War and the Effect on Wildlife
Human conflict throughout the world can often result in wars that cause large-scale economic and social disruption, as well as immense suffering and loss of human life. But the impact is not limited to the effect on human populations living in the war-zone. Its impact spreads broader, often impacting the natural environment and the wildlife …
Whale Hunting
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) placed a moratorium on all commercial whaling in 1986. However Japan, Iceland and Norway continue to hunt whales both commercially and for supposed ‘scientific purposes’; these three countries have slaughtered more than 25,000 whales between them since the moratorium was put in place. Presently whale hunting takes place under three …
Elephant poaching
Demand for ivory – particularly from China, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand, where it is valued for decorative and ornamental purposes – saw a dramatic upturn in the 1970s, and with this came a significant increase in ivory poaching, with 80% of the market being supplied by illegally poached ivory hunted by well-organized outfits armed with …
Rhino Poaching
Rhinos are currently being decimated in Africa, and also in other regions of the world where these magnificent animals are found. The scale of poaching has dramatically escalated over the last five years, fuelled by high demand for rhino horn in the Asian market, together with ridiculously high prices that rhino horn fetches on these …