China's Lack of Care

                                                           http://abcnews.go.com/US

Could we possibly rid of the terrors of poaching? Will one day we be able to travel on safaris and see an abundance of animals such as rhinos, elephants, and tigers? That is up to you and me. Sitting back and hoping somebody else takes care of this growing issue is no longer an option. My article from The UN Chronicle found in the Galegroup database does a great job highlighting some of the huge problems with poaching.

1. My first interesting fact is a quote from the text. The text states, “Killing elephants for their ivory, slaughtering tigers for their pelts and bones, and fatally hacking the horns off rhinos have reached epidemic proportions in recent years.” This quote directly correlates with my project because it directly tells us what is going on in the world and for a couple of species explains why the animal is at the point of endangerment. Some of these animals even close to extinction. So now the question is how would we help the increased rate of endangerment with these animals if much of it is coming from other countries.
2. For my second idea, I have another quote from the text. In the text is states, “Unfortunately, the bloody trail leads to Asia, particularly China and Vietnam, where the demand and price for products from endangered species have skyrocketed, propelled by fast-growing economies, an increase in purchasing power, the rising demand for rare animal parts to be used as ingredients in tonics, as "status symbols," or investments, and the availability and accessibility of these products in the marketplace. The text here is explaining that with the fast growing economies in the other countries poaching is becoming more and more popular. I find this interesting because I have never myself correlated poaching with a growing economy. The text is telling us that the demand for these products is rising and this is making the prices skyrocketing. The main issue with this is that now we find the already endangered animals being killed at a much faster rate.
3. An interesting statistic that is mentioned in the text is that South Africa, home to 73 per cent of all wild rhinos worldwide, has seen rhino poaching escalate from 13 killed in 2007 to 1,004 in 2013. This specific statistic is stunning. The rate of growth in that number is eye opening and if that growth rate continues we will surely see a large dip in the rhino population.
4. Another interesting statistic and fact quoted in the text comes from a man named Chen Zhong. The man states that the government-issued legal ivory can last me only one month of a year." That means 91 percent of the ivory that goes through the factory comes from illegal sources. To supply the illegal market with ivory from poached elephants was exactly what convicted smuggler Chen Zhong did. Under the guise of a government-approved license to carve legal ivory, Chen led a smuggling ring that trafficked 7.7 tonnes of ivory from Africa to China in 2011. I find this quote extremely interesting because it tells us that the Chinese government does not care when it comes to the illegal trafficking of endangered animals. Also, 7.7 tonnes of ivory is an astonishing number when you consider how many animals died to obtain it.
5. One quote that I found interesting or even reliving was “A massive effort to reduce demand is underway to change consumer behavior through culturally-appropriate and socially-motivating messages stigmatizing wildlife product consumption.” This quote almost gives me a little hope for these countries that we continue to see them slaughtering animals with almost no resistance. This quote is important because it shows that there are efforts underway to help these animals facing endangerment.
6. An interesting ad that they used in my article to try and stop people from purchasing ivory was:Babies having teeth should bring joy to a mother. However, what does it mean to elephant families? Because of our unnecessary want of ivory, hundreds and thousands of elephants are killed. Buying equals Killing. Say "No" to Elephant Ivory. I found this ad being pretty effective by using the allusion to baby elephants. Many people are likely to be more sympathetic to baby elephants than adults.
7. Possibly the scariest statistic that I crossed in this article was that 7 out of 10 Chinese did not know that ivory comes from dead elephants, and that 80 per cent would reject ivory if they knew it was linked to elephant death. The number of people that don't have any idea of what ivory is coming from elephants is just astonishing.
8. Another interesting fact is that China has actually banned online trading of endangered species. While this may not be the solution it is however a step in the right direction. I find it fascinating how they can totally stop online trading yet struggle with the black markets.
9. Another interesting fact is that in the article it quoted that many of the people rely on their government to make the changes in order to protect their wildlife. They said that the only way change will be reached is if the government becomes much harsher on poachers.
10. I found it interesting how they ended the article. The article said, “Two thousand years ago, Chinese philosopher Zhuang Zi may have been the first to advocate for ecological sustainability, adhering to a philosophical credo that pronounced the necessity for nature and humanity to exist in harmony. Today, we are facing the challenge once again. Will we say NO to the unsustainable commercial exploitation of wildlife? Will we be able to protect the many wild species and the ecosystems they support for this and future generations?” It basically ends this article with a question to the people. Will the people of China decide that the animals are important enough or will they not be able to change their ways and continue poaching for money.

Discussion Question: For my next article I am curious to find out how prevalent poaching is in the US. I would like to know if it is even a major issue with us and if it is what types of animals are we most commonly killing.