the wild.

Males of the larger subspecies, the continental tiger, may weigh up to 660 pounds. For males of the smaller subspecies-the Sunda tiger-the upper range is at around 310 pounds. Within both subspecies, males are heavier than females.

Tigers are mostly solitary, apart from associations between mother and offspring. Individual tigers have a large territory, and the size is determined mostly by the availability of prey. Individuals mark their domain with urine, feces, rakes, scrapes, and vocalizing.

Across their range, tigers face unrelenting pressures from poaching, retaliatory killings, and habitat loss. They are forced to compete for space with dense and often growing human populations.
*New Subspecies Classifications
Since 2017, IUCN has recognized two tiger subspecies, commonly referred to as the continental tiger and the Sunda island tiger. All remaining island tigers are found only in Sumatra, with tigers in Java and Bali now extinct. These are popularly known as Sumatran tigers. The continental tigers currently include the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese and Amur (Siberian) tiger populations, while the Caspian tiger is extinct in the wild. The South China tiger is believed to be functionally extinct.

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There are two recognized subspecies of tiger*: the continental ( Panthera tigris tigris) and the Sunda ( Panthera tigris sondaica). The largest of all the Asian big cats, tigers rely primarily on sight and sound rather than smell for hunting. They typically hunt alone and stalk prey.

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Academic Journal: JSTOR: The Convoluted Nature of the African Ivory Trade

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Academic Journal: JSTOR: The Convoluted Nature of the African Ivory Trade

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Within my body paragraphs, this journal was very useful in providing statistics and information regarding the illegal wildlife trade, as well as talking about different organizations that are immensely involved.

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The Convoluted Nature of the African Ivory Trade on JSTOR

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Abstract The current nature of ivory and elephant conservation within Africa is extremely ambiguous and filled with much uncertainty. The purpose of this work i...

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National Geographic: Religious Ivory Demand Killing Elephants 

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National Geographic: Religious Ivory Demand Killing Elephants 

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This article was used to provide information about how specific animal parts are being poached for religious reasons.

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Elephants are being illegally killed across Africa at the highest rates in a decade, and the global religious market for ivory is a driving force. "Blood Ivory," the cover story in the October issue of National Geographic, offers the first in-depth investigation of this untold story.
While it's impossible to say exactly how many elephants are slaughtered annually, a conservative estimate for 2011 is more than 25,000. And thousands of those are dying to satisfy religious devotion, their tusks smuggled into countries to be carved into religious artifacts: ivory baby Jesuses and saints for Catholics in the Philippines, Islamic prayer beads for Muslims and Coptic crosses for Christians in Egypt, amulets and carvings for Buddhists in Thailand, and in China-the world's biggest ivory-consumer country-elaborate Buddhist and Taoist carvings for investors. ( Interactive graphic: elephant decline, poaching estimates, and ivory seizures.)

If someone in the Philippines wants to smuggle an ivory statue of the baby Jesus to the U.S., Msgr. Cristobal Garcia is happy to advise, writes National Geographic investigative reporter Bryan Christy."Wrap it in old, stinky underwear and pour ketchup on it so it looks shitty with blood," Garcia told Christy. "This is how it is done."

Monsignor Garcia is head of protocol for the archdiocese of Cebu, the largest in the Philippines, giving him a flock of nearly 4 million in a country of 75 million Roman Catholics, the world's third largest Catholic population. The tradition of carving ivory into religious pieces in the Philippines is so deeply rooted that in Cebu the word for ivory, garing, also means "religious statue."

Christy reports that another prominent Filipino Catholic, Father Vicente Lina, Jr. (Father Jay), advises people to buy religious icons made of "new" ivory-"so the history of an image will start in you." By "new" Father Jay means smuggled.

In 1990 a global ban on ivory trade came into force, and to get around it, Father Jay told Christy, Muslims from the Philippines' southern island of Mindanao smuggle ivory in from Africa. It comes "through the back door. You just keep on paying so many people so that it will enter your country."

The Roman Catholic catechism states that, "It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly." Earlier this week National Geographic asked the Vatican to comment on the devotional use of ivory, which is fueling the current African elephant crisis. As of September 14, a statement had not been received.
"Ivory Removes Bad Spirits"
The elephant is revered in Buddhism and is a symbol of Thailand. Monks there give out ivory amulets in return for donations. Kruba Dharmamuni, a prominent monk known as the Elephant Monk, wears an ivory elephant-head pendant suspended from ivory prayer beads representing the 108 human passions.

