9781422279113

Poachers do. Before the 20th century, killing wildlife was generally legal. There was a booming trade in animal parts. People bought elephant ivory, rhinoceros horns, tiger bones, and lion skins. But then the numbers of animals began to fall dramatically. Populations were being wiped out faster than they could re- build. Laws were passed to limit killing, but it did not solve the problem. Hunting wildlife just moved underground. Poaching is the act of illegally killing or capturing an an- imal, and it’s big business. Experts think the illegal wildlife trade is worth about $19 billion a year. It’s hard to shut down an industry that big. Poaching has already made some species extinct. If it doesn’t stop, more may die out soon. Out of Africa P oaching occurs wherever humans and animals live to- gether, but the problem is especially bad in Africa. For one thing, Africa is one of the few places in the world that still has significant numbers of large animals like elephants, rhinoceroses, and lions. Africa is also the planet’s poorest continent; people may earn only a few hundred dollars a year. Poaching is a way to make money fast. Even though it’s illegal, it’s often easy to get around the law. The govern-

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