Giraffe Snared Chiredzi River Conservancy – Author Anonymous. Photo and caption from justandrewinzimbabwe.wordpress.com website.
Take Action
Now That You Know More About Animal Poaching--Things You Can Do To Help
Okay, that a problem exists is irrefutable. The question is “what can be done to slowdown and possibly stop animal poaching altogether?” Well, quite a bit.
First, tell your friends, colleagues, and anyone else who might be interested all about animal poaching. Many—if not most—people who live in industrialized countries, far removed from the bulk of the world’s poaching incidents, aren’t even aware that this is happening. Educate them. Inform them that the armed gangs who are killing enormous numbers of rhinos and elephants in Africa and Asia are no different than a bunch of guys who were caught hunting or fishing without a license in your neighborhood, or the group arrested for cattle rustling in a nearby state or province; it’s merely a question of scale. Then tell them about this new, emergent site/organization dedicated to doing away with animal poaching. If you have a blog or maintain a website or if you have a social media account (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Linkedin, etc.), discuss this site and include a link so others will find it and get involved. The more who know about NAP, the more we can do, and the faster we can bring this vile practice to a halt.
Next, find out what’s legal and illegal for licensed hunters and fishers where you live. Contact local hunting and fishing associations and ask that they remind their memberships about the current restrictions; the vast majority of them are ethical and similarly detest poachers because poachers give a bad name to everyone, especially to licensed hunters and fishers who follow the rules. Irrespective of how you may feel about people who fish and hunt animals, the overwhelming majority abide by established restrictions, and they all share your disdain for animal poachers.
Also, If you live in the US, contact your wildlife management officials--almost all of them are in some way affiliated with the US Fish & Wildlife Service (where you'll find a wealth of relevant info and links). (Note that the US Fish & Wildlife Service is broken down into eight regional divisions [plus their headquarters in Washington, DC, which is where you can contact them.\) Start with the various local (county and state) animal enforcement agencies in your state (they differ in terms of their actual names, but most are called fish & game or fish & wildlife agencies, some are departments of natural and/or wildlife resources conservation, but other, analogous name variations exist, so you will first need to ascertain which ones are specifically responsible for animal poaching and/or cattle rustling in your particular locale). If they're a division of--or affiliated with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, their state office address and contact info can be found here. Tell them you want to ensure that they are carrying out their obligations to implement existing anti-poaching laws. If you discover that existing laws in your area are weak or ambiguous, tell them you want them increased and expanded to reflect the 21st century and the fact that more and more animals are in danger due to rising numbers of poaching violations. Ask them how they believe these local laws and ordinances can be made more severe and less vague. People who work for these types of wildlife-related, governmental agencies detest poachers, so they truly do want to help. Finally, note that the US Fish & Wildlife Service deals with the land areas of the US (and US territories) plus internal and coastal waterways. For the oceans, proper, the National Marine Fisheries Service--a branch of NOAA--is the corresponding agency to contact; they are related to, but separate from the National Marine Sanctuaries, another NOAA agency.
Write to, speak with, and/or e-mail statewide, national, and especially the various regional and international meat-packing associations, commercial fishing agencies, and cattle-raising groups. This is doubly critical and it carries more weight if you happen to live in a state (or province or some other political unit) that has a large, influential agricultural, ocean fishing, and/or livestock infrastructure, with numerous related industries of this type. They all have a vested interest in seeing that only appropriate, sustainable, farm-raised animals are sold and consumed by their constituent populations; poaching and bushmeat sales and wildlife meat consumption reflects badly on them all as well as on their livelihoods. These groups have huge, powerful, well-financed lobbying teams on their payroll, and they can apply disproportionate leverage on politicians that you and I can not. Tell them how you feel about animal poaching being on the increase, let them know about NAP's mission to eliminate it, and ask them for their help in getting animal poaching laws strengthened and better enforced--at home and around the world. In sum, despite what you might first think, they're on your side.
