Poaching is an Environmental Issue
“Colorado's extreme northwest corner is one of the most desolate parts of the state.
Two-lane blacktop and gravel roads stretch across miles of near nothingness, bone-dry soil,
scraggly trees, sagebrush, tumbleweeds. Cattle and sheep ranches mainly, a few tiny towns
every 50 miles or so and thousands of miles upon thousands of square miles of public land. A
perfect place to poach wildlife and, the poachers know it.” (Brighid)
Poaching “is the illegal taking of wild plants or
animals contrary to local and international conservation
and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting
laws and regulations are normally punishable by law
and, collectively, such violations are known as”
poachers. “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poaching” They
know where to poach but do poachers know the impact
they are having on species and our environment.
Conservation Officer with poached
dear, provided by leelanaunews.com
“According to the World Wildlife Fund, populations
of many species, from fish to mammals, have
decreased by about a third from 1970 to 2003-mainly due to pressures driven by humans.”
(Zenarosa)
Not all hunting is bad in fact when done legally “Hunting is not only a cherished
American tradition and a spiritually enriching activity but also an effective wildlife-management
tool.” It is when people ignore hunting laws and regulations that animals could become on the
verge of extinction.
Do poachers realize that they can single handedly cause species to become instinct.
“Why does species extinction matter? Well, the extinction of one species can lead to the
collapse of an entire ecosystem of species. We know this is true of the tiger--hunt its prey and
tigers will disappear. Even removing a large predator will have irreversible effects on a fragile,
interconnected ecosystem. Take, for example, the over-hunting of Alaska's otters throughout
the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, which nearly wiped out the predator of marine
invertebrates like sea urchins, clams, snails, and crabs. Without otters, the prey species took
over, virtually destroying kelp forests and wiping out countless ecological niches.
Since the largest, slowest breeding species are usually the first to go in these situations,
experts predict that extinctions of larger species will herald the extinction of smaller species.
But although it is too late for already-extinct species, it is not too late to save the many other
species that are still around.” (Zenarosa)
This is not a problem just in the United States. Poaching is a problem that is occurring
worldwide it “impacts wildlife, from box turtles to Siberian tigers, for their bone and everything
in between," said Stephen Sautner of the Wildlife Conservation Society.” (Zenarosa) In India
and China poaching is leaning towards the extinction or the Tiger. The Four- Horned Antelope
has fallen prey to the endangered list in India.
In Africa “poaching for rhino horn remains the primary threat to the near-extinct West
African Black and Northern White Rhinos in this populous continent. A recent survey by the
World Conservation Union found only four Northern White Rhinos left in the wild and no signs
of continued presence of the West African Black Rhino--which has been tentatively declared
extinct.” (Zenarosa) The Philippines love for turtle soup has caused poaching of sea turtles to
become endangered as well.
People poach for many different reasons. In poorer countries people do it because there is a
lack of food. In other areas people do it for the money. Some people do it just for antlers, or
furs. It is occurring mostly because of inconsiderate people who do not understand why they
hunting laws and regulations are in place.
Many people who poach don’t feel like their making a difference great enough to be
wrong. Some even say that animals were placed here for us so why can’t they use them for
their own purposes. Other people poach just for the sport, the thrill.
In order to help the problem throughout the world
there are Conservation Officers also known as Game
Wardens or Fish Cops. These are sworn in police officers
like shown in the picture B. They focus on enforcing
wildlife rules and regulations. Different officers cover
different areas. “It's a career that combines cutting-edge
law enforcement with lots of time in the outdoors. Utah's
conservation officers prosecute poachers and patrol trout
fisheries. They check licenses and relocate threatening
wildlife. They work long hours in remote areas, knowing
that their efforts protect fish, wildlife and habitat across
the state.” (http://wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/lawenforcement/become-an-officer.html)
Even with all the efforts of Conservation Officers they need the public and no officer if
afraid to admit "We need the eyes and ears of the public to assist our field officers. Our
response time is not like police on TV or in your community. Our nearest officer could be 15
miles in the backcountry on horseback," said Croonquist. “ (Brighid)
I would suggest as well that we get more information to the public through the media.
People need to realize what this problem entails and how it is affecting the world. Every
poacher is hurting our environment. “Poaching is happening out there. We need to send a
message that in this day of declining habitat and increasing human population growth, abusing
our wildlife resource is not acceptable. Our game wardens cannot possibly be everywhere at
once. We need the public's help," said Croonquist. “ (Brighid)
I never realized how much poaching is a problem not only in the United States but all
countries. This is not just one animals and a small dent but people are making a huge dent in
our wildlife. The most frustrating part is knowing a lot of poaching is not for the need of food
but the meat will usually just go to waste. Yet I wasn’t aware that there were even Conservation
Officers until my husband was working to become one, how do people find out the need to
protect our wildlife without family or loved ones being involved.
This report has also strengthened my admiration for Conservation Officers like my
husband. I don’t think Conservation Officers receive enough respect for their job but this
knowledge has made me more aware of how poaching can really affect our way of life and
cause a huge problem to our environment. We need to appreciate that there are people out
there working to keep our species stable.
Cite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poaching
http://wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/law-enforcement/become-an-officer.html
Kelly, Brighid. "Operation Game Thief." Colorado Outdoors. Jan./Feb. 1998: 21-24. SIRS
Researcher. Web.0 1 Mar 2011.
leelanaunews.com
Picture B was taken by me; Laura Stoker
Zenarosa, Michelle. "Caught in the Crosshairs. Wildlife Faces the Population Challenge." The
Reporter Vol. 39, No. 1. Winter 2007: 12-14. SIRS Researcher. Web. 22 Feb 2011.