The big question is “why do people poach?” , the common answer would be for monetary incentives. For many who poach this is their daily job and it provides them a living hood. Poachers often employ crude trapping techniques that leave animals with wounds and infections that go untreated and in our eyes they may be seen as “heartless” but from the poachers view poaching is seen as  a form of money and survival.

Pangolins being stuffed in cages too small for them.

Incentives play a big part in reasons for why people poach. As poaching is illegal, they do not have strict rules to follow when capturing these animals. The many methods that they choose to adopt are usually cost saving. For example, “Cramped in crates, many animals die on the long, secretive journey to market. Some are given tranquilizers or drugs before being smuggled out of the country, where they are resold for 10 times their local value.” These poachers will by all means try to make the most out of these animals even if it means harming them. While we may be accusing these poachers of being unethical,however without the growing market they will have no incentive to poach. For example, the pangolins are being poached to meet the culinary and medicinal demand. Their scales are pounded up for medicine and their meat is served on dinner plates. Therefore, to meet the rising demand of these animals they have greater incentive to poach.

Traditional medicine made from pangolin ingredients

Another reason for poaching would be for survival. Many of these poachers are villagers in Indonesia, they live in a place filled with plenty of wildlife. In order to survive and feed their families they are attracted to the monetary value of these animals. They are in the ” right place at the right time”, as  they are living in an area rich with wildlife. For example, a live mountain gorilla is worth $150000, a komodo dragon is worth $30000 and a rhinoceros horn is worth as much as $28600 per kilogram. Therefor while there are many jobs available in Indonesia, poaching offers high incentives with little punishment.

Therefore, poaching is a growing business with its high demand and large incentives. Many will be attracted to enter this illegal business, if nothing is done to stop this it will continue to grow.