Then, contact your elected state and national representatives. Tell them the same thing: Today, more and more animals are at risk, and—even in a country like the US, where, on average, animal poaching is minuscule by global statistics—the laws need to be made more stringent, rigorously enforced, and the penalties increased to reflect this fact. And be sure you remind them that the US first needs to set a high standard before we ask other countries (where poaching is out of control) to emulate us. It's a little-known fact that the US is number two in the world in terms of importation of legally-protected wildlife species and exotic pets from other countries (China tops the dubious list of offending countries). Tell your elected representatives, also, to convey your disgust with animal poaching to their US colleagues and to their counterparts in other countries. Tell them your vote to re-elect them (or, to elect their replacement) will be tied to this getting done. Be persistent. These representatives are busy, and they hear from a diverse number of groups and individuals, all of whom are trying to secure their attention and abiding interest in order to ensure their support. Don’t give up. Follow up in a month. Ask them what, if anything, they’ve done since you first approached them about this issue. Ask them how you and your friends will know when tangible results have been made vis-à-vis strengthening legislation in your area and in curtailing animal poaching in the truly problem areas abroad (most notably Africa and Asia). The second time you approach them, have a list--a petition of sorts--signed by all your friends, indicating that you represent more than just one person. And, if you’re not yet of voting age, make sure your list is composed of as many voting-age citizens as possible. It’s a sad fact that politicians tend to direct most of their time and attention only to actual voters than they devote to other people. In other words, give them every reason to comprehend the fact that you and your friends are serious about this, and that you will not vote to keep these people in office unless they take your concerns seriously and act accordingly.
Contact the US President and VP; the very same things apply as noted above with respect to elected state and national office holders. It should be apparent from President Obama's recent Executive Order that he's sympathetic to the plight and committed to act in order to assist in rectifying the situation. Let the President and VP know you're in agreement, but that more needs to be done. Remind them that when they visit with foreign dignitaries that this issue needs to be raised. The US Secretary of State is another person to contact, as are the US Secretary of the Interior and the US Secretary of Agriculture. Remind all of these individuals that those who are involved in wholesale animal poaching—especially in parts of Africa and Asia--are directly or indirectly connected to known terrorist associations, thereby making them collaborators with the very groups who are creating security concerns not only within Africa and Asia but on a global basis, including within the US. Remind them all that the US gives substantial financial aid to these countries, and that we expect those countries receiving such aid to behave according to the international laws on animal poaching that they have all agreed to. In Canada, contact your local and provincial MPs, your provincial Premier, as well as the Prime Minister; do the same in all other Commonwealth countries (which all have similar political structures). In non-Commonwealth countries, the names of the respective offices are all slightly different, but I’m positive you'll know who the right people to contact are. Do it!
The main offenders (at the national and regional levels) are many of the African and Asian countries (but a host of others are guilty of, and implicated in, the worldwide practice of wildlife trafficking, the novelty pet trade, and animal poaching, too). Focus on the most culpable countries and their representatives. Write to their respective, local, overseas embassies and consulates (namely, the overseas embassies of the offending African and Asian countries where you happen to live; for instance, the Chinese embassy in the US can be found here) and explain the issue in great detail. Write directly to the governments of those offending countries, too (wherever the poaching is taking place and/or where the consumption/maltreatment of the animals’ body parts occur). Write to their tourist boards, to their chief national or internal state departments, write to their foreign affairs divisions, and explain how important this matter is to you and to all your friends, etc. Tell them you won’t travel to those countries, and that you won’t spend any tourism money there, if they don’t address and clean-up the problem; inform them that you’ll tell all your friends and relatives to stay away from their country, too, and that your friends and relatives will likewise spend their tourist money elsewhere. Be certain to also write to your own country's ambassadors overseas; for example, if you live in the US, write to the US Ambassador to fill-in-the-blank (China, Kenya, Vietnam, etc., etc.); the list of all such US overseas embassies is here. If you live outside the US, find your country's list of overseas embassies and contact the one vital to animal poaching issues.
In the case of China--a major offender with an enormous population that continues to demand animal body parts for palliative and dietary reasons, and has now become a substantial, international economic superpower—tell them how you will unconditionally forgo purchasing products that are made in China and sold in your country. If certain Chinese-made products occupy a significant percentage of the market where you live, contact those Chinese-made companies—or contact the locally-owned company that is based in the country where you live but who uses cheap, Chinese laborors to manufacture their products—and explain to them how the practice of animal poaching, and the consumption of endangered animals and animal body parts needs to stop now. Express your grievous dissatisfaction with what’s going on and indicate how you realize that you have other, non-Chinese-made product options, which means you’ll need to boycott their China-made products if something isn’t done about this problem. Be sure you mention that you have many, many friends who feel the exact same way, and that they, too, will boycott those Chinese-made products if something isn’t done by the Chinese government to bring the problem to a prompt, verifiable standstill in China.
At any point along the way, let NAP know what you’re up to and/or how you did in your efforts. Keep NAP up to date. Use the comment area of the “No Animal Poaching Forum” to herald your findings and momentum; and return here whenever you wish, in order to keep us informed from time to time. We need to know about your progress (or lack thereof). This helps others get new ideas. Also, where no headway is being made, it encourages others to help you because the more people who apply pressure to a certain politician/country, the more that politician/country is apt to be swayed to take action—if for no other reason than to get you to quit “annoying” him/her/them! Again, perseverance works.
