Animals, those majestic creatures that dwell on earth alongside humans, they who—by birthright—should share equal rights with humans to live freely on earth. Their very existence adds not just an additional aesthetic value but also gives equilibrium to the ecosystem to which they belong. It’s quite hard to imagine how a once-free-roaming wild species would go extinct in just a span of years. I mean, think about it, thinking that our grandparents had the chance to coexist with the animals that cease to exist these days, they were able to witness the Javan, Caspian, and Bali tigers; the Javanese elephants; and the likes. Well of course, we’ll all face our ultimate fate—death—but talking about species extinction, well that’s another thing, and that is something that is intolerable. 

Before a species is labeled as extinct, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) labels the species as “endangered”, listing them as part of their ‘Red List of Threatened Species’. The WorldWildLife.org accuses illegal poaching as the number one player behind the cause of their kindred’s decrease. Thus, we should condemn poaching as an intolerable act, and stop the people who are doing such a thing. 

 

A Reminder of What We’ve Lost

Before anything else let’s look back to what we once had a few years ago. The Javan tiger, wearing its magnificent hide and powerful presence, failed to escape the hands of a hunter who paved the tiger’s path to extinction. The African elephant, while still living, faced an uncertain future due to illegal poaching for its tusk and ivory, causing a significant decrease in its population over the past century. Those long gone species were of course documented in books of history of zoology, but that will only be the place where we can see them—in pictures, of course—we won’t be able to touch or see them up close like what our ancestors once did. But it should not end up that way, every species should not have the fate of ending up in history books, they should be given the chance to survive and thrive in the wild. 

 

The Dread of Poaching

Poaching is not just a small issue; it has a wide scope of consequences that affect ecosystems. This illegal act of hunting animals like rhinos, elephants, tigers, and the likes leads to the significant decline in their populations, which in turn will disrupt the balance in their habitat, which acts as the first domino piece to trigger the domino mechanism effect. Try to image if all tigers in a certain area would die suddenly, the balance of that ecosystem would be disturbed to an extent one could hardly imagine, there would be lesser predators to prey on herbivores causing an increase in the population of the herbivores, which in turn would lead to overgrazing, causing loss of vegetation, soil erosion, food source competition, and the list goes on. At the end of the day, if we think about it deeper, humans are not exempt from the effects of poaching.

 

Exchanging the Future for Money

Poachers all around the world are driven by the sum of money they might receive after committing a hideous crime—a rough figure reaching about $3,000. The demands for exotic animal parts like ivory, rhino horn, tiger bones, and lion manes push poachers to the edge, often risking their lives, but it’s not just their lives they're risking, they’re threatening the lives of the species living in the ecosystem. They’re exchanging the future for money!

 

Let’s Fight Against It

To fight against poaching effectively, we must call for stricter laws and penalties. Many countries currently lack enough regulations and fail to enforce existing laws, allowing poachers to operate with impunity to their hearts’ content. By implementing stricter penalties for poaching and trafficking, we can help protect the endangered species. In addition, increasing the funds for conservation efforts would be of great help. Governments and organizations must provide more resources for wildlife protection agencies, giving them the chance to strengthen anti-poaching initiatives. 

 

Let Us Be In Their Shoes

We are humans, born to be gifted with rationality and intellect unlike any other animals, we should use our God-given gifts to protect those whom we deem lower than us. Noblesse Oblige. We should help and protect those who are lower than us. I mean, think about it, if we were in their shoes, for sure, we wouldn’t want to be hunted to extinction, right? Hence, illegal acts against wildlife should stop.

In a nutshell, we should take global measures to stop the tragic end of some species—the history books of zoology. We should let the future see what we see today, we should put an end to the hideous act which summons Anubis in front of the species being poached. It is our responsibility to act now, for the sake of the animals and the ecosystem, and for the future generations who deserve to live in a biodiverse planet. Let us stand together and take measures against poaching. What do you say? Will you give them (the wild) a chance to live while giving them a chance to co-exist with our sons and daughters.