Poaching Wildlife in Africa: An Ecological Crisis

Max Houghton, Julia Lawrence, Morgan Rice, Matt Gormally, Elise Rosenthal, & Tom Corey

Africa is an incredibly biodiverse continent, with a wealth of natural resources and

animals. A large percentage of the worlds endangered species live in this region of the world,
but theyre becoming less populous by the year. And unfortunately, a disturbing trend is
contributing to this decrease in African species richness: poaching. Illegal poachers kill
endangered or rare animals for their ivory, furs, bones, or any number of other animal products.
These products are sold on the black market for exorbitant prices, often to East Asian markets for
medicinal or decorative purposes. Some of the species that suffer poaching that live in Africa
include the black rhino, mountain gorilla, African wild dog, African elephant, and the
chimpanzee. Although poaching has become widespread because of the lucrative opportunities it
provides, there are numerous steps that can be taken on both the governmental and ecological
levels to prevent it.
To examine the trend of animal poaching, it can be helpful to first understand why
poaching is such a widespread activity. Many countries in Africa have markets and economies
that are well below the international standards for economic functionality -- in short, they are
third world countries. The shortage of economic opportunities for the citizens of these countries
force them to turn towards the rich abundance of diverse wildlife to make a living. Materials

from African animals like furs, ivory, teeth, and bones can sell for large amounts of money in
countries like India, China, and even Western countries like the United States and Britain. The
legal ramifications of illegal poaching dont outweigh the lucrative nature of the practice. Add
this to the fact that many African countries such as Zimbabwe, Somalia, and Nigeria have
corrupt governments, and poachers have free reign.
Of all African nations, two nations, Kenya and Zimbabwe, stand out as the top poachers
of wild animals. And the reason that these nations are such bad offenders is not only because of
economic inequality, but government corruption as well. As seen in Table 1, Kenya has seen a
dramatic reduction in its elephant population over the past 50 years, recorded at roughly 10,000
individuals in the year 2014. And while there were ecological reasons, such as a drought, which
contributed to the reduction, it can be seen that once an ivory ban was implemented, the elephant
population began to rebound. This shows that governmental measures can be taken to alleviate
poaching, and are also quite effective.
But its not just in Kenya that there have been major reductions in the populations of wild
animals. In Africa, the black rhino has just gone extinct after a rapid die off rate that began in the
1960s. This fast decline in the Black Rhino population is almost exclusively the result of
poaching in the wild. Rhino horns are extremely valuable in Eastern markets and can be worth a
staggering amount of money. One pound of rhino horn can fetch up to $30,000 a pound which is
worth $8,000 more per pound than gold. Not only is it valuable for the ivory it is made of, this is
also due to the fact that rhino horns are believed to have supernatural capabilities. In some
cultures it is believed to cure impotence, hangovers, fevers, and even cancer. The staggering
amount of money that a disadvantaged impoverished African citizen can gain from hunting is so

astounding that one can understand why they do what they do. However, the extinction of such a
beautifully unique species is inexcusable and should be prevented in the future.
Whereas Kenya has seen a rapid decline in its species of wild animals, Zimbabwe has
seen a gradual rise in recent years. This is largely due to the difference in the intensity and
variety of the policies that the countries respective governments put in place. Zimbabwe was
able to implement stricter laws surrounding poaching, whereas Kenyas laws were less strict and
werent enforced via fines and strong jail time. In Table 2, it can clearly be seen that whereas
Kenya saw a decline in its elephant population, Zimbabwe saw an increase. While poaching was
bad in both of these countries, there was a difference in effort on the governmental level that
resulted in different outcomes. These separate but connected trends can mirror the effort required
to implement environmental change.
Thus far, its been discussed how illegal animal poaching can arise from economic
inequality and can be mended with governmental assistance. Furthermore, however, poaching
has an intense environmental impact as well. Many of the animals that are poached in the African
continent are large and essential to the ecosystems they occupy. Take the black rhino for instance
- its a huge consumer of grass and other plant matter. With the black rhinos recent extinction,
theres been an increase in the growth of certain plants in the African wilderness and thus a
change in the biodiversity of the ecosystem. This change can affect every organism in the food
chain, from the smallest producers to the largest mammals. The African elephant is a good
example as well - it has a huge impact on the ecosystem via its consumption of plants and overall
large presence in the environment. Without the presence of the elephant, other organisms may act
differently, thus filling different niches and altering the flow of the natural ecosystem. Such a

change may not be beneficial to the creatures in the ecosystem in the long run, let alone the
people that rely upon it for farming, transportation, recreation, or other uses.
Not only does poaching affect the ecology of the region in a negative way it also affects
the human populations in the area in a negative way as well. Poaching is a major source of
income for violent groups in Africa such as the LRA (The Lords Resistance Army) in the
Congo. These groups using poaching as a means to buy weapons, ammunition, and power.
Poaching has fueled regional wars in Africa, stated United Nations Ambassador Muhamed
Sacirbe. Poaching can be easily compared to the drug trade in North and South America in this
way. Both cause conflict between competing groups which leads to bloodshed and other horrible
crimes. These groups including the LRA abducted children to join their cause, tearing not only
families but entire villages apart. When one turns a blind eye to poaching they are also turning a
blind eye to thousands of innocent lives human and animal alike.
Even though there is a worldwide ban on ivory trade there are still elephants being killed
in the thousands. Their ivory trunks can be made into ornaments, jewelry, religious figurines, and
many other similar objects, making them desirable for hunters. However, this isn't the only
reason they are hunted. Some people choose to hunt them purely for the challenge of it. In other
words they do it for sport. Poaching elephants got so bad in the 1980s that almost 80% of herds
were lost in some regions and a ban was created. This ban helped cut down poaching a good
amount, but not enough. People nowadays are still hunting these animals and it is causing their
populations to quickly drop. Over 35,000 elephants were killed just last year. There is still a
good amount of elephant populations, but if this trend continues then they could soon be

vulnerable for extinction. That is why action needs to be taken now, while the populations are
still prosperous.
With all of the factors that go into combating poaching, solving it can sound like an
insurmountable task; however, the strategy put forth by the Savannah Saints is a multifaceted
program based off of strategies that have worked to improve poaching in African countries in the
past. Primarily, the Savannah Saints program is based off of changing the culture surrounding
how illegal poaching is perceived. By crowdsourcing ideas, funds, and support, the Savannah
Saints can garner the support necessary to send a strong message to the governments of African
countries. Furthermore, this message can be spread via online sources like social media and
furthered through work with NGOs and other organizations to implement strategies that will
dissuade poachers from continuing with their illegal practices. Some of these strategies are aimed
at the more impoverished groups of African civilians that are more likely to turn towards
poaching as a strategy for living.

Table 1:

Table 2:

Works Cited

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Numbers of Elephant in Zimbabwe. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2016, from
http://www.nnf.org.na/RARESPECIES/InfoSys/elephant/numbers/La_NaOverall.htm
Sheldrick, D. (2014, February 15). The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Updates. Retrieved May
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