Poaching not always a distant problem

November 20, 2011

When poachers killed the last female rhino inside a popular South African game reserve, the horrific story was international news. The shocking photos of the crime scene showed the huge animal bleeding to death after its horn had been hacked off by the thieves.

The act was very brazen ? the criminals used a helicopter to locate the rhino and tranquilizer darts to down the 9-year-old animal. Her panic-stricken calf was still pacing nearby when wildlife authorities arrived at the scene, drawn there by the vultures circling overhead, ready to close the circle of life.

Publicity brought that 2010 case to the world, and once again exposed the engine driving such acts of destruction. As economic growth brings more wealth to the region, the market for rhino horn is red hot in Asia, where it is used in many traditional medicines and elixirs. The horns are also in demand in the Middle East where they are used to make ornate handles for daggers.

A week after the senseless slaughter of the mother white rhino, the story was gone and essentially forgotten, but the poaching goes on. By year's end wildlife officials estimated in South Africa alone close to 200 rhinos had been killed by poachers.

This is not a problem isolated to a distant land we see only in the pages of National Geographic or on the Animal Planet cable channel. Poaching goes on right here in the farm belt of the Midwest.

The profits are not as high, the targets not as rare, but poaching is still a very big problem here, whether fueled by greed or profit. Just last year, three men from Tennessee and three from Georgia were nabbed near Port Clinton with close to 150 smallmouth bass over the legal possession limit.

While such an act clearly does not bring the same emotional response as the photos of the dying rhino, both are crimes. The poaching fishermen robbed the citizens of Ohio and the taxpayers who support sound science-based management of the fishing stock in Lake Erie.

Just like a bank robber indiscriminately cleaning out the contents of the vault, they also stole from our neighbors in Ontario, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York ? those who share the responsibility to carefully guard Erie's many resources.

Gino Barna, supervisor of the Division of Wildlife's Lake Erie Law Enforcement Unit, stressed that point at the time.

"Sport fishing in Ohio generates $1.1 billion of economic impact annually," Barna said. "The Lake Erie fishery is one of Ohio's prized natural resources and needs to be protected for all anglers."

Poaching is likely going on right now along the back roads and forested areas of our state. With white-tailed deer in the peak of their rut, a period of high activity and movement, they are targeted by poachers using spotlights and high-powered rifles. A solitary crack of gunfire after dark has few other explanations.

Still think this is a problem elsewhere on the globe but not here . . . then digest this: just last year an Ohio man pleaded guilty to poaching the largest "typical" whitetail buck killed in North America in 2009. This criminal had tried to pass off the deer as a record buck he had taken in Kentucky with a bow, but too many Ohio hunters had seen the trophy in Adams County and even snapped its picture with trail cameras. They let wildlife officials know, and as the investigative net closed around him, the poacher rolled over.

Without the input of concerned citizens, that case would never have come to light. As budgets shrink and the funds for wildlife law enforcement dry up, the burden becomes greater on all of us to do our part. Cell phones are a great tool for instantly reporting unusual nighttime activity, suspected over-harvest of fish, or any mistreatment of wildlife.

Ohio's Turn-In a Poacher, or "TIP" program allows you to report suspected wildlife violations and remain anonymous. The 1-800-POACHER hotline is simple to remember. Since its inception nearly 30 years ago, the TIP program has resulted in more than 1,500 convictions for poaching in Ohio. In many of those cases, the caller received a cash reward for providing information that led to arrests.

TIP is a private, non-profit organization staffed by volunteers. It's regular people doing good work. They will set the wheels in motion to put Ohio's poachers behind bars, as long as we all have the good sense to work as their eyes and ears around the state.

Matt Markey is the A-T outdoors columnist.
Contact him at:
ohiooutdoors@wcnet.org