Overhunting and trading of endangered species has been a threat to animals and extinction for as long as I know. Though we are informed about all of these unwanted and illegal issues that do no good to the environment and us, do you know the solutions to it? Do you know how to prevent it or how to minimize it? There are ways, of course, as it is common that every problem has a solution. Though it might not eliminate the problem from the surface of Earth completely, it surely would help if we did something about it in an effort to make the world a better place.
Now, before we dive deeper straight into the solutions that I would suggest today, I would like to take a short well for us to understand the reasons why overhunting and trading of endangered species happens and why it needs to be stopped.
Going briefly through it will be what I am going to do. As we all know that humans have been consuming animal meat for as long as I know, the growing demand for meat causes overhunting as hunters obtain more profit the more they hunt and provide to the market. Other than that, there are always people hunting because of their needs– food. They provide and obtain food for themselves in a more natural way and do it on a daily basis, causing harm to animals in the long run. Now, opposite to people hunting for their needs, there are people who have developed a hobby in hunting. Concerning, it is. But there are actual people who hunt and harm animals for their own fun and the feeling of satisfaction after hunting and achieving their goal. Hunting is even considered a sport, ignoring the harm it causes to the wildlife around us.
After a few factors of overhunting stated up there, I hope you have a clearer idea and understand overhunting more. Now, I want to briefly state and explain the consequences of overhunting and why it needs to be stopped. Number 1, of course, will be extinction of species, the most common and terrible consequence of them all. Extinction causes the species to disappear from Earth. Not only does this disrupt the food chain, it also causes our younger generation to not be able to learn and study about the wondrous world of animals and wildlife with their own eyes, by experiencing the wonders of it all. Moreover, the extinction and disappearance of other species of the wild will affect non-endangered animals too as they might not find enough food due to the species of animals that are decreasing gradually, disappearing with the flow of time due to the foolishness and selfishness of humans. Through thorough research, I had also found out that extinction also affects the migration patterns of animals. This is due to the reason that their prey no longer exists on their migration routes. Migration is a way of nature and if animals that migrate does not have food to support them on the way, it could lead to other consequences that cause a crack in our biodiversity.
There are no exact solutions to this problem, but all the solutions that I am going to state right now have potential and might work.
Enforcing and Stricting Hunting Laws As time passes, the hunting laws that protect animals would soon be more relaxed causing humans to carry out hunting more frequently as the law is not strict enough.
Buyers should only buy Environmental-friendly Things Make sure that the products that you buy are not associated with overhunting or trading of endangered species. Without economic support for this part of the market, hunters and providers would have no choice but to give it up.
Report any illegal wildlife trade To stop it from happening, it needs to be prevented immediately. Report if you are aware of any suspicious trades of animals that are illegal.
Donations for Conservation Agencies By doing this, we are providing help and support to endangered animals to be protected and to be in good care.
Petitions to Spread Awareness Spread awareness and start petitions. The more people that get involved in stopping this issue, the higher the chances for us to get the attention of the government for them to take action on this issue and strengthen the law.
Captions- Javan Rhinoceros– The most endangered animal on the edge of extinction
Citations: