African conservationists shooting poachers

[jooxis]

So, rhinoceros is a critically endangered species, possibly about to disappear from the face of the Earth forever due to poaching.
Chinese medicine has used rhino horns in recipes for thousands of years. There is high demand for rhino horn on the black market and despite all efforts, rhinos get shot and killed every day in Africa.

African conservationalists have a "shoot-to-kill" tactic for identified poachers. Various human rights groups have complained about this. However,

"Some conservation groups regard the protection of the gorilla, rhino and other endangered species as more important than human life"

So, what do you think?

[Nekowolf]

Well, poaching IS illegal. Just throwing that out there.

As for support/criticism of it, I can't really say at the moment.

[Mia138]

Before I start I will make it clear that I am not a gun lover or gun supporter. I am a Brit and am proud of our strict gun laws and the fact that our police are not armed in everyday service.
However, I see no problem at all in shooting poachers in instances where they have been clearly warned 'POACHERS WILL BE SHOT' and where every effort has been made by the authorities to stem the crime in other ways and failed.
Human beings, as these poachers are supposed to be, have the ability to make reasoned choices. If they decide that the reward is worth the risk of being shot dead..on their head be it. We owe it to ourselves, our children and our grandchildren to preserve these species.
I don't see it as a matter of valuing their life more than the animals life..its a simple matter of making a choice to act legally or illegally and taking the consequences, imo.

[Mistermook]

Part of the problem is that there's not really enough anti-poaching forces out there to properly police the continent. Shooting poachers is expedient, with so few people on the other side and such poor court systems in general, it simply makes some practical sense. No one needs to guard prisoners, or worry about having to write arrest reports and the like.

In a perfect world there would be plenty of people responsible for keeping away poachers and you could afford to rigorously enforce both conservation rights and human rights, but we don't live in that world.

[supersimoholic]

I think the life of an ENDANGERED animal is worth a lot more than the life of a human. There are plenty of humans, and after all, this one was breaking the law, and I bet the poachers wouldn't think twice about shooting a conservationist if they saw them, because they know if he told they'd go to prison.

[Oaktree]

I don't think that the value of life is based on the number of specimens of a species that exist. I think that it is a terrible tragedy when the last of any species dies, but it doesn't mean that that life is inherently worth more than a few dozen of something else. I think the reason why it is acceptable for the poachers to be shot is because they are breaking the law and the punishment for that law is death. If you commit murder and you are given the death penalty, you knew that that was a potential consequence, so it is an allowable one. If the legal consequence of poaching is death, then it is allowable for a poacher to be shot. Essentially, I agree with Mia138.

[ElementMK]

I'm no animal rights activist, but I think this isn't an overblown reaction at all. Poaching and the activities directly and wholly related to eradicating a species (in other words, not sustainable agriculture or fishing) should be brutally punished. There is a reason why it is illegal, and you saw the signs on your way in. You're making an active choice that has the chance of critically destabilizing not only your local ecosystem, but the Earth's entire biosphere. Getting shot is simply sacrificing the wants of the few for the needs of the many. Find a new profession.

[Doc Doofus]

I think they should let gorillas shoot human poachers. Make it their job to protect themselves. It just seems more fair that way. You want to shoot a gorilla? Well, okay, but you should just know, that gorilla might be shooting back. Why should it be okay to shoot gorillas but not to be shot at yourself?

[fakepeeps7]

I think they should let gorillas shoot human poachers. Make it their job to protect themselves. It just seems more fair that way. You want to shoot a gorilla? Well, okay, but you should just know, that gorilla might be shooting back. Why should it be okay to shoot gorillas but not to be shot at yourself?

I'm sure they could be taught to do that.

It's the rhinos that might have a tough time loading the guns...

[edejan]

I think they should let gorillas shoot human poachers. Make it their job to protect themselves. It just seems more fair that way. You want to shoot a gorilla? Well, okay, but you should just know, that gorilla might be shooting back. Why should it be okay to shoot gorillas but not to be shot at yourself?

Unfortunately, gorillas are rather peaceable.

[Mistermook]

I don't want any other armed species on the planet. Especially any species armed that people have been cutting up so that old men in China can eat their penises as "medicine." I know it's all "poetic justice" and all that, and I'm not a big fan of 90% of humanity either, but on the other hand as human I believe in self-policing. If anyone's going to call another human on their bad behavior and say "put 'em down," I don't want it to be "...because they've been eating my ape-penis and making my feet into ashtrays." Just... no.

