The Poaching Menace in Kenya - Article Example

Report: The Poaching Menace in Kenya Introduction On June 19, John Heminway published an article d Opinion: Killing of Great Tusker in Kenya Recalls Lesson from the Past on the National Geographic website. The article informed the world that Satao, the elephant with the biggest tusks in Africa, had been slain by poachers for his gigantic tusks. His death added to the growing incidences of elephant and rhino poaching in the East African nation and generally highlighted the neglect offered to the conservation of nature’s rare treasures. Poisoned arrows and poaching guns bring to a halt the lives of Africa’s big five animals, as was done to Satao’s. In this article, Heminway sought to reveal to the world that in Kenya, elephants and rhinos no longer die natural deaths, but are killed by poachers who roam the African savannah freely as the government plays a blind ear to such occurrences. In this report, the issue of increasing poaching in Kenya as well as the Kenyan government downplaying its role in conserving elephants as highlighted in Heminway’s article will be discussed with regards to how the article attains its objectives. The article presents another elephant, Ahmed, who having been featured in three international films was able to escape death by poachers after the media fraternity influenced children to write letters to the first president of Kenya. Jomo Kenyatta, as he was named, bowed to the pressure and offered Ahmed lifetime presidential protection. Ahmed lived a full life and died naturally aged 65 years (Heminway, 2014). This presents the key argument in Heminway’s article; that why is the current president, Uhuru Kenyatta, who coincidentally is the son of Jomo Kenyatta, not following suit and protecting the lives of the remaining elephants? It was during his tenure that the world lost one of its biggest mammals on land; Satao (Iacurci, 2014). Ahmed’s life had been in danger, and it was the letter-writing campaign that saved him. At the time that he was awarded presidential protection, it was in the early 1970s, and poaching was on the increase (Brakspear & Sykes, 2008). Similarly, poaching has been on the rise in the current decade in Kenya. It is clear in the article that Ahmed had actually been shot and lived with bullets lodged in his body, and that occasionally, the smaller bull elephants protecting him had to scare away intruders, who are likely to have been poachers. In this, we learn that poaching is deeply rooted in Kenya and its environs, bearing in mind that there is a federal body mandated with protecting game (Gooch, 2011). However, to this day, elephants and rhinos die of poachers’ guns and arrows, even as the government says that it has deployed drones and taking measures to protect its endangered animals. As per the language and information used in creating the article, it is evident that the government of Kenya is a reluctant one when it comes to protecting its game. As such, this incident exoticizes a culture of ignorance in both the people and government of Kenya. They are shown not to be concerned with what happens to their game not unless external activism, such as the media-influenced 1970 children’s letter writing campaign, and now Heminway’s call intervene. They seem not to care until the matter gets out of hand. Worse still, local newspapers report that some game wardens collude with the poachers, and this may explain why elephants are killed day in and out (Odula & Straziuso, 2014). This again portrays the entire [wildlife] federal body as one crippled by impunity. Heminway challenges the people of Kenya that if Ahmed was able to enjoy his full life in the 1970s when technology such as drones and tracking did not exist, the same can be done, better (Wall, 2014). In 2013, poachers killed 13 elephants in one go,sparking angry reactions from around the world as to why the Kenyan authorities could allow such destruction of the fast-diminishing treasure (Gettleman, 2013), . At the same time, Mckenzie and Mullen (2014) revealed that only 10 poachers committed the heinous act. In addition, they contrasted with Odula and Straziuso (2014) that rangers were involved in such acts. Rather, they state, the poachers are better armed than the rangers, meaning they can easily overpower them and further their illegal treasure hunts (Smith, 2013). In the light of this, Heminway challenges the president of Kenya to offer all the endangered elephants in Kenya presidential protection which comprises of 24-hour surveillance by armed ranger patrols (Heminway, 2014). The article breaks new ground as it casts a challenge to Kenya; that they should all their elephants to be wiped out by poachers, they would also suffer endlessly. One of the ways they would suffer is economically since the nation relies on tourism to a large extent (Hope, 2012). Therefore, tourism would suffer as elephants (and rhinos) die out. Secondly, they would suffer spiritually just like what the elephants are. It is a known fact that before his death, Satao would try and conceal his tusks in bushes, away from any human onlookers (Flood, 2014). In this, it is clear that the elephants are aware of the human threat and it must be weighing heavily on them. This adds up to spiritual suffering and trauma. Therefore, the physical and psychological pain experienced by the elephants will extend to Kenyans if they do not stop the poaching. Elephant poaching is a topic that most scholars rarely disagree upon. Instead, they agree that it is on the increase, it is detrimental, and it should be stopped at all costs. Mazza (2014) states that compared to Kenyatta’s time, poaching has expanded tenfold. In 2013 alone, 20 rhinos and 97 elephants were killed. At this rate, Kenyan elephants, which number about 6,300 down from 13,000 (Cogswell, 2014) could be headed for extinction. Scholars and conservationists therefore share the same fear; that poaching will cost the world of its largest land animal. According to Kahumbu (204), the whole world was deeply hurt by Satao’s death. Satao was celebrated by people worldwide, and