Global Poaching

Heather Reimondo

Poaching: What’s Happening, and What’s Being Done?

The harvesting of rhinoceros horns, elephant tusks, and the pelts and meats of a number of Africa’s significant and symbolic species satisfies a hungry market. Last year, 1,200 South African rhinos were killed for their horns alone, which are worth over three times their weight in gold and are believed to carry medicinal properties that are unsupported by science. Around 35,000 elephants are killed each year for the ivory that is sold all over Asia for carving and jewelry making. The toll that this takes on populations presents a very real threat of extinction.

Behind the industry are organized syndicates ranging from independent groups of hunters to local chapters of al Qaida that pull huge profits from strategically avoiding rangers and taking down large numbers of animals at a time before disappearing into the underworld of the black market. In order to combat the production of poached items, countries like China, a gargantuan consumer of ivory, banned the sale of ivory. This won’t affect the under-the-table sales, of course, but bringing it out of the mainstream consumption would reduce the quantity pouring into the country.

To get more info, check out the links below:

https://campaign.awf.org/poaching-infographic/

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/12/151203-pembient-synthetic-rhino-horn-vietnam-poaching/

http://www.poachingfacts.com/