A
"Poaching" is the illegal capturing and very often even the killing of wild animals.
Did you know that
poaching is a type
of organised
crime that is
worth about
£15 billion
each year
nimals in the wild are sometimes hurt and are taken into captivity. Sometimes they don’t get set free and that can sometimes make some people think that they should be set free and put back in the wild. But what is best? We are animal lovers and we are torn. Of course we want animals to live where it is natural and normal for them to live. We humans wouldn't like to be forced to stay in a cage no matter how big it is. But is the wild actually the best place for all animals...
On one hand we see animals roaming in their natural homes, free to go where they want. Then, we think of poachers and hunters coming along and harming the animals - a lot of the time even killing the animal for their meat or for their fur.
We know this isn't right. This is awful and unfair. According to the WWF about 20,000 African elephants are killed by poachers each year. That's JUST African elephants, never mind Thai or Indian - or any other countries that have elephants living there.
So in a way Zoos are a protection zone. A little safe place for animals to be protected from people who might harm them. Well, most zoos have this aim. But all zoos are businesses. They want to make money. Lots of lovely animal loving people will work there for all the right reasons, but the big bosses of zoos well they are often money hungry.
zoos - haven or hell?