A Cry For Help (Article Runner Up)
The only reason why our planet Earth is so magnificent from outer space is because of its rich diversity in flora and fauna. But the driving factor of its gradual destruction is the atrocious illegal trade of the wildlife caused by man. In 2016, even though our theme has been kept “Go Wild for Life”, it is highly unlikely for the implementation of our thoughts merely because of the increased level of poaching taking place all around the world.
Animals bestow the human race with plenty of beneficial resources such as dairy products, compost etc. It is because of our wildlife that pollination occurs and keeps the balance in nature sustained. It is a disgrace to think that our way of returning their generosity is by playing the role of self-regarding animal murderers and placing a painful death upon them only for our further profits.
Elephants have been hit hard by a global poaching epidemic that’s emptying the planet of a range of wildlife. Ivory expected to weigh more than 23 metric tons—a figure that represents 2,500 elephants—was seized in the 13 largest seizures of illegal ivory in 2011. Rhino poaching in South Africa increased from 13 to 1,004 between 2007 and 2013.Unfortunately, even the increased poaching of tigers for their skins and bone has led their number be as minimal as 3,890. It is very likely that at this rate, the tigers may slowly immerse into the sea of extinction. It is an irony that the even though our Mother Earth has selflessly given 7 billion humans enough region to co-exist with harmony exceeding the Earth’s physical capacity, we still have the audacity to be selfish enough to banish out the existence of the flora and fauna which play a pivotal part in the eco-system. Countless other species are overexploited, from marine turtles to timber trees threatening the survival of many other species in the wild. Many animals in the past like the dodo swarmed into extinction less than a century since its appearance. One of the more intriguing dodo bird facts involves just how they became extinct. They lived on the island of Mauritius where there was an abundance of food and almost no predators. What, then, caused their extinction? In a word: people. Dodos were unfortunately not frightened of people, which made them very easy prey for human hunters. Sailors who arrived on the island of Mauritius from the year 1598 started hunting dodos, and initiated mass killings, to the point where these birds were extinct by 1681. Although people believed the dodo to be foolish because it readily approached men who were armed with clubs, these birds had no natural enemies and so had no experience with predators. They were simply curious, not foolish. This is one of the tragic instances where the innocence of animals is often mistaken to be their stupidity and taken advantage of where in reality, we are the true examples of imprudence. What is the need of flashing expensive leather bags or jackets with a smirk at your neighbours when your head should be hanging low in shame because in a way, you are encouraging the increased production of these items which in turn returns to the crisis of poaching? It is true that not all wildlife trade is illegal. Wild plants and animals from tens of thousands of species are caught or harvested from the wild and then sold legitimately as food, pets, ornamental plants, leather, tourist ornaments and medicine. Wildlife trade escalates into a crisis when an increasing proportion is illegal and unsustainable—directly threatening the survival of many species in the wild.
Demand of wildlife products has grown since the population of humans is increasing at a fast rate which can be seemingly dangerous. As a famous saying goes “Every situation is just like coin, it always has two sides”. In this case, man has established a civilization and is accustomed to the availability of animal sources, be it legal or illegal. At the other end, extreme poverty means some people see wildlife as valuable barter for trade. Illegal wildlife trade is driven by high profit margins and, in many instances, the high prices paid for rare species. Vulnerable wild animals are pushed further to the edge of extinction when nature can’t replenish their stocks to keep up with the rate of human consumption. Corruption and light sentences allow criminal networks to keep attacking wildlife with little regard to consequences. These factors make illegal wildlife trade a low risk business with high returns. The poachers who are often poor locals, are usually the only ones caught, leaving the real operators and their network safe and operational with the ability to strike again.
Realisation and diligence should be present at this time of grave danger and some organisations like the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) as well as World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have projected various methods of eradication the wicked act of illegal trade of animals by introducing effective events like the International Elephant Film Festival, a convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora- Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Animals(CITES-MIKE) with Angola, known for its astounding bio-diversity, hosting this year’s World Environment Day that takes place on 5th June and taking a pledge to abolish poaching of the wild.
It is high time we remind ourselves that the clock is ticking, time is running fast and every second counts as long as we take the initiative of saving nature’s prized possession lurking in the wild.
Asmita Pramanik 8B
