Where Do People Poach, Anyways?

Source: mit.edu

You don't see a lot of poaching in the US, and that is because there are more wildlife animals available in Africa and too many protections in the U.S. Although nearly all African countries experience poaching to some degree, only a few have very severe cases. In this light, which ones have the largest poaching problems? Poachers are found in locations with large populations of valuable animals. Many poacher gangs have been formed in the countries that are most densely populated with rhinoceroses or elephants. The gangs take advantage of the amount of these animals and often kill them in large numbers. An article from ProQuest Research Database, "Dying Horns of Africa," highlights where this is occurring. As made clear by the shrinking number of rhinos, the growth of “organized gangs has devastated Zimbabwe’s rhino population and threatens to wipe out South Africa’s critically endangered black rhinos within a decade." Because of the large amount of rhinos located there, these two countries are centers of gang activity and participation in poaching is at an all-time high. Other African countries often have isolated cases of poachers, but the extent to which animals are killed in Zimbabwe and South Africa are above all others.

South Africa has a particularly extreme amount of poaching, even more so than its neighbor Zimbabwe. In recent years, the country has seen a severe increase in the amount of poaching that takes place. South Africa is home to a vast amount of animals, including rhinos, elephants, and gorillas, all of which used to live there rather safely. The high population of rhinos has thrived there for many years, but in recent times they have experienced death rates like never before. 

With this being said, how can poaching be prevented?