8 Ugly Truths About Poaching in Africa
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Truths about poaching in Africa. From tourists on a safari tour without animals to creatures that changed their appearance. Let's take a look at some facts about poaching in Africa!
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8 Responsibility
The question of who is responsible for poaching in Africa doesn’t really have any easy answers. The obvious blame would fall on the poachers themselves, but the vast majority of them are men trying to support their families. Some hunt the animals to consume or sell the ‘bush meat’ but many others do it to feed a market of animal products which is always in high demand. There are also worldwide bans on the trade of ivory and rhino horn.
7 Markets and Myths
None of this is supported by any medical evidence and, since the horn is mainly made up of keratin, it’s sort of like hoping for such miraculous effects after ingesting fingernails. A kilo of ground rhino horn may cost upwards of $60,000. In China, ivory is used to create various works of art that, to some degree act like symbols of status, and are often offered as gifts. Some Chinese shops are licensed to sell ivory whether it’s in the form of crafted items or entire tusks. However, they must provide a type of ID that the products come from legal stockpiles.
6 Effects
The animal populations in the wild decline and some species even face extinction. Wildlife tourism, which in certain regions is a vital part of the economy, receives bad publicity as a consequence of this practice. Unfortunately, it gets worse. Poaching has become so rampant in recent years that tribal people in Africa are often falsely accused.
5 Trade
According to the UN and Interpol, trade in wildlife products generates around 23$ billion each year. The basic inner workings of poaching aren’t hard to grasp. Once the horns, tusks or skin is removed from the animal, poachers need to transport the items as soon as possible. When the items can’t be moved right away, poachers will hide them for a period of time until it’s safe. Transportation is done through international networks and middlemen and the items are often concealed in shipping containers destined for different ports around the world. Once they make it to their destination, they’re collected by people who deliver to manufacturers, or the end customer.
4 Geotagging
African safaris are sought after experiences and many people visiting the continent do so hoping that they’ll return with incredible memories. To make sure these memories last, they take photos using their smartphones, unaware that they might be providing poachers with the means to track down animals. Geotagging is a smartphone function that attaches geographic information to the pictures taken. So, if tourists forget to turn off this feature and the picture’s posted online, poachers can extract the metadata with ease to find out the coordinates and location of certain animals.
3 Dehorning
Rhino horn is more expensive than gold and consequently their population has declined drastically due to poaching in recent years. Moreover, dehorning hasn’t really deterred poachers as even the money they get for a stub is still substantial. It’s also an expensive procedure of close to $1,000 per rhino, which has to be repeated as the horn grows back over time. It’s been estimated that to dehorn all of the rhinos from Kruger National Park only once would cost anywhere from 6 to 9 million dollars.
2 Horn
The red dye lets the poacher know that the horn is tainted. The dye also shows up on X-rays, making it difficult to get the goods out of Africa. There are some potential drawbacks to this method. Some argue that it remains in the drilling area and doesn’t really flow through the horn. Even if it does, the poachers or middlemen might decide to bleach the horn powder and sell it anyway regardless of the risks to the buyers’ health. Also, people like certain Asian businessmen who buy rhino horns as ornaments won’t be affected by the practice. Another issue is that there really isn’t enough awareness that such a thing exists to significantly impact the market.
1 Tusk-less Elephants
There are measures being taken, such as anti-poaching campaigns that are supported by millions of dollars in donations from companies like Google and celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio or Angelina Jolie. A study shows that more than a third of the female elephants from Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park were born without their trademark teeth. 98% of the females in South Africa’s Addo Elephant National Park have no ivory. The tusk-less gene, which also affects the male population, is passed on. This means that in a few years elephants might lose their tusks entirely.