Wildlife Management in Africa

1675 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Is hunting good or bad for the environment? INTRODUCTION

Wildlife Management in Africa

In the past three decades, many of Africa's wild animals have suffered a massive decline in population due to poaching. Africa is the world's second largest continent and home to thousands of species of animals. Unlike in North America, most of these animals roam completely free in an almost totally undeveloped environment. In attempt to save these animals from possible extinction, anti-poaching laws have been enacted by governments throughout Africa, as well as an international ban on ivory trade. Anti-poaching regulations have in turn stemmed the formation of programs and policies for the management of Africa's wildlife.

Poaching: Background

Poaching, the illegal killing of protected animals, occurs in Africa for a variety of reasons. The most profitable reason is the ivory trade. Hundreds of elephants and Rhinos are slaughtered every year for their ivory tusks, which claim a sizeable profit on the black market. Many hunters also poach for the sport of it, the thrill of the hunt. Many of the country's native peoples, however, poach animals as a means to stay alive. Because the wildlife of Africa roams so free, many people and crops are damaged and destroyed every year and natives poach the animals for self-defense. Financial concerns also drive many natives to poaching, seeing as most of Africa is still considered to be third world and an elephant tusk can mean the difference between starving to death and a prosperous year (Messer, 50). Poaching also has negative effects on the environment, and on the economy. Governments in Africa and around the world have tried to enforce strict anti-poaching laws, and also regulate the ivory trade, until recently however, both efforts have been in...

... middle of paper ...

...ains A New Generation to manage wildlife, Land and People." The Chronicle of Higher Education; Washington, July 31, 1998

Murphy, Dean. "New Housing Ousts Hippos in South Africa." The Los Angeles Times. LA,CA. October 5, 1998. Proquest. http://proquest.umi.com

Peck, John. "Asian Meltdown Hits Zimbabwe." Zmagazine. Internet 2/6/01. www.zmag.org/zmag/articles/pecksept98.htm

Rembert, Tracy. "Opening the Ivory Door." Environmental News Network. October 5, 1998. www.enn.com/enn-features-archives/1998/10/100598/ivory_23818.asp

Salopek, Paul. "Poaching for Elephant Tusks Alarms Africa Anew." Chicago Tribune. http://chicagotibune.com/news/nationworld/article/0,2669,SAV-0004100104,FF.html

Swindells, Steven. "Elephant Airlift to Angola Brings New hope." Environmental News Network. September 11, 2000. www.enn.com/extras/printer-friendly.asp?storyid=31322

Show More
Related

  • Cross River Gorilla Essay

    1437 Words  | 3 Pages

    Continuous human degradation of the Cross River gorilla is the primary cause of their dwindling numbers. An amazing species that once prospered in the jungle has been abused to near extinction. Because human interference is the cause of the gorillas decreasing numbers, it is humanities obligation to suspend the practices that lead to their demise. In doing so, we must also explore the options we have to repopulate a species with an intellect second only to humans. Aside from the obvious cruelty of this issue, repopulating the Cross River gorilla is important because the gorillas endangerment is just a byproduct of the unsustainable, and barbaric human interference that is destroying an entire ecosystem. In addition to the extinction of the Cross River gorilla, we will also lose a vast unexplored environment. To end this species demise, we must fight to control the issues that

    Read More

  • The American Family Life During The Progressive Era

    529 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sources used in this piece were interviews with zoo staff and also visuals in the form of photographs of the elephant. Unknown, “Hattie, Central Park Elephant, Dies; News Hidden to keep Sad Children Away.” The New York Times. November 20,

    Read More

  • Big Game Hunting Should Be Allowed

    1994 Words  | 4 Pages

    Wildlife conservationists are constantly working to supervise the rivers, forest, and other natural resources of Africa in order to preserve and protect them through prudent management. In Kenya, laws against trophy hunting has assisted these conservationists in maintaining wildlife populations. However, park rangers face a huge battle against the illegal poaching of these rare trophy animals, such as lions and elephants. In Asia, the demand for ivory continues to surge, despite the long-time ban on its international trade. The demand is so high that the Tanzanian government has developed plans to construct a commercial highway through the Serengeti in order to more efficiently trade goods with Asia (“The Need for Serengeti Watch”). However, the highway will also provide a faster route to the coast for ivory smugglers. The controversy surrounding the highway and its positive or negative effects on the economy, Tanzania as a whole, and the Serengeti is countless. Despite the debate over its benefits and...