"Ivory removes bad spirits," Dharmamuni told National Geographic. Ivory also earns him money. The Elephant Monk takes in thousands of dollars a month from amulets of ivory and other materials sold in his temple gift shop.

In China, religious themes are common in carved ivory pieces. Newly rich Chinese are snapping up ivory in the form of Buddhist and Taoist gods and goddesses. Prices can be astronomical: Christy reports seeing a carved ivory Guanyin on sale for the equivalent of U.S. $215,000. Guanyin is the Buddhist goddess of mercy, a Madonna-like figure who doubles as a fertility goddess.

Buddhist monks in China perform a ceremony called kai guang, the opening of light, to consecrate religious icons, just as some Filipino priests will bless Catholic images made of illegal ivory for their followers. "To be respectful of the Buddha," the report quotes a Chinese collector, "one should use precious material. If not ivory then gold. But ivory is more precious."

The National Geographic October cover story also exposes key flaws in analysis and decision-making by the leadership of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES), which sets international wildlife trade policy. CITES approved a massive sale of legal ivory to China and Japan in 2008. That decision, the report concludes, has only increased the world's appetite for illegal ivory, fueling the current elephant poaching frenzy across Africa. ( Find out how you can help.)
See the Full National Geographic MagazineReport

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Religious Ivory Demand Killing Elephants by Thousands, Report Says

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Elephants are being illegally killed across Africa at the highest rates in a decade, and the global religious market for ivory is a driving force. "Blood Ivory," the cover story in the October issue of National Geographic, offers the first in-depth investigation of this untold story.

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Public Hearing: House Bill 2205: Richard Palmer

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Public Hearing: House Bill 2205: Richard Palmer

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This document was used within my introduction. A direct quote from the Pennsylvania Game Commission Organization of Wildlife Protection, Richard Palmer was used.

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This article was used throughout my essay to support my points and provide accurate evidence and research on the rise, decline, and overview of poaching.

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Poaching Statistics Overview | PoachingFacts

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Overviews of Major Countries Reporting Transnational Wildlife Crime

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The Guardian: Ranger corruption ‘impeding global fight against poaching’

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The Guardian: Ranger corruption ‘impeding global fight against poaching’

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This article was used for a direct quote about rangers and authority figures accepting bribes when it came to regulating laws for poaching. This article provided support of my point that the broken regulation systems when it comes to following the laws of poaching

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Corruption among wildlife rangers is becoming a serious impediment in the fight against poaching, fuelled by soaring levels of cash offered by criminal poacher syndicates, senior conservation chiefs have admitted.

Rangers in countries as diverse as Tanzania and Cambodia are being bribed by increasingly organised poaching gangs keen to supply ivory, rhino horn and tiger parts to meet huge consumer demand in Asia.

While prices for ivory and rhino horn, in particular, have risen dramatically in recent years, ranger wages have failed to keep pace, resulting in a spate of bribery scandals.

"There's more money floating around now from the poachers, so it's more of a problem than ever before," said Sean Willmore, president of the Australian-based International Ranger Federation.

"It's as bad as I've known it. If rangers aren't getting enough remuneration, they can be corrupted. In Cambodia, for example, rangers were being paid $100 a month and that was cut to $30 a month by the government. What do you do if you want to feed your family?"

While rangers in many countries remain chronically underfunded, with Willmore claiming that a lack of proper equipment and training is rife in poaching hotspots, the rewards for turning a blind eye to the illegal killing of rhinos and elephants have never been higher.

The standard "bush" market value of ivory is $300 per kilogramme, meaning that a 30kg haul from a single elephant can bring in $9,000. From this, a ranger that turns a blind eye can get a cut of $2,000 - far more than his or her standard salary.

The situation is particularly dire in Tanzania, which is losing around 70 elephants a day to poachers. The country has seen around half of its elephants slaughtered in just the last three years.

Willmore said that corruption in the country is "systematic". Last year, the government minister and top officials at Tanzania's Wildlife Department were fired for taking bribes for the assignment of hunting blocs and, more brazenly, arranging for 116 live animals to be loaded onto a jumbo jet and flown to Qatar.

But the economics are still lopsided even if the poachers are caught, with the punishment following conviction being as little as a $13 fine.

Pratik Patel, the chief executive of the African Wildlife Trust, said: "The situation is very chronic - we've seen evidence of the armed forces and rangers colluding with poachers."