similar to Ahmed, had survived one arrow attack by poachers a few months to his death. Kahumbu adds that the most painful thing about Satao’s death is that his hard-earned survival skills had been rendered useless in just a day by new technology comprising of night vision goggles, cheap motorcycles, and GPS smart phones from China. It may appear like the mention of China is some form of bias, but it is not. Heminway mentions that the demand for ivory is richest in China, and further evidence justifies this. It is in China where warehouses are raided and tons of ivory from African elephants are discovered (EIA, 2007). The allegation that the weapons and other equipment used in tracking down, killing, and transporting elephant tusks originate from China. In short, Kenya and other parts of the world feel that China is the largest contributor to the poaching of their elephants. China might have felt the effect of the allegations, and recently, it imposed a ban on ivory imports expected to last one year (Levin, 2015). The ban coincided with the Kenyan president setting ablaze 15 tons of elephant tasks retrieved from apprehended poachers (Aljazeera, 2015). It might seem like the right move, but Heminway insists that presidential protection of individual elephants is the only sure way of conserving them as at now.Pflanz (2014)states the same. Conclusion The contrast between Ahmed and Satao’s deaths inspired Heminway’s publication on National Geographic. He felt that the elephants have been left on their own for too long, and that contributed to Satao’s death after his survival skills were outwitted by poachers. In the article, Heminway blames the Kenyan people and authorities for being ignorant, thus letting poachers roam free. The Kenyan president, however carries most of the blame in that unlike his father, he did little to protect Satao like his father did Ahmed. The article goes on to reveal impunity in the very forces expected to protect the animals. Additionally, it casts a challenge to Kenya, that if they allow the oppression and brutality on their elephants to continue, they should expect the same from nature. Once they have no more elephants, the economy will sink, and physical trauma will team up with spiritual suffering to give them a painful ending, just like the elephants undergo. Overall, Heminway’s article sufficiently addressed its subject. References AlJazeera. (2015). “Kenya burns tonnes of ivory confiscated from poachers.” Aljazeera. Retrieved on 17 March, 2015 from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2015/03/kenya-burns-tonnes-ivory-confiscated-poachers-150304003115266.html Brakspear, P., & Sykes, W. (2008).101 things to know when you go on safari in Africa: A travel companion : how to get the most out of your safari to Africa. Port Macquarie: Passion for Africa Publishing. Cogswell, B. (2014). To Have Borne Witness.Author House. Environmental Investigation Agency. (2007). “How China’s illegal Ivory Trade is Causing a 21st Century African Elephant Disaster.” EIA. Flood, Z. (2014, June 14). “Poachers Kill one of the World’s Largest Elephants in Kenya.” Telegraph. Retrieved on 17 March, 2015 from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/kenya/10899944/Poachers-kill-one-of-the-worlds-largest-elephants-in-Kenya.html Gettleman, J. (2013, Jan. 7). “Poachers Kill 11 Elephants in Kenyan Park.” The New York Times.Retrieved on 17 March, 2015 fromhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/08/world/africa/ivory-poachers-kill-11-elephants-in-park-in-kenya.html?_r=0 Gooch, F. (2011).Shoot on Sight. Xlibris Corporation. Heminway, J. (2014, June 19). “Opinion: Killing of Great Tusker in Kenya Recalls Lesson from the Past.” National Geographic. Retrieved on 17 March, 2015 from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/06/140619-satao-tusker-tsavo-kenya-ahmed-elephant-poaching/ Hope, K. (2012). The Political Economy of Development in Kenya. Continuum International Publication Group. Iacurci, J. (2014, Aug. 12). “World Elephant Day: Facts, Figures and Conservation.” Nature World News. Retrieved on 17 March, 2015 from http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/8508/20140812/world-elephant-day-facts-figures-and-conservation.htm Kahumbu, P. (2014, June 13). “Kenya’s biggest elephant killed by poachers.”The Guardian. Retrieved on 17 March, 2015 from http://www.theguardian.com/environment/africa-wild/2014/jun/13/kenyas-biggest-elephant-killed-by-poachers Levin, Dan. “2015, Feb. 26). “China Bans Imports of Ivory Carvings for One Year.”New York Times.Retrieved on 17 March, 2015 fromhttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/27/world/asia/china-bans-import-of-ivory-carvings-for-one-year.html Mazza, E. (2014, June 16). “Satao the Elephant Killed by Poachers in Kenya.” Huffington Post. Retrieved on 17 March, 2015 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/15/satao-the-elephant-killed_n_5497799.html McKenzie, D, & Mullen, J. (2013, Jan. 14). “Kenyan Rangers Hunt Poachers Who Killed 11 Elephants for Ivory.”CNN. Retrieved on 17 March, 2015 from http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/08/world/africa/kenya-elephants-killed/ Odula, T, & Straziuso, J. (2014, Aug 27). “Kenya wildlife rangers killing elephant poachers: Report.” The Star. Retrieved on 17 March, 2015 from http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/08/27/kenyan_wildlife_rangers_killing_elephant_poachers_report.html Pflanz, M. (2014, June 15). “Kenyans demand armed guards for kenya’slas great tuskers”. Telegraph.Retrieved on 17 March, 2015 fromhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/kenya/10901125/Poaching-Demands-for-armed-guards-for-Kenyas-last-great-tuskers.html Smith, D. (2013, June 15). “Fighting the poachers on Africa’s thin green line.”The Guardian.Retrieved on 17 March, 2015 fromhttp://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2013/jun/15/poachers-africa-thin-green-line Wall, M. (2014, July 21). “Can drones help tackle Africa’s wildlife poaching crisis?” BBC. Retrieved on 17 March, 2015 fromhttp://www.bbc.com/news/business-28132521 Read More