A Surge to Stop Animal Poaching | Teen Ink

A Surge to Stop Animal Poaching

February 20, 2012
By Anonymous

Animal poaching is a very harsh and cruel way of killing endangered animals. Animal poaching is a serious problem in Africa and Asia than in any other continent. Animal poaching of endangered animals is affecting our society by our animal species disappearing in the future.



Animal poaching is illegal killing of animals. It is cruel and heartless, because instead of just taking the tusk off an elephant or taking off the horns of a rhino, they kill them in a mistreating way. As stated in New York Times, Hong Kong customs officials in November seized 33 rhinoceros horns, 758 ivory chopsticks, and 127 ivory bracelets. Poachers don’t care how many animals they kill, or if they are affecting other species and families, they just want to get their skin, fur, or horns of animals.

Asia and Africa have the most issues with animal poaching. Both continents have major issues with endangered species, but instead of leaving the animals alone, they would rather see the animals get hurt and kill them. Robyn Dixon from Los Angeles Times stated, a sharp surge in animal poaching in South Africa and Zimbabwe by organized gangs has devastated Zimbabwe’s rhino population and threatens to wipe out South Africa’s critically endangered black rhinos within a decade. Even though Asia and Africa have laws against animal poaching, poachers still don’t understand that it is illegal; they just want to get money.

Although some animal poachers don’t kill endangered species, it is affecting the food chain. If one species is low or endangered, then it is affecting the other species, because it is not able to eat what it needs or that species may get too big from not having any predators. Even though the great white sharks are not endangered, in a couple of years, if animal poaching does not stop, there could be a big probability of the great white shark to disappear. As stated in Radio Australia, Luke Hunt said that they catch the sharks, chop off their fins, and then throw them back into the ocean. Since the sharks are not able to swim without their fins, they sink and eventually die. If the sharks are extinct, the food chain will be affected.

A lot of people around the world are fighting against animal poaching. There’s a law in Africa and Asia against animal poaching, but the poachers keep doing it. If animal poaching doesn’t stop, it can kill most of our animal species. There’s no point in animal poaching, because it’s not helping us in any way, or is it? How can you help stop animal poaching before it gets worse?


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This article has 2 comments.


zghdrb said...
on Aug. 30 2012 at 10:18 am
ya its right ................

on Feb. 25 2012 at 5:52 pm

Thank you for addressing this serious issue. You ask what you can do... you've already started by writing this post.

Please do all you can to spread the word and encourage your friends not to buy any products made from animal body parts. Watch out for jewelry, purses and such in particular.