"You're looking at very well-organised crime syndicates, spreading money around and buying services of government individuals."

"It's like the cocaine industry. Or the mafia. The money allocated to conservation is so minimal that it just can't compete with that."

Patel estimates that corruption rates among rangers in east Africa are running at around 50%. While big-name national parks such as the Serengeti and Ngorongoro are generally safe from poachers, the majority of animals in Tanzania live in areas where protection is sparse or compromised.

"You have good rangers and you have bad rangers," he said. "A shooter will be paid to kill the elephant and five or six people will hack the ivory off the body. They then ship it out in a concealed consignment for Malaysia or Vietnam.

"A lot of the shooters are in the military. They have armour piercing bullets and government vehicles. They can travel without being stopped. The rangers are paid to look the other way and give information on patrols."

Patel said that the Chinese government should do more to crack down on the supply of ivory and rhino horn, given the booming demand for the products in the country.

But there is a growing realisation that the numbers, both financially and personnel-wise, are tipping in the poachers' favour, placing rangers in an invidious position.

"Many rangers work for very low pay and don't become corrupt," said Willmore. "I've seen rangers refuse a bribe and say 'I have no reward for this job, so all you can take from me is my integrity'.

"We want rangers to be rewarded better, but not just financially. They need respect and proper support from their governments. The governments also need to clean things up and get rid of the bad eggs."

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Ranger corruption 'impeding global fight against poaching'

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Corruption among wildlife rangers is becoming a serious impediment in the fight against poaching, fuelled by soaring levels of cash offered by criminal poacher syndicates, senior conservation chiefs have admitted. Rangers in countries as diverse as Tanzania and Cambodia are being bribed by increasingly organised poaching gangs keen to supply ivory, rhino horn and tiger parts to meet huge consumer demand in Asia.

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This article by the CDC was used to provide direct facts about zoonotic diseases, how they come about and what germs they are made of.

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Zoonotic diseases (also known as zoonoses) are caused by germs that spread between animals and people.

Animals provide many benefits to people. Many people interact with animals in their daily lives, both at home and away from home. Animals provide food, fiber, livelihoods, travel, sport, companionship, and education for people across the globe. Millions of households in the United States have one or more pets. We might come into contact with animals in either urban or rural settings, during travel, while visiting animal exhibits, or while enjoying outdoor activities.

However, animals can sometimes carry harmful germs that can spread to people and cause illness - these are known as zoonotic diseases or zoonoses. Zoonotic diseases are caused by harmful germs like viruses, bacterial, parasites, and fungi. These germs can cause many different types of illnesses in people and animals, ranging from mild to serious illness and even death. Animals can sometimes appear healthy even when they are carrying germs that can make people sick, depending on the zoonotic disease.

Zoonotic diseases are very common, both in the United States and around the world. Scientists estimate that more than 6 out of every 10 known infectious diseases in people can be spread from animals, and 3 out of every 4 new or emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals. Because of this, CDC works 24/7 to protect people from zoonotic diseases in the United States and around the world.

How do germs spread between animals and people?

Because of the close connection between people and animals, it's important to be aware of the common ways people can get infected with germs that can cause zoonotic diseases. These can include:

Direct contact: Coming into contact with the saliva, blood, urine, mucous, feces, or other body fluids of an infected animal. Examples include petting or touching animals, and bites or scratches.

Indirect contact: Coming into contact with areas where animals live and roam, or objects or surfaces that have been contaminated with germs. Examples include aquarium tank water, pet habitats, chicken coops, barns, plants, and soil, as well as pet food and water dishes.

Vector-borne: Being bitten by a tick, or an insect like a mosquito or a flea.

Foodborne: Each year, 1 in 6 Americans get sick from eating contaminated food. Eating or drinking something unsafe, such as unpasteurized (raw) milk, undercooked meat or eggs, or raw fruits and vegetables that are contaminated with feces from an infected animal. Contaminated food can cause illness in people and animals, including pets.

Waterborne: Drinking or coming in contact with water that has been contaminated with feces from an infected animal.

Who is at a higher risk of serious illness from zoonotic diseases?

Anyone can get sick from a zoonotic disease, including healthy people. However, some people are more at risk than others and should take steps to protect themselves or family members. These people are more likely than others to get really sick, and even die, from infection with certain diseases. These groups of people include:

What can you do to protect yourself and your family from zoonotic diseases?

Information on the benefits of pets, disease risks, keeping pets and people healthy, and outbreaks.