Last updated: October 28, 2013
More "take action" ideas are coming. Stay tuned!
First, tell your friends, colleagues, and anyone else who might be interested all about animal poaching. Many—if not most—people who live in industrialized countries, far removed from the bulk of the world’s poaching incidents, aren’t even aware that this is happening. Educate them. Inform them that the armed gangs who are killing enormous numbers of rhinos and elephants in Africa and Asia are no different than a bunch of guys who were caught hunting or fishing without a license in your neighborhood, or the group arrested for cattle rustling in a nearby state or province; it’s merely a question of scale. Then tell them about this new, emergent site/organization dedicated to doing away with animal poaching. If you have a blog or maintain a website or if you have a social media account (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Linkedin, etc.), discuss this site and include a link so others will find it and get involved. The more who know about NAP, the more we can do, and the faster we can bring this vile practice to a halt.
Next, find out what’s legal and illegal for licensed hunters and fishers where you live. Contact local hunting and fishing associations and ask that they remind their memberships about the current restrictions; the vast majority of them are ethical and similarly detest poachers because poachers give a bad name to everyone, especially to licensed hunters and fishers who follow the rules. Irrespective of how you may feel about people who fish and hunt animals, the overwhelming majority abide by established restrictions, and they all share your disdain for animal poachers.
Also, If you live in the US, contact your wildlife management officials--almost all of them are in some way affiliated with the US Fish & Wildlife Service (where you'll find a wealth of relevant info and links). (Note that the US Fish & Wildlife Service is broken down into eight regional divisions [plus their headquarters in Washington, DC, which is where you can contact them.\) Start with the various local (county and state) animal enforcement agencies in your state (they differ in terms of their actual names, but most are called fish & game or fish & wildlife agencies, some are departments of natural and/or wildlife resources conservation, but other, analogous name variations exist, so you will first need to ascertain which ones are specifically responsible for animal poaching and/or cattle rustling in your particular locale). If they're a division of--or affiliated with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, their state office address and contact info can be found here. Tell them you want to ensure that they are carrying out their obligations to implement existing anti-poaching laws. If you discover that existing laws in your area are weak or ambiguous, tell them you want them increased and expanded to reflect the 21st century and the fact that more and more animals are in danger due to rising numbers of poaching violations. Ask them how they believe these local laws and ordinances can be made more severe and less vague. People who work for these types of wildlife-related, governmental agencies detest poachers, so they truly do want to help. Finally, note that the US Fish & Wildlife Service deals with the land areas of the US (and US territories) plus internal and coastal waterways. For the oceans, proper, the National Marine Fisheries Service--a branch of NOAA--is the corresponding agency to contact; they are related to, but separate from the National Marine Sanctuaries, another NOAA agency.
Write to, speak with, and/or e-mail statewide, national, and especially the various regional and international meat-packing associations, commercial fishing agencies, and cattle-raising groups. This is doubly critical and it carries more weight if you happen to live in a state (or province or some other political unit) that has a large, influential agricultural, ocean fishing, and/or livestock infrastructure, with numerous related industries of this type. They all have a vested interest in seeing that only appropriate, sustainable, farm-raised animals are sold and consumed by their constituent populations; poaching and bushmeat sales and wildlife meat consumption reflects badly on them all as well as on their livelihoods. These groups have huge, powerful, well-financed lobbying teams on their payroll, and they can apply disproportionate leverage on politicians that you and I can not. Tell them how you feel about animal poaching being on the increase, let them know about NAP's mission to eliminate it, and ask them for their help in getting animal poaching laws strengthened and better enforced--at home and around the world. In sum, despite what you might first think, they're on your side.
Then, contact your elected state and national representatives. Tell them the same thing: Today, more and more animals are at risk, and—even in a country like the US, where, on average, animal poaching is minuscule by global statistics—the laws need to be made more stringent, rigorously enforced, and the penalties increased to reflect this fact. And be sure you remind them that the US first needs to set a high standard before we ask other countries (where poaching is out of control) to emulate us. It's a little-known fact that the US is number two in the world in terms of importation of legally-protected wildlife species and exotic pets from other countries (China tops the dubious list of offending countries). Tell your elected representatives, also, to convey your disgust with animal poaching to their US colleagues and to their counterparts in other countries. Tell them your vote to re-elect them (or, to elect their replacement) will be tied to this getting done. Be persistent. These representatives are busy, and they hear from a diverse number of groups and individuals, all of whom are trying to secure their attention and abiding interest in order to ensure their support. Don’t give up. Follow up in a month. Ask them what, if anything, they’ve done since you first approached them about this issue. Ask them how you and your friends will know when tangible results have been made vis-à-vis strengthening legislation in your area and in curtailing animal poaching in the truly problem areas abroad (most notably Africa and Asia). The second time you approach them, have a list--a petition of sorts--signed by all your friends, indicating that you represent more than just one person. And, if you’re not yet of voting age, make sure your list is composed of as many voting-age citizens as possible. It’s a sad fact that politicians tend to direct most of their time and attention only to actual voters than they devote to other people. In other words, give them every reason to comprehend the fact that you and your friends are serious about this, and that you will not vote to keep these people in office unless they take your concerns seriously and act accordingly.
