Kenya’s minister of tourism and wildlife, Najib Balala, has reportedly announced that wildlife poachers could soon be facing the death penalty for their crimes against animals. The minister stated that the current penalties for poaching are not harsh enough, so the new capital punishment law is being fast-tracked.
“We have in place the Wildlife Conservation Act that was enacted in 2013 and which fetches offenders a life sentence or a fine of US$200,000,” said Mr Balala. “However, this has not been deterrence enough to curb poaching, hence the proposed stiffer sentence.”
Kenya is home to some of the most precious, and most poached, megafauna in the world, including lions, black rhinos, ostriches, hippos, buffaloes, giraffe and zebra.
The poaching of Kenya’s wildlife has reduced over the last few years, mainly because of increased law-enforcement initiatives and more time and money invested into conservation.
“These efforts led to an 85 percent reduction in rhino poaching and a 78 percent reduction in elephant poaching, respectively, in 2017 compared to when poaching was at its peak in 2013 and 2012 respectively,” said the Ministry of Tourism.
However, poaching still poses a massive threat for some of these critically endangered species. In 2017, nine of the remaining 1,000 rhinos were killed, along with 69 elephants. Just last month two black rhinos and one calf were poached in Meru National Park.
Save the Rhino foundation reports that the number of animal deaths due to poaching is still too high, making it impossible for the rhino’s population growth rate to keep up.
The United Nations may not agree with these death-sentence penalties; they are calling for an end to capital punishment, regardless of the offense.
The announcement of these new plans for the death penalty have garnered a wide spectrum of responses, from people applauding the move, to others who greatly oppose the death penalty. There has also been debate that the new laws will fail to target the big bosses who are at the head of the multi-billion dollar poaching industry, and instead targets the “small fish” in the hierarchy.
It’s about time they got serious about defending the wild life…
Poaching has been going on for too long and if the death penalty will help stop it then so be it. The poachers know they are at risk if they are caught so they have a choice. It’s extreme but they have gotten away with poaching for too long. Animals are too much at risk of extinction if harsher laws are not implemented.
let these poachers face the same death they do; fair play.
good idea.
Send them to the firing squad. They deserve death.
They won’t get the big fish, but they will eventually run out of poachers. And Asia is the number one culprit that buys all these animals. I hope they don’t back down, it’s no ones business what another country does.
I think this should happen.
Should have been the death penalty for decades.
The only thing I can say here is HALLELUJAH! This would be a great big step in the right direction to stop the the senseless MURDER of our animals! Thank you doesn’t seem to be enough to say to Kenya’s minister of tourism and wildlife, Najib Balala, that he has reportedly announced that wildlife poachers could soon be facing the death penalty for their crimes against animals. The minister stated that the current penalties for poaching are not harsh enough, so the new capital punishment law is being fast-tracked. These sorts of laws should be fast tracked in many countries, including the U.S.A for crimes against animals of any kind!
Finalmente! It’s about time!
There are no shortages of people who would do anything for money.
Our beautiful animals should not suffer from human greed and blood lust.
When animals are butchered for nothing more than their horns and trophy, it is more critical to prevent extinction of their species than the protect the scum of the earth.
It is about time. These savage monsters need the same fate as they do to the wildlife.
It’s about time poachers face a harsh reality for their crimes. If they care so little for the magestic animals they are directly helping to become extinct, their worthless lives will not be missed. The same goes for trophy hunters who claim to be “helping” a species by killing them. They try to twist and warp their actions to justify feeding their egos.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MINISTER OF TOURISM!!!?????????GO AHEAD, MR, YOU DESERVE “FIRST PRIZE” IN CONSERVATION!!!????????????????????????
I think it’s a wonderful Idea if poachers kill then they should be killed. I also think Africa needs to prohibit the rich from killing African wildlife and if they’re caught should have to pay 1 million or more in fines and banned from the country
Finally!
That would be deserving. Hope it happens.
Also the USA needs to clamp down on the poachers here too.
These are cowardly low-life individuals.