People can come in contact with animals in many places. This includes at home and away from home, in places like petting zoos, fairs, schools, stores, and parks. Insects, like mosquitoes and fleas, and ticks bite people and animals day and night. Thankfully, there are things you can do to protect yourself and your family from zoonotic diseases.

Keep hands clean. Washing your hands right after being around animals, even if you didn't touch any animals, is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others.

Always wash your hands after being around animals, even if you didn't touch the animals.

Many germs are spread by not washing hands properly with soap and clean, running water.

If soap and water are not readily available, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Because hand sanitizers do not get rid of all types of germs, it is important to wash your hands with soap and water if they are available.

Know the simple things you can do to stay safe around your pets.

Prevent bites from mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas.

Learn more about ways to handle food safely-whether it's for yourself or your family, your pet, or other animals.

Be aware of zoonotic diseases both at home, away from home (such as at petting zoos or other animal exhibits), in childcare settings or schools and when you travel.

Avoid bites and scratches from animals.

Information on influenza A viruses found in many animals that can sometimes spread to people, like avian and swine flu.

Information about antibiotic resistance and how it spreads through people, animals, and the environment.

Information on diseases spread by mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas and how to prevent them.

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centers for disease control and prevention

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Zoonotic diseases (also known as zoonoses) are caused by germs that spread between animals and people. Animals provide many benefits to people. Many people interact with animals in their daily lives, both at home and away from home. Animals provide food, fiber, livelihoods, travel, sport, companionship, and education for people across the globe.

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This source was used to discover additional research about poaching and provided support about the history of poaching.

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Table of Contents

This article was most recently revised and updated by

poaching, in law, the illegal shooting, trapping, or taking of game, fish, or plants from private property or from a place where such practices are specially reserved or forbidden. Poaching is a major existential threat to numerous wild organisms worldwide and is an important contributor to biodiversity loss.

History

Until the 20th century most poaching was subsistence poaching-i.e., the taking of game or fish by impoverished peasants to augment a scanty diet. In medieval Europe feudal landowners from the king downward stringently enforced their exclusive rights to hunt and fish on the lands they owned, and poaching was a serious crime punishable by imprisonment. Large stretches of forested countryside were subject to special laws to preserve the deer, wild boars, and other beasts of the chase who provided the nobles and royalty with sport. With the destruction of forests over the centuries and the taking of communal or royally owned lands into private use, laws were passed in the 17th and 18th centuries restricting hunting and shooting rights on private property to the landowner and his sons, and the practice of hiring gamekeepers to protect the wildlife on privately held land became common. Given these obstacles, subsistence poaching necessarily became a more specialized activity; during the 18th and 19th centuries gangs of organized poachers often engaged in fierce battles against gamekeepers, and mantraps and spring guns were hidden in the underbrush to catch intruders.

Modern poaching

Poaching is now usually done for sport or commercial profit, both in legal and black markets. Poaching can be a serious threat to many wild species, particularly those protected in wildlife preserves or national parks. Many animal species have been limited in range or depleted in numbers, sometimes to the point of extinction, by the depredations of market hunters and unregulated sportsmen.

In Africa the difficulty of enforcing game codes has led to the critical depletion of the rhinoceros, which is hunted for its horn, and of the African elephant, which is slaughtered for its ivory. The Bengal tiger of India and the gorilla of central Africa have similarly been threatened with extinction by hunters operating illegally. Asian and African pangolins are heavily poached for their meat and for the organs, skin, scales, and other parts of the body that are valued for use in traditional medicine; as a result, populations of all eight species have fallen dramatically during the early 21st century, and they are listed as endangered or critically endangered species. Many species of parrots are in danger because of the pet trade, as are many tropical fish collected illegally for aquaria. River poaching has been a problem in some countries, causing the depletion of stocks of fish in many areas.

Plants are also susceptible to poaching. For example, even when forests are not completely cleared, particularly valuable trees such as rosewood or mahogany may be illegally logged from an area, eliminating both the tree species and all the animals that depend on it. Some species are illegally collected not to be killed but to be kept alive and sold as ornamental plants, and the survival of various carnivorous plants, cycads, cacti, and orchid species is threatened by collectors.

Efforts to reduce poaching

Game management and other conservation programs throughout the world have been instituted to counteract the effects of poaching and other threats to wildlife, reinforced by the patrolling of game wardens to restrain poaching for commercial profit. Sometimes conflicts can be violent, and wardens, environmentalists, and poachers have been killed in confrontations over especially valuable animals and poaching operations.

