Poaching is a worldwide problem that affects more people than you may think. Animals such as elephants and tigers are illegally hunted for money. Usually, these poachers only harvest one body part from the animal and leave the rest of it to rot. The North American gray wolf was hunted to near extinction, which caused the elk populations to rise. With the elk numbers increased, they nearly caused the aspen tree to be extinct because that was their food. Now, the numbers of the gray wolf have risen and the balance is restored. However, this occurrence could’ve been awful.

According to the humane society, “Wildlife officials say that legal hunters kill tens of millions of animals every year.” Why would we want to lessen the numbers of animals that are nearing extinction as well? Profit is usually the reason behind poachers. Sometimes, the harvested animal parts are used for medicinal purposes (that, more often than not, don’t work) and sometimes products such as ivory are harvested to make material possessions.
The most common animals that are poached are rhinoceros, gorillas, blue whales, sea turtles, great apes, and as previously stated, elephants and tigers. Depending on where you are, poachers will face large fines and jail time.
Some ways to reduce poaching are by volunteering at organizations that help sustain the environment and by spreading the word. The best thing we can do is keep people educated. People need to know the facts about the illegal merchandise that’s on the market. Verify that the animal products you buy whether food or something else, is a sustainable resource. By doing this, you can make sure that you’re not harming the environment.
Our ecosystems and environments are sensitive and any little thing can tip the balance. To dissuade people from poaching, you can help to educate people. All you need to do is talk about it. When you have conversations of poaching, you can dissuade them from even thinking of buying products that were poached. People need to be aware of what they’re doing when they buy furs or illegally hunt, because it may not seem like a horrible thing at the time, but it’s really terrible.