This just might be some of the saddest and anger inducing news I've reported on recently. I know I've been talking to you guys about the poaching crisis Africa is facing currently as they try to crack down on illegal poaching. Africa is struggling to keep up with illegal poaching of elephants and rhinos, whose tusks are stripped and sold on the black market for substantial amounts of money. They've even gone so far as to enact a death sentence if convicted of poaching which I originally was weary of, but after reading this story, I feel like it's justified.
A gruelling discovery in Botswana revealed that nearly 90 elephants had been slaughtered and stripped of their tusks near a sanctuary. This is the largest mass poaching of elephants in Africa's history according to animal welfare group Elephants Without Borders. What a disturbing discovery to come upon, leading us all to believe that poaching is NOT getting better, despite attempts to curb it by the government. Elephant populations in Africa are steadily decreasing by 8% or 144, 000 elephants per year, almost wholly from poaching. Elephants are currently listed as endangered and are facing extinction in the wild if poaching continues at this magnitude. Their numbers have dropped in 15 of the 18 countries surveyed and dropped 30% between 2007 and 2014. These numbers indicate a steady decline, one that we should be especially alarmed about because of the fact that elephants are already endangered. What this story teaches us is that money will drive people to do abhorrent things. The desire to get rich is obviously enough to push people to do some of the worst things imaginable and that's why I have changed my tune about the death penalty. The death penalty is NOT something I typically agree with and have voiced my disapproval of in the past. However, when I consider the amount of elephants being slaughtered and the chances of seeing them go extinct, I'm left thinking that the strictest penalty possible is the only deterrent left. Can you imagine a world without elephants? It almost seems unimaginable, but the fact is, it's a possibility. I hope the people responsible for this mass poaching are found, and dealt with accordingly. Check out the original story from WORLD ANIMAL NEWS by clicking the link at the top of this post. Also, if you'd like to make a donation to ELEPHANTS WITHOUT BORDERS to help end illegal poaching of elephants, you can find their donation page by clicking the blue ELEPHANTS WITHOUT BORDERS link! HAPPY VEG
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