Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! We love learning about animals, caring for them and even singing songs about them. Whether they are creatures of land or sea or sky, we should respect the fellow residents of our planet.
But unfortunately not everyone views animal life as beautiful or important. Poaching is when animals are killed, trapped or taken without permission. Most of the time poachers want to get parts of the animals to sell. For example, ivory comes from the tusks of elephants and rhinos. People wear tiger skins as coats or put them on display as trophies. Sharks have their fins cut off for soup and medicine. There are even some plants that are threatened by poaching!
Poaching makes the food chain unbalanced and can lead to species becoming extinct. The good news is that many governments around the world have made laws to protect animals. Concerned people have also started organizations to help put an end to poaching. If you want to take action, start by reading about different endangered species!