While the world screams out about the organized poaching that is decimating Africa’s elephant and rhino, little is being said about the plundering of our oceans. Many marine species are actually at far greater risk from wildlife and environmental crime than terrestrial species.
Just as we have finally recognized that rangers need our fullest support to stop the poaching, so too must we support our marine rangers that require specialized skills and equipment to tackle scores of boats laden with up to twenty poachers each. In this image, piles of poached abalone shells lie on the shores of Robben Island off Cape Town, South Africa. Abalone is a cash crop that provides the gangs with funds for their illicit activities that so degrades social stability.
