Wild Animals and a Result of Human Activities - Assignment Example

Insert your name Professor’s name Class Date due Annotated Bibliography on How to Stop Poaching Couto, Madyo. "A strategic approach to combating the illegal trade and poaching of Elephant and Rhinoceros." (2014). According to Madyo’s article, elephants and rhinoceros are continent’s wildlife that has been experiencing a crisis in the past decades. Research has shown that alarming trends of poaching have threatened the lives of the elephants and the rhinos. Madyo states that to deal with the crisis, people need to conduct interventions that require cooperation and participation of different parties. The collaborations start from the government, then proceeds to the private sectors and then the society. According to Madyo, some of these parties are already investing their resources and efforts in different areas although they need to be regularly strengthened. The purpose of the article is to highlight opinions of various parties regarding poaching of the elephants and how to stop the act. Madyo states that Africa has the largest population of elephants, followed by Botswana, then Mozambique and other parts of the world. Many poachers around the world have been targeting elephants. The ivory is sold in the Asian markets and more specifically, China. The horns are used in the manufacture of ornaments. Studies show that around 7.4 percent of elephants have been killed throughout the globe with the African elephants carrying the highest population. These figures pose risks of sustainability to the wildlife. Poaching activities have increased in the recent decades, and this has raised a lot of concern to many people who care about wildlife. The article discusses the causes of increased cases of poaching and then goes further to give recommendations of how to stop the illegal act. According to the statists that were carried out by MIKE Program, there are three principal causes of poaching. These include poverty at the local level, governance at the national level, and the increasing demand for ivory in the international arena. Other factors include weak enforcement of law, corruption, and among others Madyo gives out some of the recommendations on how to stop interventions. He stated that there should be interventions in the law and the enforcement. There should be more strict rules on the people who are found with cases of poaching. Secondly, he states that there should be awareness interventions. The public should be made aware of adverse impacts of poaching especially in the aspects of an economic image, nation’s reputation and country’s picture. Lastly, he says that the community base interventions should be improved. This source is very useful for anyone doing a research of how to stop poaching since it gives reasons why people pouch and goes further to give numerous recommendations on the whole issue. With the enforcement of strict anti-poaching laws, the poachers will be aware of the punishment they get if they violate the anti-poaching laws. Being conscious of the issue of poaching may make people change their mind about poaching. The source can also be used by anyone who needs to understand poaching in deeper terms. When doing research about poaching, one can use it to support claims of one's arguments. Messer, Kent D. "Protecting endangered species: When are shoot-on-sight policies the only viable option to stop poaching?" Ecological Economics 69.12 (2010): 2334-2340. Kent states that endangered species give poachers from the developing nations a high income. He states that protection of the endangered species has become a challenge for many countries. Kent claims that there is a model of poaching that shows that the bans of poaching have not been successful in some situations where there is the existence of the black markets and little poaching wages. The poachers lose nothing because the low anti-poaching wages always execute a practical restraint on incarceration. Kent, just as other scholars argue that illegal poaching has been threatening the endangered species in the whole world especially the nations that are developing. He gives statistics of the poached elephants in the African continent. For instance, he says that in the 1980s, an estimation of 675,000 elephants were poached, and when the number of the large elephants went down, the poachers started hunting the female and the adolescent elephants. The poaching reduces the African black rhino. He further states that the traditional anti-poaching laws like lengthening the jail terms have and raising fines have reduced poaching at a minimal rate. Kent claims that different policy options can be employed to ensure that the poachers do not hunt the endangered species. For instance, he says that economic costs should be increased through very strict anti-poaching efforts. When the fines are increased, the poacher will spend a minimal amount of time poaching. Secondly, the living standards of the poachers should be improved. The rate epitomizes an opportunity cost to the poachers. The wage rates should be increased in such a way that when it is combined with other expenses of poaching, the poachers will spend little time poaching. The other possible way to stop poaching is through using shoot-on –sight policies. Kant says that the countries that have employed the shoot-on-sight policies have experienced a decline in wildlife poaching. He gives an example of a country like Nepal that implements the policy. He says the elephant population increased to up to fifty percent when the policy was first implemented. He concludes by saying that although the procedures are applicable, they raise ethical concerns, for example, he says that they are bound to violate the principle of proportionality that states that the severity of the punishment should be linked to the brutality of the harm done by a particular crime. In the philosophical traditions, animals should not be given moral standings like the human beings. . Therefore, it is not logical to kill poachers so as to protect elephants even if they are endangered. From his discussion, those