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Esmeralda Reynoso
ENG 2010

Benjamin Solomon
Illegal Poaching Closer to Home

The only type of shooting and capturing of wildlife should be done with a camera
not a gun. What comes to mind when people hear the word Illegal Poaching? For
most Im sure Africa, Asia, and the Amazon come to mind. Animals like Elephants,
Lions, Tigers, Rhinos and gorillas might cross some minds but, people hardly think the
U.S. Though here in the United States we face many issue related to illegal poaching.
How can we stop this? It might seem overwhelming to think just one person can make
a change. Especially when its such an ongoing battle in places like Africa. Though
when we take a step back and focus on the issue here in the U.S we can start to make
an impact.
Why is illegal poaching such an issue? Well there are many reasons some of
which are endangering and extinction of certain wildlife. Crime organizations involved in
the illegal wildlife trade are the same ones who traffic human, guns, and drugs. These
are highly dangerous organizations and the money gained from illegally trading animal

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parts only feeds other crime. Since illegal wildlife trade is the fourth most lucrative trade
in the world its big business and hard to crack down on, [it is] estimated at up to $10
billion annually (World Wildlife Fund). There is nothing these organizations wont do to
get what they want even kill. Unfortunately many of the rangers who protect these
creatures lose their lives at the hands of poachers. Over 1,000 rangers have been killed
in the past 10 Years (Irish Examiner).
Already the numbers of wildlife are dwindling. One example being rhinos; around
2-3 rhinos are poached a day95% of the worlds rhinos have been lost in the last 40
years (Irish Examiner). Two species of rhino in AsiaJavan and Sumatranare
Critically Endangered. A subspecies of the Javan
rhino was declared extinct in Vietnam in 2011 (World
Wildlife Fund). Elephants and tigers also face
extinction. Tigers, targeted by poachers and sold for
use in traditional Chinese medicines, are down to
only 3,200 in the wild (The Washington Post). While
these issue directly affect places like Africa and Asian they also have an effect in the
U.S. as well.
Even though china has the largest demand for illegal parts like ivory. Many of
which are used for medicinal purposes and jewelry. Its the U.S that comes in second to
china. It seems like this would be unrealistic but it is true. Here in the U.S. illegal hunting
happens constantly with Black bears, big horn sheep, sharks, and even whitetail deer
being the most illegally poached. The U.S. is also a big importer of illegal trade. More
wild tigers reside in American backyards than they do in the wild (World Wildlife Fund).

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The United States is a transit point for illegal wildlife trade. Los Angeles and New
York happen to be the most common points of entry. This is due to lenient law
enforcement. A lot of the wildlife doesnt just end up here, but it passes through to other
destinations. So, we could stop the illegal trade not just here, but worldwide with stricter
customs regulations.
Here in the United States black bears are illegally poached for their gall bladders
since it can fetch a great deal a money in places like Asia. The antlers of a male bighorn
sheep goes for over $20,000 on the black market. Illegal wildlife trade is also something
that happens virtually. You can actually find a number of illegal wildlife items online if
you know where to look. [In fact,] Virtual poachers were even selling the federally
protected scrub jay via Craigslist (One Green Planet). Shark fin is also on the illegal
market. A single shark fin can sell for $500.Fishermen catch these animals to cut off
their fins then discard the animal into the ocean to drown. Shark finning is responsible
for around 100 million shark deaths every year (One Green Planet).
Efforts to try and stop illegal poaching and illegal trade have been set in place.
There are laws to prevent and charge individuals who commit these crimes. In February
of 2015 president Obama set in place the implementation plan [Which] reaffirms our
Nation's commitment to work in partnership with governments, local communities,
nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to stem the illegal trade in
wildlife (Defenders of Wildlife Blog).
The problem is that these laws arent enforced enough or harsh enough. So the
steaks involved in illegal poaching are low. There needs to be more enforcement and
better system of punishment set in place to deter the activity from happening. Yet [t]he

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U.S. Department of Justice has indicted, prosecuted, and secured convictions in

numerous cases of trafficking in internationally protected species, such as elephant
ivory, rhinoceros horn, narwhal tusk, turtles, and reptiles(Africa News Service) . So
changes are already being made this doesnt mean the battle against illegal poaching is
over thousands of wildlife are still dwindling the main problem being demand. There is a
high demand for animal parts still. The biggest change that needs to be made is
changing the demand for wildlife parts. Its simple if there is no demand for illegal parts
then there is no supply.
Some simple things that can be done to start the change is to become informed
after all knowledge is power its important to understand how illegal wildlife is obtained.
For example many Americans travel to counties like Asia; where ivory demand is high.
Usually what happens is that Americans will buy trinkets made from ivory. Which is
obtained by the slaughtering of elephants since its too dangerous to take the tusk off a
live elephant it has to be killed first. As well as Familiarizing oneself with the laws and
regulations set in place in your state to ensure illegal poaching isnt taking place and to
report any illegal activity. Educating oneself and others is the first step for change.
There are also petitions set in place to demand legislation to set in place stricter laws
and punishments.
So once again I ask what comes to mind when hearing the words Illegal
poaching. Hopefully its the battle happening in our own country and the efforts to
change this. I hope this paper gives a new perspective on how we view illegal poaching
here in the U.S. as well as other countries. Lets capture these magnificent wild creature
with our cameras rather than our guns. Wouldnt you rather say you were part of the

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solution rather than the problem?

That the only thing that should go
extinct is the demand for wildlife parts
not our wonderful wildlife itself after
all we all share this planet. Let us
leave a positive footprint for our next
generations.

Work Cited
"Unsustainable and Illegal Wildlife Trade." WWF -. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
"Rhino." WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
"A Road Map to Fighting Poaching and Illegal Wildlife Trade [document]." Africa News
Service 2015: Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
Medina, Monica, and Johan Bergenas. "Five myths about illegal wildlife trafficking." The
Washington Post 2015: Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.

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"Species." WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.

<http://www.worldwildlife.org/species>.
""Love Object for A Future Trophy Hunter"" Flickr. Yahoo! Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
"Brave and Curious: Three-Day-Old Southern White Rhino Stares Down "Auntie"" Flickr.
Yahoo! Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
"Fighting Rhino Poaching With Guns, Drones, and Dogs." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 2
Nov. 2015.
Miller, Daniel. "Who's a Big Scaredy Cat? Cheetah Flees in Terror after the Fox It Was
Chasing Turns the Tables and Charges." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 21 Mar.
2013. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
"Rhino." WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
"Sprinter Slaughtered - Nov 07." Flickr. Yahoo! Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
"Unsustainable and Illegal Wildlife Trade." WWF -. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
"P_0022." Flickr. Yahoo! Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
"U.S. Plays Unwitting Role in Illegal Wildlife Trade." Defenders of Wildlife Blog. 3 Mar.
2015. Web. 16 Nov. 2015
"5 Types of Poaching Happening Right Here in the U.S." One Green Planet. Web. 16
Nov. 2015.