I have started researching about poaching for my Science 10 class. This topic interests me because I hate seeing animals get killed. Poaching is a serious problem that needs to be stopped. I was drawn to this topic because when I heard that lots of animals are being killed to the point of extinction, I wanted to understand the problem and learn everything I could. This is just the understanding part of my inquiry project.
Poaching used to be done as a way of acquiring more food to eat (1). Since then, there are many different reasons why people poach. Poaching may be done as a sport, for a profit, for cultural medicines, or due to poverty (1)(2). Another reason why poaching is such an issue is because in certain communities there is a lack of law enforcement (2). Poachers can also kill animals as a way to protect their crops and livestock (3).
Poaching is the illegal capturing or killing of wildlife. Poachers can either sell their products through a local or global market (3). Animals that are captured are usually captured to be used as pets. Some examples of animals captured for pets are certain types of birds, reptiles, and tropical fish (1)(3). Plants being illegally collected or killed is also considered poaching (1)(2). Poaching can be done using weapons and traps that are against the law (2). Most poachers tend to use poisoned arrows because they are quiet and don’t attract unwanted attention (4).
Africa is the continent where the most poaching occurs, due to the fact that a lot of animals and plants being poached come from Africa (1). In Africa, an average of 96 African Elephants are killed daily (4). Elephants are usually poached for the ivory in their tusks (1). Rhinoceros poaching is expected to increase 356% by 2030, which is in only about 8 years (4). Rhinoceros are usually poached for their horns (1). Ape, snake, and bush animal meat is a delicacy in several parts of the world, the big part being Africa (3). Other reasons why animals are poached is for their meat, organs, skin, scales, and other parts of the body (1).
1. https://www.britannica.com/topic/poaching-law
2. WATKINS, L., RUTAN, S., & VITALE, V. (2019). Interpreting Poaching: WITHOUT GETTING INTO HOT WATER. Legacy (National Association for Interpretation), 30(3), 10–12.
3. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/poaching-animals
4. https://petpedia.co/poaching-statistics/