International agreements, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), seek to reduce poaching incentives by regulating worldwide commercial trade in wild animal and plant species. International border customs can also serve to deter the smuggling of poached wildlife and wildlife products. Many governments have made public displays of the destruction of confiscated wildlife products, such as pangolin scales or elephant tusks, to signal that the preservation of the animals depends on the end of the sale of their products.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Melissa Petruzzello.

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Poaching | Description, History, Examples, & Control

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poaching, in law, the illegal shooting, trapping, or taking of game, fish, or plants from private property or from a place where such practices are specially reserved or forbidden. Poaching is a major existential threat to numerous wild organisms worldwide and is an important contributor to biodiversity loss.

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National Geographic: Poaching animals, explained

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National Geographic: Poaching animals, explained

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This article was used to provide information on why animals are being poached, the effects of poaching, and various efforts to stop poaching.

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Wild animals are being poached on a massive scale, with millions of individual animals of thousands of species worldwide killed or captured from their native habitats. Poaching poses a growing threat to elephants, rhinos, and other charismatic animals, as well as to smaller and more obscure creatures, like certain lizards and monkeys.

Why animals are poached

Poachers sometimes kill or capture animals to sell them locally or for the global trade in wildlife. Wildlife trading is a major black market that has increased alongside rising wealth in Asia-a major consumer of wildlife-and the advent of e-commerce and social media websites.

Some animals, such as birds, reptiles, and primates, are captured live so that they can be kept or sold as exotic pets. Slaughtered animals, on the other hand, have commercial value as food, jewelry, decor, or traditional medicine. The ivory tusks of African elephants, for example, are carved into trinkets or display pieces. The scales of pangolins, small animals that eat ants, are ground into powder and consumed for their purported healing powers. The meat of apes, snakes, and other bush animals is considered a delicacy in parts of Africa.

In addition to killing for direct profit, poachers target animals to prevent them from destroying crops or attacking livestock. This happens to lions and elephants in Africa, as well as to wolves, coyotes, and other predators in North America and beyond.

The effects of poaching

Poaching has devastating consequences for wildlife. In some instances, it's the primary reason why an animal faces a risk of extinction. This is the case with the African elephant, more than 100,000 of which were killed between 2014 and 2017 for ivory. Poaching has also had a catastrophic impact on rhinos, with more than a thousand slaughtered a year for their horns.

Poaching for the exotic pet trade affects an animal's welfare in addition to its numbers in the wild. Most wild animals eat specialized diets found in nature, and they need space to fly, roam, and swing from branches. Captured animals are stuffed into boxes, suitcases, or sacks, and even if they survive transport, they often suffer in their new, unnatural situations.

Then there's the tragic ways poaching affects people. In Africa, nearly 600 rangers charged with protecting wildlife were gunned down by poachers between 2009 and 2016 while in the line of duty. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Virunga National Park, one of the continent's most dangerous, at least 170 rangers have been killed during the past two decades.

What's more, poaching has been linked to armed militia groups in Africa suspected of trafficking ivory to fund their operations, and it often occurs alongside other crimes including corruption and money laundering. And poached animals can spread disease, such as Ebola and SARS.

Efforts to stop poaching

In addition to providing on-the-ground protection for animals, many countries make poaching an offense punishable by prison or monetary fees. Because poachers in Africa and Asia are often impoverished local people who make small profits in comparison to traders and kingpins, penalties for poaching wildlife are generally less severe than those for trafficking wildlife.

There are also numerous nonprofits around the world working to end wildlife poaching. Some of these groups have helped to promote alternative, more sustainable ways for poachers to earn a living. Another way people are working to end poaching is by trying to decrease demand for illegal wildlife and wildlife parts. If no one's buying the products, there will be no need to kill the animals.

Read more about poaching and wildlife crime at National Geographic's Wildlife Watch. See all of National Geographic's videos about poaching here.

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Wild animals are being poached on a massive scale, with millions of individual animals of thousands of species worldwide killed or captured from their native habitats. Poaching poses a growing threat to elephants, rhinos, and other charismatic animals, as well as to smaller and more obscure creatures, like certain lizards and monkeys.

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This article helped provide more support of information regarding background info, causes, and effects of poaching.

