Politics
and saving the black rhino go hand in hand for a number of reasons. The primary
reason is simply funding. Funding allows for more protection of the black rhino, habitat loss
prevention, and creating jobs in poverty stricken areas. Usually
governments that receive lots of money from eco-tourism, such as South Africa,
tend to spend more funds on wildlife protection but other countries, such as
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, do not receive any tourism and do not
allocate funds to protection of wildlife.
The reason why most poachers poach is not because
they a greedy sadists but it is because they don’t have jobs and need to feed
their family. To eliminate or mitigate this issue governments are attempting to
help out local economies so that they will refrain from poaching activities. Poverty
is a very difficult thing to fix however more funds are being used to improve
the infrastructure of local economies instead of using money for direct rhino
protection.
A new issue has appeared regarding whether or not
rhino horns should be legalized. This issue that is facing politicians is
similar to the issue of whether or not marijuana should be legalized or not.
Similarities range from controlled distribution, legalized farming, and a
reduction in prices due to the fact that it is illegal. The glaring difference
between legalization of rhino horn and legalization of marijuana is that there
are a finite numbers of rhinos and they can’t be “grown” as quickly as
marijuana.
Politics are an integral part of rhino conservation
but people all over the world are still able to help the black rhino.
Organizations like the World Wildlife Fund use money donated to them to help
save vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered animals all over the
world.
How do you personally feel about Kenya's recently new strict anti poaching law of shoot poachers on sight? Do you think if other governments enact it in their respective country then it would significantly reduce poaching? How may a migratory endangered animal such as the elephant be saved once it crosses the boarder into a country with no poaching laws.
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ReplyDeleteI think that would be a very smart move by South Africa to invest the money generated from tourism into trying to fix the economy and the lifestyle of their society so that they stop trying to look for ways to survive such as this one. I also agree with kenan, instead they should think of ways to multiply Rhinos, although I would still not be in favor of poaching.
ReplyDeleteRight when I saw your article title, the very first thing that popped into my head was funding. There has to be a huge amount of money going to ensuring the safety of these rhinos. From very advanced technology to having "bodyguards" for these rhinos, there is certainly no easy way out in the financial aspect of things. I think that the question of legalization of rhino horns is a integral in this situation. I am very interested to see where the protection of the rhino population goes.
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