Najib
Balala, the tourism and wildlife minister of Kenya, recently announced that
those who take the lives of innocent animals through poaching will soon face
the death penalty in the African country. While this proposal hasn’t been
officially enacted into law yet, Balala told China’s Xinhua news agency that
wildlife poaching is on a fast track to becoming a capital offense.
Sudan,
Kenya's last Rhino who was 45, lived at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya died
last year. The species is now extinct due the Chinese demand for Rhino horn.
While this
measure may seem extreme, it is a last resort attempt to deter people from
slaughtering Kenya’s rapidly decreasing wildlife population. Balala reportedly
said:
“We have in place the Wildlife Conservation Act that was enacted in 2013 and which fetches offenders a life sentence or a fine of U.S. $200,000. However, this has not been deterrence enough to curb poaching, hence the proposed stiffer sentence.”
The Chinese
demand for ivory and rhino horn are a threat to the survival of species.
The Chinese
demand for ivory and rhino horn are a threat to the survival of species. This
is a ordinary ivory shop in Hong Kong
As compared
to recent years, poaching in Kenya is actually on the decline in the present
day. According to the country’s tourism ministers, this decrease can largely be
attributed to more serious wildlife law enforcement efforts and increased
investment in conservation.
“These
efforts led to an 85 percent reduction in rhino poaching and a 78 percent
reduction in elephant poaching, respectively, in 2017 compared to when poaching
was at its peak in 2013 and 2012 respectively,” reported the ministry.
However, as
Balala pointed out, wildlife poaching has not yet been completely eradicated in
Kenya. The Independent reported, “Last year in the country 69 elephants - out
of a population of 34,000 — and nine rhinos - from a population of under 1,000
- were killed.” Furthermore, a poacher killed two black rhinos and a calf
earlier this month in Kenya’s Meru National Park.
According to
the Save the Rhino organization, the high loss rate of rhinos in Kenya and many
other African nations is essentially canceling out the growth rate of the
overall population. Since rhinos and other precious species that call Kenya
home are already endangered, poaching is putting them at a great risk of
disappearing forever. Considering the high stakes, the death penalty may not be
such a cruel penalty for this grave crime after all.
We can only
hope that the threat of capital punishment will be enough to deter people from
killing threatened species for their own personal gain so that poaching in
Kenya can be ended for good!
Very happy to see this
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