animals cause severe destruction to the agricultural activities and thus, it becomes difficult to justify the act of the poachers who kill the animals that cause damage to the farming activities. Shoot-on-sight policies would be essential when dealing with the unlawful poachers who are who are poor to be counted by the by the traditional law enforcement methods. The information obtained in this article would be very helpful in carrying an extensive research on the various ways that are used to stop poaching. Artwork Jay, A. (2013). Elephant in Times Square. New York. http://www.asherjay.com/about.html Jay Asher is a creative artist who has used her art to raise awareness of poaching and other adverse environmental activities such as oil spoils that contribute to the loss of biodiversity. While many know her for painting on canvas, this time, she decided to bring the elephant to one of the busiest venues in New York City. San Francisco- based group, March for Elephants, was the brainchild behind the initiative, and they enlisted the creativity of Asher Jay to put the campaign together. The information from the 30-seconds advertisement brought out the message in a rather unusual way but also in a vivid manner. While Asher Jay usually exhibits her artwork at galleries to a selected few, taking the same and plastering it on a billboard located on one of the busiest intersections in America means that the information reached millions in a short period. Also, the people who go to see and buy works of art are the wealthy and well- to- do but by exhibiting the work at a public place, it is possible to reach people from all walks of life. The clip starts by telling the audience the danger of extinction. The first image is that of someone zeroing in on an elephant with a sniper rifle and a woman wearing ornaments made of ivory. As it progresses, the elephant has gunshot wounds and is bleeding, and soon more elephants are bleeding from gunshot wounds. The next slide shows a poacher taking aim at an elephant and then he is seated atop the elephant after killing it, and there is an accompanying message of; “Every tusk costs a life, and destroys a family.” After that message, the next slide pops up showing a dead elephant, a poacher with his rifle, and a box containing ivory ready for export. The message accompanying the slide is a question asking; is it worth it? Asher Jay delivered a presentation of work that must have captured the attention of many and had them asking themselves a series of questions as to where they stand as far as poaching and wildlife conservation goes. It is a powerful combination of art and conventional advertising used to drive an important message and spark a debate as well as a rethink of things that people might otherwise have taken for granted. Asher Jay is vocal when it comes to matters of conservation and poaching, and her preferred medium is canvas. By combining the traditional painting and motion picture, the artist got her message to so many people that would have otherwise not got to see the damage that poaching inflicts on nature. Roberts, Gary. 2016. "Current Project. Africa, Illegal Poaching. Gary Roberts Photography".Garyrobertsphotography.Com.http://www.garyrobertsphotography.com/current-project/. Gary Roberts is a photographer who uses photography to highlight the evils that come from poaching. He is a UK- based freelance photographer who also has training in zoology. Roberts has undertaken a number of projects in Europe and Africa all with the aim of using photography as a tool to fight poaching. In the picture, which is Roberts’ current project, there is a lion with injuries after it got into a snare. The lion fell into the trap that a poacher had laid and suffered the injury as a result. Some people who find thrill in hunting big game and target the big cats such as lions and leopards. In some instances, the people that lay the snares set out to catch some animals such as antelopes and gazelles for bush meat but they could catch any animal including lions. However, no matter what the intent is, snares do cause a lot of harm as illustrated in the picture. While some lions may innocently walk into snares, especially the young ones, there is a growing number that fall victim to poachers who set out to deliberately hunt them and it is a growing problem, especially in Africa. In parts of China, traditional healers use lion claws and bones for their medicines. Also, some people use the skins of the cats to make coats and they are of high value given how rare they are. These people are driving the demand for lion parts and contributing to the threat that these big cats face. For many people, elephants and rhinos are the animals that come to mind when they think of poaching, and they do not think of lions or other members of the big cats. The truth is that these animals are equally threatened and on top of poaching they are in danger from disease and increased conflict with humans who are increasingly settling in their areas of habitation. Lions too, just like the rhinos and elephants face the risk of extinction, and they deserve protection like the other animals. They say a picture says a thousand words. It could not be any more true for this picture that tells of the struggle that the big cats go through just to stay alive. Roberts is a remarkable photographer and his works always leave a lot to think about. In this particular photo, the photographer brings to light the illegal poaching as well as the dangers that wild animals face as a result of human activities. Poaching is a huge problem and threatens the biodiversity that we see and enjoy. Elephants, rhinos, lions, and other animals face the risk of extinction of no one stands up and comes up with urgent measures to forestall the danger. Gary Roberts, in his photography, provides enough examples of that danger and tells the story of how the animals are constantly in a fight for survival. It is important to note that animals do not just face extinction from poaching activities, but also from those who carry out game hunting, most of which is usually illegal Read More