COVID-19 has affected the lives of many people, but also that of wildlife.
In the fight against poaching, this is a unique time where the absence of tourism has put the economy of entire countries, particularly those who rely on wildlife tourism for generating income and providing work to those communities who live side by side with nature. In particular, the annihilation of tourism has affected the work of rangers around the world, both in national and private reserves.
The pandemic has thus heightened fears for the fate of african large mammals.
In the last 10 years the number of rhinos in Soth Africa has gone down by 7000 units, with less than 4000 remaining.
Il bracconaggio dei rinoceronti in Sudafrica è aumentato del 9000% dal 2007 al 2014
rhino poaching has increades by 9000% between 2007 and 2014
in 2015 the number of poached rhinos reached 1349
Luckily, in 2020 there has been fewer rhinos poached compared to previous years.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) there has been a 35% decrease in tourist arrivals between January and April 2020 in Africa alone, where tourism is a major part of the economy. Such a devastating blow to tourism related activities has caused a massive job loss, forcing the poorest to hunt and sell wildlife illegally.
