Sadly the poachers are often not the movie villains we grew up on, often they are poor and starving, or forced into illegal poaching under threat of force. While animal parts can be worth huge money internationally, the actually packers often barely see a fraction of a percent of the value- they are essentially exploited by larger criminals. There has been success reducing poaching in the past with programs that tackle underlying issues of poverty or income that can lead to patching.
That said- where functional and available programs are offered or where a poacher isn’t forced by circumstances or actual threat to poach- yeah. I say shoot them. Hell- sad as it is if they are exploited- there are waaay more humans than Rhinos- so I’m not saying don’t shoot ‘em. I’m just saying we should do our best to try and create a situation where no one gets shot. Life isn’t just “life and death-“ it’s living. A Rhino in the wild and a Rhino in a cage aren’t the same. We tend to value human life
above other animal life for the most part- but oddly we do tend to make one exception when it comes to animals in that we tend to see them as more deserving of comfort and habitat. Most developed countries have laws regarding minimum standards of living for animals in captivity or in allowing them habitat to live in the wild. When it comes to humans we tend to be more cold when it comes to anything above death. Like- most people won’t advocate killing the homeless, but are generally fine if we let them die or even create barriers to things the homeless need to survive. So I mean- it would be nice if we could care more for people and animals and not just consider our moral duties done if we don’t personally kill them.
That said- where functional and available programs are offered or where a poacher isn’t forced by circumstances or actual threat to poach- yeah. I say shoot them. Hell- sad as it is if they are exploited- there are waaay more humans than Rhinos- so I’m not saying don’t shoot ‘em. I’m just saying we should do our best to try and create a situation where no one gets shot. Life isn’t just “life and death-“ it’s living. A Rhino in the wild and a Rhino in a cage aren’t the same. We tend to value human life