Contact the US President and VP; the very same things apply as noted above with respect to elected state and national office holders. It should be apparent from President Obama's recent Executive Order that he's sympathetic to the plight and committed to act in order to assist in rectifying the situation. Let the President and VP know you're in agreement, but that more needs to be done. Remind them that when they visit with foreign dignitaries that this issue needs to be raised. The US Secretary of State is another person to contact, as are the US Secretary of the Interior and the US Secretary of Agriculture. Remind all of these individuals that those who are involved in wholesale animal poaching—especially in parts of Africa and Asia--are directly or indirectly connected to known terrorist associations, thereby making them collaborators with the very groups who are creating security concerns not only within Africa and Asia but on a global basis, including within the US. Remind them all that the US gives substantial financial aid to these countries, and that we expect those countries receiving such aid to behave according to the international laws on animal poaching that they have all agreed to. In Canada, contact your local and provincial MPs, your provincial Premier, as well as the Prime Minister; do the same in all other Commonwealth countries (which all have similar political structures). In non-Commonwealth countries, the names of the respective offices are all slightly different, but I’m positive you'll know who the right people to contact are. Do it!
The main offenders (at the national and regional levels) are many of the African and Asian countries (but a host of others are guilty of, and implicated in, the worldwide practice of wildlife trafficking, the novelty pet trade, and animal poaching, too). Focus on the most culpable countries and their representatives. Write to their respective, local, overseas embassies and consulates (namely, the overseas embassies of the offending African and Asian countries where you happen to live; for instance, the Chinese embassy in the US can be found here) and explain the issue in great detail. Write directly to the governments of those offending countries, too (wherever the poaching is taking place and/or where the consumption/maltreatment of the animals’ body parts occur). Write to their tourist boards, to their chief national or internal state departments, write to their foreign affairs divisions, and explain how important this matter is to you and to all your friends, etc. Tell them you won’t travel to those countries, and that you won’t spend any tourism money there, if they don’t address and clean-up the problem; inform them that you’ll tell all your friends and relatives to stay away from their country, too, and that your friends and relatives will likewise spend their tourist money elsewhere. Be certain to also write to your own country's ambassadors overseas; for example, if you live in the US, write to the US Ambassador to fill-in-the-blank (China, Kenya, Vietnam, etc., etc.); the list of all such US overseas embassies is here. If you live outside the US, find your country's list of overseas embassies and contact the one vital to animal poaching issues.
In the case of China--a major offender with an enormous population that continues to demand animal body parts for palliative and dietary reasons, and has now become a substantial, international economic superpower—tell them how you will unconditionally forgo purchasing products that are made in China and sold in your country. If certain Chinese-made products occupy a significant percentage of the market where you live, contact those Chinese-made companies—or contact the locally-owned company that is based in the country where you live but who uses cheap, Chinese laborors to manufacture their products—and explain to them how the practice of animal poaching, and the consumption of endangered animals and animal body parts needs to stop now. Express your grievous dissatisfaction with what’s going on and indicate how you realize that you have other, non-Chinese-made product options, which means you’ll need to boycott their China-made products if something isn’t done about this problem. Be sure you mention that you have many, many friends who feel the exact same way, and that they, too, will boycott those Chinese-made products if something isn’t done by the Chinese government to bring the problem to a prompt, verifiable standstill in China.
At any point along the way, let NAP know what you’re up to and/or how you did in your efforts. Keep NAP up to date. Use the comment area of the “No Animal Poaching Forum” to herald your findings and momentum; and return here whenever you wish, in order to keep us informed from time to time. We need to know about your progress (or lack thereof). This helps others get new ideas. Also, where no headway is being made, it encourages others to help you because the more people who apply pressure to a certain politician/country, the more that politician/country is apt to be swayed to take action—if for no other reason than to get you to quit “annoying” him/her/them! Again, perseverance works.
Last updated: October 28, 2013
More "take action" ideas are coming. Stay tuned!
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