Shoot Poachers On Sight
2011 was probably the worst year ever for the survival of the African Elephant. Thousands of them were slaughtered last year by poachers. Same with the Rhinoceros.
Most of the slaughter is because of the demand in Asia for ornamental elephant tusks and rhino horns, which are used for — [wink] — “medicinal” purposes. We already have a billion and a half Chinese people strangling the planet. Some old Chinese dude can’t get it up any more so he has to kill an endangered animal?!?!? Off with his — uh, I digress…
Anyway, what can African governments possibly do about poachers?
India has the answer. The Indian state of Maharashtra is now encouraging forest rangers to shoot poachers on sight. Killing or maiming a poacher is no longer a crime in Maharashtra. In India, tigers are the main poaching victims. Out of the remaining 3,200 tigers in the world, half of them are in Indian wildlife preserves.
Again, the main motive for poaching tigers is the Chinese demand for tiger “parts” — again for “medicinal” purposes. (See above.)
Iain Douglas-Hamilton, founder of Save the Elephants, wants the U.S. to pressure Thailand and China to crack down on the ivory trade. He said:
“If China would declare a unilateral 10-year moratorium on ivory imports, there would be a future for elephants in Africa.”
Ditto for rhino horns and tiger “parts.”
Earlier Chinese governments got rid of their opium “problem” by executing ANYONE caught with opium. So, let’s see, if the Chinese government wanted to crack down on the trade in elephant tusks, rhino horns and tiger “parts,” they could…uhhh…hmmm…I’m thinking…
And it would be fine with me if American poachers were shot on sight. It could never be officially sanctioned, but unofficially…
About twenty years ago there was an article written by someone who had infiltrated a gang of poachers. I don’t remember if he was an undercover cop or just a journalist writing about them. I don’t remember many details from the article, but from everything he wrote, these poachers were the lowliest scumsucking-est trash imaginable. They made the white trash from Stephen King’s novels look like Ward and June Cleaver.
Get ‘em out of the gene pool.
Labels: Iain Douglas-Hamilton, India shoot poachers, ivory trade China Thailand, Maharashtra shoot poachers, Save the Elephants
posted by Tom Harper @ 1:54 PM
8 Comments:
I would hate to see the African and Indian wildlife decimated I would like to keep one thing in mind. WE ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM! Some of that Ivory has always come over here, and now we want to wag our fingers at the Asians when our Conservatives are to eliminate our own Endangered Species Act in the name of money. It’s no different from wagging our fingers at the Colombians for growing the Cocaine (begets violence, kills people and their environment) that we snort or shoot.
Thanks to Western Influence which siphons most of the African, South American, and Asian resources over here (refer to your past “Secrets of an Economic Hit Man” post Tom), we get upset that at the average joe over there would want to earn more then 10 years pay to be shortsighted enough to ruin his local wildlife. Plus he knows if he wont do it somebody else will - we are talking about some real impoverished people here. Which isn’t always an excuse as 7 figure Wall Streeters and Politicians liberally ruin your life’s savings and cause unemployment for that extra 7 figures, the 4th House, or the 3rd Yacht; Or Re-election!
Who knows maybe they heard our own religious right deny global warming and environmentalism when they say God created this earth for man to do what he wills with it.
I hope the problem can be solved, I just don’t trust those impoverished countries to do the job when we shown we can’t either.
Erik
Keeping in mind this is Memorial day
Erik: Those are all good points. I have even more contempt for our own corporate rapists and science-denying Biblehumpers than I do for a poor forest-dwelling poacher in India or Africa.
I don't think it's totally accurate to compare somebody growing coca leaves or opium -- who's not harming anything except some people's twisted sense of "morality" -- with someone who willfully kills an endangered animal. But both of those groups are in their predicament because of being held over a barrel, either by global corporations or by wealthy Chinese perverts who'll pay thousands of dollars for a tiger penis or elephant tusk.
Tom
In the Beginning Opium and Coca were local traditions, since Western and World consumption made them big money. Most of the Taliban's power comes from controlling the Opium trade where they kill farmers and steal their daughters if they don't produce, among other things.
Same with the Cocaine trade, not to mention the organized crime middlemen and dealers that participate in a lot of violence.
I know in the Andes for example that a lot of native flora and fauna are being either destroyed for more Coca or being caught in the crossfire of turf wars.
For Example
Erik
Almost all the porn online is free anyway, you don't need elephant toenail anymore.
We aren't part of the problem. We are the problem. Given that our population has increased by a billion and due to hit 10 billion by mid century their habitat will surely be gone.
Plus the gene pool of tigers is now down to only a handful as is that of cheetahs.
Sadly I don't think our grandchildren will know what these animals were even with a trip to the zoo.
And of course you heard there's a tiger loose down south of Seattle. Just hope they can capture it alive. Probably somebody's pet.
People in my area were sickened this week by news about some lowlife(s) having killed a grizzly bear and her cub. The bears are considered endangered and not to be hunted. Three weeks ago a moose was killed illegally. I hope the authorities catch whoever is responsible for these atrocities and puts them away until they're so old they look on standing to pee as target shooting.
Sadly, the Plutocratic world we live in means that some will be compelled to risk being shot. "Free" trade has worked the same wonders for millions of Indian poor that it has done for our poor and middle class.
Erik: I knew that about the Taliban but not about the Andes coca growers. But it figures. Sort of goes hand in hand with the Brazilian rain forest where ranchers and loggers are driving the natives off of their own land, and killing anybody who has a problem with that.
Randal: You don't know what you're missing if you've never watched porn under the enhancement of a ground-up tiger penis. Now for only a few thousand yuan, I could arrange...
Demeur: I read about the tiger wandering loose; near Puyallup I think. (I can spell it but I can't pronounce it.) I haven't seen any followup news about it. I hope the story doesn't have a tragic ending.
SW: That sucks about the grizzly bear and her cub. And there's a town called Twisp in eastern or central Washington, where somebody was actually arrested and tried for trapping or shooting some endangered wolves. He didn't even get any jail time. (I only know about it because a Seattle columnist has been ranting about it.)
I too would love to have these lowlifes "put away until they're so old they look on standing to pee as target shooting."
JR: Yup, let's hear it for "Free" Trade.
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