before akron zoo

Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of game, fish, or plants. It is driven by organized crime and greed, leading to a huge increase in rhino poaching in South Africa. Around 30,000 species face extinction each year, causing imbalances in food chains. This unsustainable practice must be stopped. According to Britannica, poaching in law the illegal shooting, trapping, or taking of game, fish, or plants from private property or from a place where such practices are specifically reserved or forbidden. Although this definition is quite broad, poaching is just one of the byproducts of organized crime and international greed. According to WWF, just in South Africa alone, rhino poaching has increased 7,700% from 2007 to 2013. Around 30,000 species of animals are being driven to extinction each year around the world, which comes out to around 3 years per hour. The reason poaching is very illegal is because of its detrimental effects towards the environment. The international wildlife trade has shown a dramatic imbalance in food chains as target animals are either killed or taken directly out of their habitats. These unsustainable actions can no longer continue.