11 Facts About Poaching Animals

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1. "Animal poaching" is when an animal is killed illegally. It usually occurs when an animal possesses something that is considered valuable (i.e. the animal’s fur or ivory).^[Simonetta, Alberto. "CONTROL OF POACHING AND THE MARKET FOR PRODUCTS SUCH AS IVORY, RHINO HORN, TIGER AND BEAR BODY PRODUCTS." Department of Animal Biology and Genetics "Leo Pardi", University of Florence, Florence, Italy. Web Accessed March 28, 2015.]
2. Many countries believe that the rhino horn is an important ingredient for many medicines. This is false. Rhino horn has the same medicinal effect as chewing on your fingernails aka none.^[African Wildlife Federation. "Africa's Poaching Crisis." Web Accessed March 28, 2015.]
3. In 2012, 668 rhinos were poached in South Africa. As of January 2013 it increased to 946, these animals were being poached at a rate of 2 per day. Send them a note to thank them for their work. Sign up for Wildlife Cards.^[Department of Environmental Affairs Republic of South Africa. "Rhino poaching update." 2013. Web Accessed March 28, 2015.]
4. At the beginning of the 20th century there were a few million African elephants and approximately 100,000 Asian elephants. Today elephants are now considered endangered, there are about 450,000-700,000 African elephants and 35,000-40,000 Asian elephants.^[Defenders of Wildlife. "Basic Facts About Elephants." Web Accessed March 28, 2015.]
5. Typically the largest adults, with the biggest tusks are poached – putting the matriarchs of elephant herds at the greatest risk.^[University of Washington. "Effects of poaching on African elephants." Web Accessed March 28, 2015.]
6. In 2011, there were 13 large-scale seizures of ivory and over 23 tons of ivory confiscated. This is equivalent to at least 2,500 elephants.^[BBC. "Elephant poaching: 'Record year' for ivory seizures." 2011. Web Accessed April 4, 2015.]
7. Vietnam, China, Thailand, and Korea are just a few countries with markets for horn and tusk.^[Wildlife Extra. "Rhino poaching – What can be done. An interview with Mark Jones of Care for the Wild International." 2011. Web Accessed April 4, 2015.]
8. Bear gall bladders get top dollar for Chinese herbal remedies. And big-horned sheep antlers can fetch $20,000 on the black market.^[The Humane Society of the United States. "Poaching." Web Accessed April 4, 2015.]
9. Tigers are primarily killed to supply underground black markets with its organs, pelts, and bones. These items are highly regarded in eastern medicine (although these treatments have been disproved and have no real medical value).^[World Wildlife Fund. "Save Tigers Now." Web Accessed April 4, 2015.]
10. In Asia, tiger parts (other than the bone) are used in mythological medicine. This includes: the eyes, hair, internal organs, even tiger penis – which is used in a soup as an aphrodisiac.^[World Wildlife Fund. "Save Tigers Now." Web Accessed April 4, 2015.]
11. A 2010 United Nations report suggests that gorillas could disappear from large parts of the Congo Basin by the mid-2020s.^[World Wildlife Fund. "Gorilla: Overview." Web Accessed April 4, 2015.]