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Every day we are losing hundreds of mammals belonging in endangerous species. This is mostly due to the lack of enforcement as well as the corupt goverments in the surrounding area. This can be seen in the developing countries that do not see the enforcement of poaching a nessicity. Eventhough we cannot see it presently, poaching does have long term effects. Poaching is detrimental to the ecosystem, and actually can hurt your economy. We are inhabitants of this great planet, and its our responsibility to sustain it. And we only get one.

Background

"At the beginning of the 20th century there were 500,000 rhinos; in 1970 there were 70,000; today, there are fewer than 29,000 rhinos surviving in the wild ("Rhino Population Figures")." Poaching is the practice of killing or trading animals for economic gain or necessity and has resulted in substantial losses of many species throughout developing countries and throughout time. Every year more and more species are killed and sold in the black market for a quick profit; some of the effects include economic downfall or ecological instability and destruction. The major causes and effects of poaching need to be prevented through implementation.

Causes

There are many causes for poaching. For one thing, poaching is hard to regulate and law enforcement is susceptible to bribery, making poaching an easy crime. For example, Lovejoy Sakala, a reporter of the Zimbabwean, stated that "Top police are conniving with poachers. They are taking bribes and not doing much to stop these illegal activities." Then there are many people who are so desperate for money and must poach to provide for their families. To continue, bushmeat, food derived from hunted wild animals, has long been a staple part of forest peoples' diet and since the 1900s they have increased eight-fold as an easy way to get food and survive ("Bushmeat"). Also, as demonstrated in 2008, African ivory, exotic birds, pelts, and tiger bone wine due to online transactions amounted to an extraordinary 3.8 million dollars; poaching was turning into a profitable business (Donovan). Some people have religious obligations and traditions that involve rare animals. A group of Tibetan monks illegally obtain or hunt rare creatures due to religious obligations (McLachlan). As one can see, causes of poaching are done for many reasons, such as food, religion, money, and even lack of enforcement.

Effects

The many causes of poaching create negative effects, mainly in the environment and economy. One negative effect on the environment can be seen with the decline in the tiger population. According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, tigers are in imminent danger of extinction. Tigers are a keystone predator, which means they help to keep the local prey populations under control, thus keeping the entire ecosystem balanced. The decrease in tigers will result in negative environmental effects, because large-scale growth of prey animal populations will influence the rest of the food chain. Without a keystone predator, its prey will grow exponentially. The large population of prey animals will consume all of the producers (plants), which will retard the growth of the ecosystem (Pedersen.

A recent study conducted by Austin J. Gallagher and Dr. Neil Hammershlag of the R. J. Dunlap Marine Conservation Program at the University of Miami discussed negative effects on the economy due to poaching. They examined the problem of overfishing sharks and the effects on ecotourism, a sector which many developing nations rely on. The results of the study indicated that a single reef shark will net approximately 73.00-dollars a day in ecotourism, while that same reef shark will net a fisherman only about 50.00-dollars one time for the sale of its fins. With an almost increase of 50 percent in profit, developing countries are losing major money that can be used to actually help their population. Ecotourism is excellent industry for developing nations, but the industry cannot function without living animals (Pedersen).

Action

Developing countries will continue to suffer the effects of poaching if the causes are not prevented. The problem of poaching can be prevented if people are willing to take action. Change is constantly applied to the world, so now is the time for change to be applied to the problem of poaching. However, it cannot be done without the consent of people willing to change. Enforcement through the government, the officials, and the peoples is a critical to create change. Doctor Seuss put it best when he wrote the Lorax: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

References

"Bushmeat." Lpzoosites. Http://www.chimp-ssp.org, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.

Donovan, Travis. "Illegal Wildlife Poaching: 7 Species Endangered By Internet Trade (PHOTOS)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 25 May 2011. Web. 08 Nov. 2012.

McLachlan, Sean. "African Governments Doing More to Stop Poaching of Endangered Species." Gadling.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012.

Pedersen, Stephanie. "Continued Poaching Will Result in the Degradation of Fragile Ecosystems." The International. The International Inc., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.

Sakala, Lovejoy. "Zambian Poachers Accused of Making Zim Council Lose Money." The Zimbabwean. Zambian Watchdog, 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

"Rhino Population Figures." Save the Rhino. Save the Rhino International, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

"The Lorax Quotes." Goodreads. Goodreads Inc, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

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Every day we are losing hundreds of mammals belonging in endangerous species. This is mostly due to the lack of enforcement as well as the corupt goverments in the surrounding area. This can be seen in the developing countries that do not see the enforcement of poaching a nessicity.