;)

[Rikachu]

No life is worth more than any other. The poachers know that they are getting close to wiping out an entire species - they just don't care. So why should anyone else care about the poachers? They obviously value money more than any life - and with any sum of cash people like them could be persuaded to do anything. Why let other species, who we all have always shared this earth with, die because of greed? In my own opinion, the world would be better without poachers. I say let the conservations shoot them.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not into PETA or animal-rights groups- I'm a farmer. But I know that animals only should be killed for sustenance. That's just the law of nature - but to kill animals for the body parts, for bogus medicines, which have never been proven to work? I say no.

[Rawra]

I don't agree with any form of hunting. How could people be proud that they lead to the extinction of certain species, and they also win a damn trophy for it! If it is necessary, if there are TOO MANY, I agree. If your life's in danger, I agree again. But doing it for pleasure is the ultimate barbarism.
So, I totally agree - the poachers should be shot!

[simneesee]

I agree with Rikachu. If you're a poacher, and you know the laws, yet you still choose to poach in this area, then it's your own fault when you get shot. Animal/human life importance aside, the law is the law- if you're break it, then you suffer the consequences.

[Safyre420]

To take my stance from another thread in the debate forum, we need to cull the herd anyway, might as well start with the poachers and those sitting on death row for 5+ years

[TBot411]

One must remember that the poachers have shot and killed a number of unarmed African conservationist over the years. Dian Fossey being the most famous one.

[Sunbee]

This is one of those issues where I think we may not have the entire picture. Why are people poaching? Is it because they're greedy, or is it because this is the only way they can see to get the money they need to survive? I suspect there's some of both, and it'd be a damn shame to shoot someone who's poaching to try to be able to pay for their kid's HIV drugs, don't you think? I don't know much about the rhino issues, but I do wonder how likely the poachers are to be able to find other paying work.

[SuicidiaParasidia]

if you have the money to fly to africa to poach, or to fly to china to sell it, or the connections necessary to get into the black market and navigate without being caught, im pretty damn sure you arent starving or trying to work off some kind of debt.

idk, i just think that "noble cause" line is a bunch of crap. :/

mainly because absolutely nothing comes to mind that requires anyone to run out and kill a rhino to resolve it.

[jooxis]

Hah, I don't think there's any other possible reason for someone to hunt rhinos to sell their horns other than them being a greedy heartless selfish douchebag.

[dutch]

Methinks animal hunting or gold/diamonds/etc. digging or whatever along that line came from our excessive materialism, as a result of greed, vanity and narcissism. People want way more than what they actually need, just because they can now afford to. They are eager to live lives of better standards at the expense of others (be it humans or other, well, stuff, animals, ozone layer and everything). Human rights exist because we made them. Otherwise, anything and everything in existence pretty much have equal rights. So if we have already given ourselves the title of superior beings - I'm not saying we are - we should also at least act the part and not hunt everything down just for the sake of selfish short-term wants. The nature deserves that much, if not more. For those who have been warned and still decided to violate, I see nothing wrong in the authorities shooting them down according to an enacted law.

Let's say all rare resources and precious species run out after another few decades or centuries, humans are fucked and left to regret that they haven't taken serious action in the past.

[thetinhouse]

I live about 7 kms from a small game reserve that was the home to 4 rhino. Earlier in the year two of them were butchered for their horns. The remaining two have been de-horn in an attempt to save their lives. Apparently the poachers were dropped off and collected by helicopter! How can any game-ranger prevent that?! These men and woman risk their lives on a daily basis to protect these animals. The man who endangers his life, by actually doing the killing of these animals is often the poorer local man looking to make a quick buck. The real money goes to syndicates who can get anything up to USD 50 000+ per kg, so I guess its not just the animals who are being exploited.

The tragic fact is that a lot of these creatures probably wont be around for our great-grandchildren to see, well definitely not outside of a zoo. Its not a matter of losing a few dozen, its a matter of losing some species all together. For no reason other than vanity, greed and gross stupidity. If you have ever travelled to Africa and been to a proper game reserve you will see pictures at the various camps, of animals who have taken days to die, (sometimes being eaten alive by other predators) after being caught in snares, etc.

What never fails to astonish me is that in this day and age, with all the knowlege and resources we have at our disposal, we are still managing to kill our planet off, one species at a time. It all boils down to money, vanity, selfishness and status........all the 'really important' things in life. Who cares about some poor suffering beast on the brink of extinction, when you can make money, or swallow ground up keratin and improve your looks or sex-life, or whatever crap people believe exotic animal body parts are good for. Just google supermodel/rhino horn, and you can read about how rhino horn 'helps' some aging has-been remain 'young and gorgeous'! Chew your fingernails for sh*ts sake! Its made of the same stuff! And we call ourselves the evolved species!!