15 ms·

We just need to make it legal to "harvest" poachers.. worthy of a reward even.

RcouF1uZ4gsC 10y ago
Edited original comment for being too inflammatory. It is too easy to paint the poachers as an easy comic book villain. The truth is somewhat more complicated. People who are poaching elephants are probably not flying in from developed areas of the country/world to go poach elephants. They are probably locals. Now, given that elephants live in generally undeveloped areas, the people are living in proximity to undeveloped areas. Also, most likely, the people living in close proximity to the elephant's habitat are not in general rich people who like the view, but are probably the economically marginalized trying to eke out a living and probably are heavily involved in subsistence farming. When you are trying to feed your family, other concerns become secondary. In addition, having elephants around can be very destructive to your farming (one or 2 elephants could probably destroy a year's worth of a family's crops). Thus, people who are forced to live in close proximity to elephants probably do not view them through the same lens as we do, and view them rather as pests. Now think of this scenario, you are a young man in this situation. A few years ago, some elephants ate your crops and your family really suffered. However, you are not allowed to hurt them because your government (dominated by elites and relatively far away) was influenced by white people from Europe and America to legally protect these animals. Then someone comes to you, provides you with guns and ammo and says that if you kill these animals they will pay you several years worth of what you would make farming. You can use that money to buy medicine for your parents and send your brother and sister to school in the city. In addition, you can stick it to "the man" (government) who is corrupt and caters only to the rich urban needs and not the poor rural people. Suddenly, poachers don't look so inhuman do they?
- adamnemecek 10y ago
  Dude, what's your angle here. > extra-judicial You are implying that. > killing You know what they say, "live by the sword, die by the sword". > (most likely black) person You see, the thing about Africa is that there aren't too many people of other races. > person in 2016 Are you this upset over drone strikes in Afghanistan?
  - gohrt 10y ago
    > Are you this upset over drone strikes in Afghanistan? why would you assume they are not? are you? if not, why not? Caring for elephant life is great, but disregarding human life is not.
- SparkyMcUnicorn 10y ago
  This is exactly how I pictured it happening. Is your point that they see elephants the same way people in Vietnam might see dogs? I can understand that point, but not the inhuman point.
  - RcouF1uZ4gsC 10y ago
    Yes. Another example might be how the serfs in Robin Hood viewed deer and the royal anti-poaching laws. In regards to the inhuman point, I was referring to common western portrayals of poachers as pure evil villains and because they are evil as somehow less than human and that anything we do to the poachers in defense of the elephants is justified. I wanted to give a more nuanced view and make the point that but for our circumstances, we might have been poachers and viewed that as the right choice.

Edited original comment for being too inflammatory. It is too easy to paint the poachers as an easy comic book villain. The truth is somewhat more complicated. People who are poaching elephants are probably not flying in from developed areas of the country/world to go poach elephants. They are probably locals. Now, given that elephants live in generally undeveloped areas, the people are living in proximity to undeveloped areas. Also, most likely, the people living in close proximity to the elephant's habitat are not in general rich people who like the view, but are probably the economically marginalized trying to eke out a living and probably are heavily involved in subsistence farming. When you are trying to feed your family, other concerns become secondary. In addition, having elephants around can be very destructive to your farming (one or 2 elephants could probably destroy a year's worth of a family's crops). Thus, people who are forced to live in close proximity to elephants probably do not view them through the same lens as we do, and view them rather as pests. Now think of this scenario, you are a young man in this situation. A few years ago, some elephants ate your crops and your family really suffered. However, you are not allowed to hurt them because your government (dominated by elites and relatively far away) was influenced by white people from Europe and America to legally protect these animals. Then someone comes to you, provides you with guns and ammo and says that if you kill these animals they will pay you several years worth of what you would make farming. You can use that money to buy medicine for your parents and send your brother and sister to school in the city. In addition, you can stick it to "the man" (government) who is corrupt and caters only to the rich urban needs and not the poor rural people. Suddenly, poachers don't look so inhuman do they?

adamnemecek 10y ago
Dude, what's your angle here. > extra-judicial You are implying that. > killing You know what they say, "live by the sword, die by the sword". > (most likely black) person You see, the thing about Africa is that there aren't too many people of other races. > person in 2016 Are you this upset over drone strikes in Afghanistan?
- gohrt 10y ago
  > Are you this upset over drone strikes in Afghanistan? why would you assume they are not? are you? if not, why not? Caring for elephant life is great, but disregarding human life is not.
SparkyMcUnicorn 10y ago
This is exactly how I pictured it happening. Is your point that they see elephants the same way people in Vietnam might see dogs? I can understand that point, but not the inhuman point.
- RcouF1uZ4gsC 10y ago
  Yes. Another example might be how the serfs in Robin Hood viewed deer and the royal anti-poaching laws. In regards to the inhuman point, I was referring to common western portrayals of poachers as pure evil villains and because they are evil as somehow less than human and that anything we do to the poachers in defense of the elephants is justified. I wanted to give a more nuanced view and make the point that but for our circumstances, we might have been poachers and viewed that as the right choice.