Zafra-Calvo, N., Lobo, J. M., Prada, C., Nielsen, M. R., & Burgess, ND (2018). Predictors of elephant poaching in a wildlife crime hotspot: the Ruvuma landscape in southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique. Journal for Nature Conservation, 41, 79-87. Retrieved 22 April 2020. For example, despite the best efforts of the National Defense Forces and wildlife departments, elephant numbers are in catastrophic decline. The main mandate of the Botswana Armed Forces is to combat poaching. However, they had failed to curb rhino and bushmeat poaching in Botswana. Why is poaching such a problem? Although the decline in poaching is a positive sign, rhinos remain threatened in the long term by organized crime syndicates and the diminishing availability of suitable places to live.
politicalecologynetwork.wordpress.com/poaching/ Mogomotsi, G. and Madigele, P. (2017). Living by arms: Botswana`s shoot-to-kill policy as an anti-poaching strategy. Retrieved April 20, 2020 from It`s not just potential wildlife criminals facing empty wallets. Officials enforcing conservation laws are often poorly paid and unmotivated – in some cases, they themselves lead corrupt police officers to participate in the illegal wildlife trade. In an attempt to crack down on poaching in the country, penalties for violations have become increasingly severe over time. Two white rhinos, one of which was dehorned to ward off poaching, in the Kruger Private Reserves of the South. [+] Africa.
(Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler) Poaching is generally defined as the illegal hunting or capture of an animal. By “illegal” we mean when no permit has been granted by the competent authority, but there are some exceptions to the rule. The main types of poaching are: Poverty reduction (as well as low demand and reduced corruption) has proven key to making the ivory trade less deadly for African elephants. And strategies focused on socio-economic benefits and community outreach appear to be more effective than enforcing anti-poaching laws. In other words, fewer prison sentences of 10 years or more for community management would ultimately help to better protect endangered species. • Lotter, W. and K. Clark. 2014. Community participation and joint actions help to effectively combat poaching in Tanzania.
Parks 20: 19-28. Poaching threatens the conservation of species in Africa. Elephant (Loxodonta africana) and rhino (Ceratotherium simum and Diceros bicornis) populations have been devastated and the bushmeat trade is severely affecting wildlife populations. Who is to blame? Will international funding for anti-poaching forces help solve the problem? WWF is working to end poaching with new technologies and help local governments and communities protect rhinos. We also combat the illegal trade and demand for rhino horn through market surveillance, research and advocacy, working with online and transport companies to help them identify and eliminate rhinos and other illegal wildlife products, and strengthening local and international law enforcement efforts. South Africa`s Kruger National Park, which spends more than $13.5 million a year on anti-poaching, has the best-trained and most dedicated anti-poaching force in Africa, including dividing the park into 22 sections, each with its own ranger and ranger team. the use of dog tracker packs, helicopter support and the South African Defence Force to provide assistance. But with all the money spent and all the work, 504, 421 and 327 rhinos were poached in Kruger in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Although the number of poached rhinos is decreasing each year, this is partly because fewer and fewer rhinos can be poached, with their numbers at Kruger decreasing exponentially since 2011.
This underscores our position that if all the money spent on massive and highly coordinated anti-poaching efforts in Kruger cannot prevent rhino poaching, how much harder will it be to save elephant and rhino populations in other African countries that do not have access to this kind of funding? Many strategies have been implemented to stop commercial poaching of elephants in South Africa. Strategies implemented in South Africa and Asia, where demand for ivory is high, have addressed aspects of the poaching system. There are countries in Africa, including Botswana and Congo, where it is legal to shoot and kill poachers if they are caught red-handed. These regulations, often referred to as shoot-to-kill policies, have been widely debated and are a highly controversial topic in Africa (White, 2014). Other less aggressive methods have also been implemented in South Africa, such as regulations to stop illegal trade in animal products transported from Africa. Laws and regulations have also been passed in China to stop the purchase of illegal animal products (Harvey, 2018; Meijer, 2018). These laws and regulations are generally enforced at ports of entry or by customs, where illicit trade is most common. Organizations in Africa are also trying to rebuild elephant habitat, which is also helping to increase elephant populations. These various organizations are usually non-profit and are supported by donations or government funds. Learn how to deal with the most pressing threat to elephants, rhinos and tigers.
