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Asked by doyleb10 to Austin, Kirsty, Nicola, Nike, Sarah on 19 Jun 2012.
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Kirsty Ross answered on 19 Jun 2012:
Animals are usually poached for the financial gain of humans. In Africa, rhinos and elephants are poached for their horns, which are made from hair/keratin (rhinos) and tooth enamel (elephants). Tigers are poached for almost every part of their body. Products from poached animals often make their way into traditional medicine products. Wild animals are often taken as a source of meat which is known as ‘bushmeat’ by locals. This is then traded as a delicacy.
Lots of people are trying to stop this trade. It is estimated that it is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. For more information on why this trade happens, check out the WWF website for more info.
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Austin Elliott answered on 20 Jun 2012:
As Kirsty says, poaching mostly happens for for financial gain, either driven by poverty (local people) or done by organised criminal gangs.
Apart from its having the potential to lead to whole species being wiped out, and providing income to organised crime, there are other dangers from poaching too. It is widely believed that the ‘bushmeat’ trade may have been the way that the HIV virus crossed from apes into man – see eg. this BBC story.
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