Wildlife Crime Essay

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The increase in wildlife crime is argued to be a result of “widespread poverty, underfunding of wildlife conservation efforts, lack of law enforcement and political instability in the concerned countries and a rising demand for exotic animal products” (WTO 2014:5). Considering the numerous dimensions involved in illegal wildlife trade, it is only appropriate that efforts to solve this crisis be multidimensional. Further, it is critical that there are intervention efforts at each level of illegal wildlife trade.
One of the most important approaches to contain illegal wildlife trade is to “determine where the wildlife is being removed” (Wasser 2013:1065). Doing so would allow authorities to “direct law enforcement to poaching hot spots, potentially
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These cameras can identify poachers within a one-mile radius by their body heat and creates a live streaming video that allows “a ranger manning the camera to quickly communicate to his or her colleagues when an unauthorized person pans into view and guide them to the location” (WWF 2016). By allowing rangers “to search for poachers 24 hours a day, the technology is transforming the way rangers track down and apprehend criminals” (WWF 2016). While apprehensions and arrests have been made since the instillation of this technology, due to the vastness of the areas rangers are expected to patrol, a one-mile radius is quite restrictive. However, as technological advancement progresses daily, perhaps this range could be expanded in the …show more content…
Since 2006, the tally on Africa’s rhino war stands at more than 1,000 poached rhinos, 22 poachers killed, and more than 200 poachers arrested (Sohrabian 2013:16). In an effort to alleviate the pressure on the species, some have proposed to legalize trade in rhinoceros horn. It is the belief of such advocates that “rangers and conservationists could win the war if rhino horns were farmed on a large scale” (Sohrabian 2013:16). Unlike elephants who die when their tusks are removed, rhinos can survive without their horns and actually regenerate them. As a result, it is argued that “rhinos can be farmed in a more ‘sustainable’ manner” (Sohrabian 2013:16). Opponents to this proposal emphasize that “legalizing rhino horn won’t change the fundamental economics behind poaching” (Sohrabian 2013:16). Therefore, even if “farmed rhinos can produce 1kg of horn per year,” the demand and corruption driving illegal wildlife trade will not be satisfied (Sohrabian 2013:16). Further, while legislation is a vital way to control trade of non-threatened wildlife, in order to be successful, “laws need to be widely understood, accepted and practical to apply (TRAFFIC). Therefore, whether the trade of this, or any other protected species were to become legalized, it would not address the numerous other dimensions at

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