    Read More

  • Economic Lens

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    There’s another catch to trophy hunting: it is extremely expensive. Permits for trophy hunting usually cost thousands of dollars, which leads to the idea that killing animals can actually help conservation. This concept might seem ridiculous at first, but trophy-hunting permits bring in a plethora of money. For instance, the so-called “ten-day ‘elephant package’ could cost… 36,000 [dollars]” (learnenglish). Even if you merely wish to watch the hunt, you are obliged to pay 3,800 dollars (abcnews). The prices are strikingly high, meaning that so is the revenue. South Africa alone brings in more than 744 million dollars every single year, making it its “most profitable form of commercial land use” (learnenglish). This enormous amount of money can not only be used to aid the many third world countries in Africa, but also with conservation. Many argue that by killing wild game during hunting, it causes some species to go extinct. However, strong economic incentive has motivated landowners to expand their territories, reintroduce species, and take care of the animals in general, which would indicate the opposite: more animals are safe. One might even conclude that the world is saving animals, by killing

    Read More

  • Christians and The Environmental Ethics

    966 Words  | 2 Pages

    Retrieved October 11, 2011. www.gerrymarten.com/human-ecology/tableofcontents.html Retrieved October 12, 2011. www.equip.org/ Retrieved October 11, 2011. www.environmentmagazine.org/Archives/Back%20Issues/Se. Retrieved October 14, 2011.

    Read More

  • Ethics of Zoos

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cohn, Jeffrey P. "Do Elephants Belong In Zoos?" Bioscience 56.9 (2006): 714-717. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Destruction of the Amazon Rainforest

    1772 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... Works Cited The "Amazon" - "The.. WorldWildlife.org -.. World Wildlife Fund. Web. The Web. The Web.

    Read More

  • Elephants

    621 Words  | 2 Pages

    Elephants are an endangered species and they should not be killed for their ivory or they will become extinct. In the article The Poaching Problem the author writes” elephant populations have declined to dangerously low levels.” At the rate that poachers are killing these innocent animal the entire species of elephants will be extinct in the year 2030! That is only twenty five years, I know that does not seem like a long time but it is going to go by fast and every one will regret killing all those poor innocent gentle creatures. In case study 483 they author writes “ During the 1970s and 1980s elephant poaching had included about 1.3 million elephants killed for their tusks.” It is hard to distinguish between legal and illegal ivory so it is sold easily.

    Read More

  • Great Apes Essay

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cohn, Jeffrey P. “Decisions at the Zoo.” BioScience 42, no. 9 (October 1, 1992): 654–

    Read More

  • Environmental Ethics

    2117 Words  | 5 Pages

    * Daily, Gretchen C., ed. Nature’s Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1997.

    Read More

  • Human Impact on the Survival of Wildlife

    1417 Words  | 3 Pages

    Simmons, Randy T. Critical thinking about Environmental issues: Endangered Species. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Print.

    Read More

  • Wildlife and Conservation Efforts in Africa

    2215 Words  | 5 Pages

    Child, Brian. “The sustainable use approach could save South Africa’s rhinos.” S Afr J Sci. 2012; 108(7/8), Art.#1338, 4 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajs. 17 Nov. 2013

    Read More

  • We Can Stop Climate Change

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    Peters, Gretchen. "No Quick Solution to Deforestation in Lush Chiapas." Christian Science Monitor 14 Jan. 2002, World sec.: n. pag. Print.

    Read More

  • Global Perspective Essay

    1829 Words  | 4 Pages

    The African elephant’s range has declined by over 50 percent since 1979 – and their populations are breaking up

    Read More

  • Elephant Conservation Essay

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    Unfortunately, we are possibly undergoing “the greatest percentage loss of elephants in history” (Ruggiero). Without the proper conservation of elephant survival, we will see a drastic shift in the environment. Due to lack of the lack of management and resources in the conservation programs has led to a further increase in poaching which has triggered to drastic decline in elephant populations. According to the Huffington Post, a reputable news source, it reports, “an estimated 22,000 elephants were illegally killed across Africa in 2012”. In February alone there were as many as “650 elephants killed in a matter of days”

    Read More

More about Wildlife Management in Africa

Open Document