By Ariana Molkara, Staff Writer and Social Media Manager
EXTINCTION: Homo sapiens aren’t the only species affected by Coronavirus lockdowns.
COVID-19 closures continue to affect businesses and the livelihood of families around the world, but what hasn’t been getting as much news coverage is the spike in animal poaching that has occurred since the lockdowns began. Poaching is the illegal hunting of animals in the wild, typically for the possession of their tusks, furs, or other valuable materials to be sold as trinkets or other household items.
In some cultures, it is falsely believed that rhino horns have medicinal properties. In an article from National Geographic titled “China Legalizes Rhino Horn and Tiger Bone for Medical Purposes,” Dina Fine Maron explains how “rhino horn is made from keratin—a protein found in fingernails and hair—and the product is falsely said to help treat everything from cancer to gout when consumed in its powder form. There are no proven medicinal benefits in humans from either product.” The misconception, however, continues to be just one reason why rhinos and other such creatures fall victim to poachers. These endangered animals-which were already struggling to survive-now face a deepened threat to their survival on account of COVID-19.
Due to the lockdowns, tourism in Africa and Asia has ground to a halt. As such, funding for ranger programs is dwindling and many people without jobs are turning to poaching to make money. The closures have also caused a shortage of law enforcement in wildlife protection areas, allowing poachers to enter the open plains and poach without fear of arrest or fine. The combination of these factors has proved to be catastrophic to the preservation of wildlife. Four hundred rhinos have lost their lives at the hands of poachers in just the last 4 months, at a rate three times faster than what it would have been pre-quarantine.
One organization is continuing to fight the battle for animal conservation despite the limitations of quarantine: Stop Poaching Now, or SPN for short. SPN is a non-profit group that utilizes conservation tactics, education programs, and awareness efforts to put an end to poaching. SPN funds on-the-ground ranger programs and pays for drones and trained dogs that help locate poachers. Through their international education programs, SPN also continues to raise awareness of this pressing problem and inspire the next generation of wildlife conservationists.
On August 15th, SPN threw a socially distanced E-Race Extinction event, in which individuals walked, ran, or rode their bike anywhere and made donations in an effort to contribute to the cause. The event kicked off with an educational panel, featuring Hollywood guest speakers like Tim Blake Nelson and Jack and Danny Huston. Though physically separated, people from around the world came together at this event to fight in the battle for animal preservation.
Today, only 415,000 elephants are left in Africa. A century ago, that number was over 5 million. With the repercussions of COVID-19, the stakes are higher than ever for endangered animals. As the world works to flatten the curve of Coronavirus infection, desperate efforts to reverse the curve of endangered animal poaching persist.
For more information about SPN’s conservation efforts, you can visit their page at stoppoaching-now.org and find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
To learn more about COVID-19, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html