2/21/12
Caught
in the Crosshairs. Wildlife Faces the
Population Challenge.
By Michelle Zenarosa
Winter
2007, Vol. 39,
No. 1,
pp. 12-14
Picture:
This
picture shows actual elephant tusks which are traded for a high amount of
money. Many species just like the elephant are killed for its uses and selling.
Summary:
Throughout
time humans have always hunted animals for its uses but now the poaching of
animals has driven many species to extinction. Here is a picture of elephant
tusks which were taken after killing the elephants for its uses. The main problem is that species extinction
plays a lead to the destruction of an entire ecosystem of species. This comes
from the main source of the issue, human population growth. As there are more
humans in a region it is more likely that there will be more endangered or
extinct species. This is due to the huge amounts of poaching being done. There
is concern on keeping species from extinction as well as human population growth;
however wildlife programs and scientist are trying to find ways to prevent extinction.
Opinion:
I was
surprised at how big of an impact humans have on species extinction. I thought
it was interesting to find out densely populated areas like India are likely to
have more endangered or extinct species because of human population being so
big. I’ve seen some animals at the zoos before that were on the brink of
extinction but I never thought that they would affect other species as well. I
believe that people should take care of animals instead of poaching them to
start in making a change.
Questions:
1.
Why doesn’t the government reinforce to not
poach animals?
2.
What are some ways we can stop people from
poaching as a whole or a nation?
3.
Does poaching have anything good to offer?
4. How will extinction of many species affect
humans?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOpinion/Reflection: Every time I see an article like this it gets me so angry. I feel that the world does not fully understand how bad we are treating the earth and what is to come if we keep doing so. I see this at home with the garbage on the streets, poisoning in the nearby creek, and endless shows on National Geographic. Elephants are one of my favorite animals and it makes me heartbroken to see that they are being extremely poached. If the Indian government would step up and make laws against poaching threatened species (and enforce them!) or even poaching at all, the human race would see a positive and significant change in the elephant population growth. Also, like said in the summary, the entire ecosystem will be less likely to crash. My opinion doesn’t just speak for India though. There are thousands of species around the world on the brink of extinction and if the human race doesn’t do anything soon to prevent this, then we will have many regrets beyond belief. The whole world may even be in danger and we won’t be able to do anything until it is too late.
DeleteAnswer to Question 4: The extinction of many species is not positive for anyone. This means that many parts of food webs will disappear, causing several ecosystems to collapse and even more species to become extinct. I think of this like a row of dominoes falling such as when many species become extinct, many others are affected by this and are also more likely to become extinct. How this relates to humans is significant. Due to this, many more ecosystems will collapse and many more species will become extinct resulting in a much lower biodiversity. A low biodiversity increases the risk of famine, damage to the industrial businesses, severe pollution (since there are less plants to intake CO₂) and underdevelopment of agriculture. All of these side effects of the extinction of several species have many negative impacts on the human race and can maybe even cause the extinction of man.
Opinion/Reflection:
ReplyDeleteThe extinction of animals by poachers and intrusions of overpopulation is a sad thing that can cause a downward spiral effect. Most of us do not want to see animals die off, and, more than that, no one really wants to see ecosystems fail. However, the issues involved is not simple. It is easy to say populations should be limited and poachers should stop killing, but there is the matter of human needs to consider. First off, people should have the right to decide how many kids they want to have. Sadly, with that right comes overpopulated areas, extinction, then failure in ecosystems, but that is why extinction is not an easy topic to solve. The other problem of extinction is poaching. Here too matters are hardly as simple as declaring people should not poach. Often, the motive for poachers is a matter of earning a bounty and thereby being able to support others. Certainly this economic motive is the major issue behind poaching in India, China, Africa, and the Philippines. The matter is not a bunch of crazed killers just going around knocking off trophy kills for the thrill of the hunt. What is needed here is balance between ecological diversity and human needs. Clearly, if the matter were an uncomplicated one, there would be no discussion blogs devoted to the issue.
3) Does poaching have anything good to offer?
Tragically, yes it does. Poaching does provide food and bounty to some. In the areas where poaching is most common, economic conditions are very low. The poaching is, in a material sense, an economic necessity. People’s lives are sustained from the economy of bounty hunting. So, to favor the animals is to harm the people who depend upon the income from poaching. Too often there are few other means available to support a family. The problem seems to be a choice among evils with no clear, painless solution.
Opinion/Reflection:
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how people poach these animals just for their tusks. While the animals are killed, this is sadly a good thing as well. If we don't kill these elephants, there could be a larger population of elephants which could disrupt the ecosystem they are part of. Although this could possibly be a good thing, we should let elephants die naturally or only kill elephants which are sick and unable to be helped. There should be more laws in areas. such as Africa and India where these elephants are, about poaching. The governments of these areas should either limit of banish completely poaching of animals. Elephants are defenseless in these situations. If it were a helpless human being poached, I'm sure the government would actually do something. We should be more caring about animals, because killing an defenseless animal is just as bad as killing a defenseless human, and poachers(and everybody) needs to realize that.
Answer to number 3
Sadly poaching does have a few benefits. One is that the areas which these animals are poached are typically very poor, such as places in Africa. For many families, this is their only source of income and it needs to be done. The animals themselves are typically eaten as they are a valuable food source for the humans who poach them, and tusks can be sold for money. It also increases the economy in the area, as more poachers come in and need to use local services, which helps the human community in other ways.
Opinion/Reflection
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised and sad at how there were so many elephant tusks, I can’t even imagine how many other animals are hunted for the horns or skins. We are treating the earth and its organisms very badly. We are taking everything for granted such as animals, but if we don’t change eventually they will be all extinct not just the few species that have been wiped out. Many countries should step up their enforcement of poaching laws to help stop this and save those animals. Those governments should also make some laws on habitat destruction such as India. Their population is very big so they are conflicting with the animal’s habitat. This is also a big reason why animals are becoming extinct. If the world doesn’t try and do any of these things then one day we could have a world with out all these animals you see in zoos or the wild.
Answer to Question 1
The reason governments aren’t helping to stop poaching is very sad. Protecting animals is very expensive and some countries can’t afford much. Many people do illegal smuggling of them which is hard to catch. Also many people just don’t care at all and don’t take it seriously. So if no one enforces the then it pretty much is the same as there being no law for it. They in countries such as China and Russia they use parts of animals to heal so it is also hard to enforce poaching laws when it is part of the culture. Even though there are problems with enforcing poaching laws, they should be taken more seriously by everyone so we can continue to enjoy these species.