In many nations, there is a proliferation of illegal taking of animals, which is an alarming problem as animals play a pivotal environmental role. This essay will discuss the rationale behind this development, and then examine some adverse effects associated with it.
It is understandable why many poachers try their best to capture animals illegally. The most striking one is the need for animal products as they sell them for local or for global trade. Animal trading is the major black market where animals are captured and treated as a kind of goods. This action is raising illegal wealth in many nations, especially in Asia where demand for these products is increased. Slaughtered animals, on the other hand, have a commercial value including serving food, medicine or even a piece of decoration. Take elephants, as a shred of typical evidence, as their body parts are carved into trinkets, trophies, or collectibles by virtue of the symbolic values. Moreover, there is a misbelief that snake venom or bear bile can cure harsh diseases such as hepatic and biliary disorders, making them in a bridge of extinction as a target for poaching.
As a consequence, this practice has a number of devastating consequences for ecological balance as well as human beings. The most salient one is that illegal hunting or poaching without the control of the municipal authorities can take a toll on the natural habitat. As a result, animal populations are being given rise to the verge of extinction, which not only leads to the disappearance of one particular species, but the ecosystem might also become imbalanced. What’s more, poaching in uncontrollable ways may be an important contributor to spreading pandemic diseases including SARS and Ebola, which affect human lives as well as pose a severe threat to environmental sustainability.
In conclusion, poaching stems from a combination of factors namely consumerism and personal interest.