“Over 30,000 green sea turtles are poached yearly in Baja, California”. Poaching is the illegal trafficking and killing of wildlife. Innocent animals along with their parts are sold as trophies or kept as pets. Animal poaching is a horrifying act that causes large quantities of animals to become endangered, ultimately harming the environment. A couple of the animals targeted to be over-poached are elephants, tigers, and dolphins. Society should enforce more laws in place to stop poaching by consumers receiving severe punishments. 

Animal poaching should be banned around the world due to its detrimental effects. Poachers do not have a concern for animal health and health care. Poached animals end up in awful conditions and poor health treatment leading to a radical decrease in animal populations and disrupting the ecosystem. According to Washington University in St. Louis, they inform, “By taking away endangered species from their natural environments, poaching threatens biodiversity and entire ecosystems. Poaching targets wild animals, which become worth more money as they become more scarce”(Clarasteyer). A rare animal led to a higher demand resulting in the extinction of the species since they are unable to reproduce at a fast rate. That is why it is important for poaching to be recognized as a consequential thing. 

A group of animals that is deeply affected by poaching is elephants. “In Tanzania alone, poachers kill 30 elephants a day”(National Geographic). That is 10,950 elephants killed every year for their ivory tusks. Ivory is often carved into ornaments and jewelry. China is the biggest consumer market for such products. At one point in time, elephants were disappearing at an alarming rate. The website, World Wildlife Fund, “In the 1980s, an estimated 100,000 elephants were being killed per year and up to 80% of herds were lost in some regions”(WWF). This is detrimental and can throw off the ecosystem with elephant numbers decreasing. Since then there have been bans put in place to help protect and keep the environment balanced by allowing reproduction again. Unfortunately, many people ignore the ban for personal gain and do not get caught. Recently there has been an increase in the ivory trade from Asia leading to a decline in forest and savannah elephant numbers. In 2018, across five areas, they counted 156 fresh or recent carcasses whose skulls had been cut open and the tusks removed. Many of the carcasses were hidden under bushes, suggesting those animals were victims of the illegal ivory trade. Having higher punishments can help put poaching to an end and save wildlife, leading to a healthy environment.

 The next animal that is affected by poaching is the tiger. The problem is humans appeal to every part of them: Tiger skins, bones, teeth, claws, tails, and even whiskers find a place on the black market as decorative items or ingredients in traditional Asian remedies. Poaching tigers primarily for their bones has become a massive threat to the population. The illegal trade is further fuelled by tiger farms in China and Vietnam, where a large number of animals are bred for their body parts. One of the main reasons why tigers are poached is for the benefit of their bones.  Every single body part is sold on the black market today. The website SeaWorld says, “Traditional Chinese medicines have utilized tiger bones for thousands of years because it is thought to calm fright and cure ulcers, bites, rheumatism, convulsions, and burns. Over 110 pharmaceutical factories in 1985 were producing medicines with tiger components”(SeaWorld). Tiger parts are used for traditional medicines that cure ailments ranging from arthritis to epilepsy, with the greatest demand coming from China. This high demand is increasing tigers being killed leading to slow reproduction rates and ultimately having detrimental effects of extinction. Poaching should be illegal to help lower the risk of a group being erased from the earth. A group of scientists created a tiger simulation model to explore the effects of realistic levels of poaching on the tiger population. The model is an individually based, stochastic spatial model from extensive data set from Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal. They found that as poaching continues over time, the probability of population extinction increases. Police need to do more to prevent people from buying because, in the end, the consumers are the ones supporting their business. 

The last animal affected by poaching is turtles. According to recent studies  “Of the 161 threatened species, 51 of them are considered critically endangered, the designation from the IUCN indicating the highest risk of extinction”( Heimbuch).  Turtles are endangered from habitat loss and exploitation from poaching them to sell as exotic pets. The three different species that are highly poached are the Radiated tortoise, the Philippine forest turtle, and the Hawkeye sea turtle. “Millions of the animals have been killed over the past century to feed the fashion for tortoiseshell jewelry, glasses, ornaments, instruments… International trade has been banned for almost 40 years, but a black market continues to thrive in Asia, notably China and Japan, and the Americas”(The World). Due to the increase in demand for turtle shell products, turtles have started to be killed more leading to slow reproduction and eventually extinction as a whole. The Radiated tortoise is caught by poachers who sell them as pets internationally. Poachers also kill the tortoises and sell their meat as food. The Philippine forest turtle is highly valued by exotic animal collectors. The turtle is so popular in the illegal pet trade that it is one of the endangered species most commonly discovered in poachers' possession. This is caused by over-poaching. Another animal that has been over-poached is the Hawkeye sea turtle. The Hawkeye is found in tropical reefs throughout the world and according to the IUCN, they are listed as critically endangered. The IUCN informs, “global population numbers have declined by more than 80% over the past three generations”(Heimbuch). Poaching needs to come to an end and people need to stop supporting it by buying from them to have an exotic pet. “Many reasons exist for the continued poaching in Africa… corruption among the enforcement community, real danger from armed poachers, and a well-organized and well-funded criminal network behind the poachers”(National Geographic). 

To conclude, poaching is equally damaging to the ecosystem and organisms that live there. A result of poaching is the overexploitation of species affects the living planet in wider ways. Just as overfishing causes imbalances in the whole marine system, our complex web of life on earth depends on the careful and thoughtful use of wildlife species and their habitats. More laws need to be put in place to help stop poaching from happening. Higher punishments must be created to stop the consumers from supporting the poachers and dry poaching out. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) works to aid anti-poaching agencies and monitor trade in countries where tigers still roam. Humans need to do their part and help support poaching to create a healthier earth.

Works Cited 

Kenny, John S, et al. “The Long-Term Effects of Tiger Poaching on Population Viability.” Conservation Biology: the Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34261258/. 

Lauren Frantz. “The Illegal Trade in Tiger Parts.” Crown Ridge Tiger Sanctuary, crownridgetigers.com/the-illegal-trade-in-tiger-parts. 

National Geographic. “Poaching.” National Geographic Society, education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/poaching. 

Concord Veterinary Hospital. “Why Poaching Is Bad - CVH, Emergency Vet Clinic.” Concord, 3 May 2021, concordvets.com.au/why-poaching-is-bad/. 

National Geographic. “Trafficking Poached Ivory.” National Geographic Society, education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/trafficking-poached-ivory. 

WWF. “What Is Poaching? the Illegal Wildlife Trade Explained.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-wildlife-trade. 

Clarasteyer. “Saving the Pangolins: Why Biodiversity Matters.” Sustainability, 11 July 2019, sustainability.wustl.edu/saving-the-pangolins-why-biodiversity-matters/. 

The World. “6 Endangered Animals That Poaching Might Take from the US Forever.” The World from PRX, 30 July 2015, theworld.org/stories/2015-07-30/6-endangered-animals-poaching-might-take-us-forever. 

Maron, Dina Fine. “Turtles Are Being Snatched from U.S. Waters and Illegally Shipped to Asia.” Animals, National Geographic, 4 May 2021, nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/american-turtles-poached-to-become-asian-pets.