Wildlife Poaching On The Rise During The Pandemic That Wildlife Poaching Likely Caused

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Wildlife poaching is on the rise in Africa as the coronavirus pandemic squeezes the organizations devoted to stopping poachers, said the founder of the Zimbabwe-based International Anti-Poaching Foundation.

“We’ve seen a huge upturn,” said Damien Mander, displaying a graph charting a steep rise in the recovery of tusks from poached elephants.

“There’s a fairly steady line there with a dip just before covid and then a rapid upward turn as a result of a downtown in tourism and philanthropic giving.”

The coronavirus pandemic shut down African tourism, which funds many of the continent’s conservation activities. At the same time, Mander said, it caused a global economic depression that crushed philanthropic giving to conservation groups. Poachers have stepped into the gaps.