Animal Poaching

What is Poaching?

Poaching is the illegal hunting, capturing, and often killing of wild animals. It has been done for a number of reasons, including claiming the land for human use, but recently, the illegal act is being done for other ridiculous motives, especially the desire for rare animal products such as ivory, fur, organs, skin, bones, or teeth.

For instance, the rhino has been hunted because some believe its horn has medicinal value. It is so serious that today, the rhino is critically endangered with the Black Rhino’s population decreasing by 97.6% since 1960. Other animals, such as the tiger are killed for their organs, pelts, and bones for medical and aesthetic reasons.

NEW DELHI

Although India boasts nearly 3,000 tigers across the length and breadth of its forests, the country has witnessed a major spike in poaching during the lockdown period enforced by the government to stem the spread of coronavirus.

According to the wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic, 88 poaching incidents have been reported in the post lockdown period from March 23-May 3, almost double the number reported during the six weeks before lockdown.

As the International Tiger Day is being observed on Wednesday, the Indian government said in a report on Tuesday that the overall tiger population in the country was estimated at 2,967.

"Out of this, 83% were actually camera trapped individual tigers and rest were recaptured. A total of 2,461 individual tigers (> 1 year of age) were photo-captured," said the report titled Status of Tigers Co-predators and prey in India.

Another official data suggests that India has lost 110 tigers in 2019, one-third of them due to poaching.

“It is still unknown how poaching rates increased during the lockdown. Despite consistent efforts by law enforcement agencies, wild animal population in India came under additional threat during the lockdown period,” said a study conducted by the Traffic.

A total of 222 persons were arrested in poaching related cases by various law enforcement agencies during the lockdown period across the country, significantly higher numbers, as 85 suspects were arrested during the pre-lockdown phase, revealed the study.

Over the last eight years, 750 tigers have died in the country, most of them fell to the bullets of poachers, said the government data.

Experts believe that spike has been also noticed in poaching of other animals that these tigers depend on for food.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Faiyaz Khudsar, a wildlife biology scientist said that the loss of livelihoods due to the lockdown and food shortages has forced people to resort to illegal hunting for sustenance.

“The pandemic is pushing people into all sorts of illegal activities and poaching is no less. The poachers are taking advantage of the crisis and selling the meat. Bushmeat consumption has also increased,” said Yadvendradev Jhala, a senior scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India, a government institution run by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education.

‘Wildlife smugglers target the species lured by high profits and low risk of detection.’

A recent study by TRAFFIC India on the seizure and mortality of ‘common leopards’ (Panthera pardus fusca) revealed that of the total of 747 leopard deaths between 2015-2019 in India, 596 were linked to illegal wildlife trade and activities related to poaching.

TRAFFIC is a leading wildlife trade monitoring network across the world and the paper has been authored by Saket Badola, head of the TRAFFIC India office, and Astha Gautam.

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.

budgerigar parakeets

Wild budgerigar parakeets (Melopsittacus undulatus) captured for the pet trade.

© iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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.

rhinoceros horns

Rhinoceros horns from poached animals. The keratin in rhinoceros horns is used in traditional Chinese medicine, and the illegal trade threatens the animals with extinction.

© Stockbyte/Thinkstock

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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.

       7 ways to stop Illegal Wildlife Trade

Rhinoceroses used to roam throughout Africa and Asia, various species linked aesthetically by the horn on their head. These days, they are increasingly rare, while it's that horn on their head which makes them distinctive, it is also what puts them at constant risk.

Rhinos have been poached into near extinction. There are less than 70 Javan rhinos living in the wild today. The entire population of their Sumatran cousins hovers at about 100. Only 5,000 black rhinos–the smaller of the two African rhino species–roam the wild, most in nature reserves. This is, in part, because their horns can fetch a hefty sum of $65,000 per kilogram, making it more expensive than gold or platinum.

The illegal wildlife trade is one of the most lucrative illicit industries in the world, making an estimated $10 to $20 billion dollars annually. Rhinos are not the only animals affected. More than 60 percent of Africa's elephant population was poached within the last 12 years.

Illegal wildlife trade has a significant impact on human health as well. The first pandemic of the 21st century–Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)–infected 8,000 people before it was contained. SARS' spread began in China's "wet" markets, where numerous wild animals are bought and sold, for use as pets, trinkets, food, or superstition. China is home to one of the most trafficked animals in the world: the pangolin. Since 2004, EcoHealth Alliance has been working in China to change attitudes on wildlife trade.

If you've purchased anything from seafood to coffee to bedding, you've participated in the wildlife trade. Much of it is legal and regulated, but, like anything, there is a dark side and there are some things you can do to ensure you're not facilitating illegal wildlife trade.

1. Ask before you buy

If you're unsure where something like jewelry or clothing comes from, simply ask. Ask the vendor what it's made of, where it's from, and if its country of origin allows its sale.

 

2. Stick to certified products

Products you may not think–like furniture and paper–can also contribute to unsafe wildlife practices. Products with a Forest Stewardship Council seal ensure several things: that all trees cut down are replaced or allowed to re-grow naturally, that parts of the forest of origin are left untouched, and that the rights of indigenous people in the area are respected, and local workers are employed with a decent salary.

 

3. Choose sustainable, eco-friendly pets

EcoHealth Alliance provides a database of pets which are healthy for people, animals, and the environment. Many animals are taken from their natural habitats in large numbers to be sold in pet stores. This can be harmful to the animals' wild populations, as well as having being significantly traumatic for the animal itself.

4. Eat only sustainable seafood

Overexploitation has brought many fish species to the brink of extinction. While some of these species are now protected, many are still fished and sold legally. Check the Marine Stewardship Council for sustainable seafood products.

 

5. Petition your local government to stop or restrict legal ivory trade

In 2016, the U.S. placed new, strict regulations on the domestic ivory trade, restricting sale of ivory across state lines and limiting ivory trophy imports to two per year, per hunter. Illegal ivory is often sold as antique, skirting these federal restrictions. California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington are the only states with ivory bans on top of federal law. Contact your local lawmakers to encourage them to put additional pressure on both legal and illegal ivory trade.

 

6. Pledge your support

There's strength in numbers. Stand with organizations that urge governments to do more to stop wildlife crime in their countries.

 

7. Report any illegal wildlife trade

The world is much smaller thanks to the internet and now it's easier than ever to report illegal wildlife trade when you see it. Started by the Elephant Action League, Wildleaks allows anyone to anonymously report wildlife crimes around the world.

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