5 ms·

Do tusk poachers usually kill? Seems stupid to kill the golden goose.

neals 4y ago
You clearly haven't tasted some delicious golden goose.
Ygg2 4y ago
It's cheaper than to try to sedate a grown elephant. I mean who where would agree to unaesthetitized tooth surgery? And even if poachers did remove tusks humanely. Having no tusks or having infected tusk wounds would be a big disadvantage.
Tor3 4y ago
Try to imagine a bunch of poachers holding an elephant still while sawing off the tusks.. won't happen. It's not like they would grow new tusks next year anyway. As for killing off the part of the population carrying the "tusk" gene, they don't think in those terms.
SargeDebian 4y ago
They tend not to have long term wildlife conservation high on the agenda.
nikanj 4y ago
They probably kill the tuskless elephants too, out of spite and to ”punish” the elephant for not having tusks
liampulles 4y ago
Poaching is a time sensitive crime. There are armed guards in these conservation areas who will engage poachers.
adzm 4y ago
> Seems stupid to kill the golden goose. Unlike a goose that keeps laying eggs, tusks don't grow back. They are actually teeth.
once_inc 4y ago
Poaching is illegal. All practical issues with sedation and humane tusk removal aside: these guys need to work fast. They shoot the animal, race over to it, hack the tusks off at breakneck speed, then disappear. Penalties for poaching are generally paid with lead.
- 1letterunixname 4y ago
  I'm surprised that poachers use firearms rather than poisons or sedatives, risking announcing their position. A very powerful (and loud) cartridge is necessary to kill an elephant. Also, I thought most African elephants in managed wildlife areas have their tusks cut by wildlife officials to deter poaching and save animal lives. If this were the case, perhaps attraction in mating also no longer includes tusks as a desirable characteristic since few/no individuals possess it any longer.
  - bena 4y ago
    It also takes massive quantities of powerful poisons and sedatives to drop an elephant. And either of those options can take time. And cost. As to potentially giving your position away due to gunfire, the savannah is a big place and relatively flat. You can be hours away from the next human being. You can see them coming from miles away. And it makes it difficult to tell where sounds are coming from. So while you may hear the shot, you're not going to be able to tell exactly which direction it came from. Also, you only need to be far enough away to not be caught.
    - rgrmrts 4y ago
      I also would not be surprised if bullets are easier to acquire than poisons and sedatives. Along with the delivery mechanisms. AK-47s and their ammunition are abundant in many parts of the world. I don't think the same is true for dart guns for large sedative darts. EDIT: I don't know what weapons poachers are using, so AK-47 is just the first thing that came to mind. They maybe use higher calibre weapons?
      - 4y ago

You clearly haven't tasted some delicious golden goose.

Ygg2 4y ago

It's cheaper than to try to sedate a grown elephant. I mean who where would agree to unaesthetitized tooth surgery? And even if poachers did remove tusks humanely. Having no tusks or having infected tusk wounds would be a big disadvantage.

Tor3 4y ago

Try to imagine a bunch of poachers holding an elephant still while sawing off the tusks.. won't happen. It's not like they would grow new tusks next year anyway. As for killing off the part of the population carrying the "tusk" gene, they don't think in those terms.

SargeDebian 4y ago

They tend not to have long term wildlife conservation high on the agenda.

nikanj 4y ago

They probably kill the tuskless elephants too, out of spite and to ”punish” the elephant for not having tusks

liampulles 4y ago

Poaching is a time sensitive crime. There are armed guards in these conservation areas who will engage poachers.

adzm 4y ago

> Seems stupid to kill the golden goose. Unlike a goose that keeps laying eggs, tusks don't grow back. They are actually teeth.

once_inc 4y ago

Poaching is illegal. All practical issues with sedation and humane tusk removal aside: these guys need to work fast. They shoot the animal, race over to it, hack the tusks off at breakneck speed, then disappear. Penalties for poaching are generally paid with lead.

1letterunixname 4y ago
I'm surprised that poachers use firearms rather than poisons or sedatives, risking announcing their position. A very powerful (and loud) cartridge is necessary to kill an elephant. Also, I thought most African elephants in managed wildlife areas have their tusks cut by wildlife officials to deter poaching and save animal lives. If this were the case, perhaps attraction in mating also no longer includes tusks as a desirable characteristic since few/no individuals possess it any longer.
- bena 4y ago
  It also takes massive quantities of powerful poisons and sedatives to drop an elephant. And either of those options can take time. And cost. As to potentially giving your position away due to gunfire, the savannah is a big place and relatively flat. You can be hours away from the next human being. You can see them coming from miles away. And it makes it difficult to tell where sounds are coming from. So while you may hear the shot, you're not going to be able to tell exactly which direction it came from. Also, you only need to be far enough away to not be caught.
  - rgrmrts 4y ago
    I also would not be surprised if bullets are easier to acquire than poisons and sedatives. Along with the delivery mechanisms. AK-47s and their ammunition are abundant in many parts of the world. I don't think the same is true for dart guns for large sedative darts. EDIT: I don't know what weapons poachers are using, so AK-47 is just the first thing that came to mind. They maybe use higher calibre weapons?
    - 4y ago