Dear People Around the World,

Poaching is a problem around the entire world. The Anti-poaching Foundation is trying to protect the endangered animals. Anti-poaching reported that modern day poachers use military equipment to kill high-target species such as elephants, rhinos , gorillas, whales and dolphins. The elephant population has dropped to 62% over the last decade.

Poaching is caused by many things. Buyers think the ivory from elephants and rhinos are a type of medicine or cure but it’s not. Poachers want money for the animal parts. Big horned sheep antlers can cost $20,000 dollars on the black market. A rhino horn costs $2 million dollars, so this is a regular job for a poacher. I do not understand why poachers can’t just get a job like everyone,and just save money in the bank instead of killing helpless animals. About hundred African elephants are killed every single day by poachers seeking ivory meat ,other body parts,according to World of Elephants.

The effect of poaching hurts animals. Back in the early part of the 20th century there may have been as many as three million African elephants. Now there are only 470,000 elephants left in Africa, and the number is declining each day.(wwf,panda.org). Since 1984, Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has been dedicated to protecting endangered species using investigations to help polices and actions that protect animals that are endangered like whales, elephants, rhinos, whales, and dolphins . EIA is exposing illegal ivory trade routes and advocates to stop the trade and to protect elephants. Poachers are killing a lot of rhinos because the profit from the rapidly growing demand for Rhino horn in Asia. Poachers are killing whales for blubber and for fat, and, also for lamp oil. Gorillas can be pets for some people, so they just take the gorillas out the wild. Also gorillas are poached for trophies and their body parts. I am so upset how people kill harmless animals just for sport and just for pure meanness.

Poaching is affecting the environment and the food chain.The extinction of animals affects the community that relies on its wildlife to attract tourist ,so when poachers are killing animals they are affecting the economy.There are a lot of organizations that are trying to help these endangered species like United States Fish Wildlife service(USFWS), and, The international Anti-poaching Foundation (IAPF). I have personal connection to this issue because I love animals so much, and it's hurtful when someone treats animals bad and kills them for no reason. No animal or humans should be mistreated . People should follow the golden rule: treat others like you want to be treated.That goes for animals and human beings. Let's stop poaching and mistreating animals.