Poach Eggs, NOT Animals

In my post from two weeks ago I talked extensively about the exotic animal trade, which is often illegal and a part of wildlife trafficking. For today’s blog, I want to discuss a different issue – perhaps the most important one – that drives the illegal wildlife trade: Poaching. Specifically of rhinos and elephants.

As many of you probably know, elephants are hunted and killed illegally for their ivory tusks, and rhinos for their horns. Many people believe that ivory and rhino horns have special healing properties, while others use it to create jewelry and other ornaments. Whatever the intended use, the bottom line is that these two items are in demand now more than ever. And that’s a big problem. Here’s what you need to know.

RHINOS

Rhinos are some of the oldest beings alive today, whose ancestors date back tens of millions years. They have survived the changing of the world and have no predators – except humans.

There are five species of rhinos in the world: two African and three Asian. Out of the five, three of the species are classified as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. They are the African Black Rhino (population 5,000+), the Asian Javan Rhino (population 63), and the Asian Sumatran Rhino (Population <100). The African White Rhino is near threatened (population 20,000) and the Asian Greater One-Horned Rhino (population 3,500) is vulnerable. However, there are three sub-species – the Javan Rhino in Viet Nam, the Northern White Rhino, and the Western Black Rhino – that are extinct. Since the beginning of the last century, all of the rhino populations – with one notable exception* – have declined by up to 98%.

The black rhino is probably in the most danger, as it has three horns which attracts many poachers. But why are the horns, which are made up of primarily keratin – the same thing that our hair and fingernails are made of – in such high demand? Well, there are many reasons and most of them are medicinal, as well as ancient. These reasons include beliefs that ground up rhino horn can detect poisons, purify water, and heal various illnesses and diseases. Others use the horn as a carving material, making various ornaments and decorations with the prized material. It’s now a symbol of wealth and of power.  

White Rhino horn removed as a precautionary measure.
Credit: Brent Stirton

*The exception is considered a conservation miracle, as the African White Rhino population consisted of less than 100 individuals in the beginning of the 20^th century, and through serious conservation efforts, has increased to over 20,000 today.

ELEPHANTS

Elephants are social creatures. They live in matriarchies and feel very acute emotions. Like rhinos, their only enemy is a human being.

Today, there are approximately 470,000 African elephants and somewhere between 40,000-50,000 Asian elephants left in the world. But thousands of elephants are killed every year, and the demand for ivory from the wealthy Asian countries such as China and Japan, as well as Europe and the United States is incredibly high. Ivory fetches a very steep price – averaging $1,000 per pound – and this high demand means high profits, which when coupled with lacking enforcement, creates a situation that puts the population of elephants is in grave danger.

Ivory is so popular because of its durability, the ease with which it can be carved, and the beautiful products it can produce such as jewelry, piano keys, and other decorative pieces. An article published in the Atlantic pointed out a comparison between diamonds and ivory: “Diamonds, like ivory, are a natural substance with little inherent value but prized social significance… But demand for ivory is something demand for diamonds is not: ancient.” Like the rhinoceros horn, it signifies wealth and power, both of which are important to too many people.  

Burning illegal ivory.
Credit: Peter Chira, AWF

WHY POACH?

The answer is simple – money. Those who poach rhinos and elephants tend to be poor locals, whose greatest chance to make a living is by hunting and killing these animals. The consequences are not significant enough to deter many away from such a profitable endeavor. The price of ivory is high, and the price of a rhino horn is about 40 times as expensive, more than double the price of gold. It goes to show, the more rare the object, the higher the demand.

THE BIGGEST PROBLEM…

Besides the effect it has on the survival of these incredible animals, the profits incurred from poaching are known to go to terrorist organizations. There is a documentary called Explorer: Warlords of Ivory whose “mission is to expose how the ivory trade funds some of Africa’s most notorious militias and terrorist groups” by planting a GPS and satellite based tracking system inside a fake elephant tusk, and dropping it in the middle of the illegal ivory trade.

“Like blood diamonds from Sierra Leone or plundered minerals from Congo,” writes Jeffrey Gettlemen for the New York Times, “ivory, it seems, is the latest conflict resource in Africa, dragged out of remote battle zones, easily converted into cash and now fueling conflicts across the continent.” Groups like the Lord’s Resistance Army (Kony), al-Shahab and Darfur’s Janjaweed are hunting elephants and using the money they make from the ivory to buy weapons and finance their actions.

Source.

What the public needs to realize is that poaching is not just a matter of conservation. Too often people disregard environmental issues because they believe it does not concern them. However, it is vital that we bring attention to the fact that this issue affects people just as much as it affects the animals involved.

Buying illegal ivory or horns is perpetuating the suffering of poor animals; animals who are slaughtered and whose carcasses are poisoned to repel vultures that could give away a poacher’s location. It is perpetuating deaths of countless people – park rangers and law enforcement personnel that are doing everything they can to stop this illegal trade.

Unfortunately, our best is not enough at the moment. The trade is so expansive and our resources so lacking, will we ever be able to stop it?