Poachers' trophies seized, hundreds arrested in Tanzania - Polidicks

[QUOTE]The Tanzanian government has seized 618 million shillings ($386,000) in poachers' trophies since July in an ongoing crackdown in the Ruvuma region, Tanzania's Daily News reported Monday (November 19th). Police seized elephant tusks, tails and other materials worth 260 million shillings ($162,000), 10 hippopotamus teeth worth 2.4 million shillings ($1,500), 19 pieces of buffalo meat worth 1.9 million shillings ($1,200) and more than 10,000 pieces of timber worth 377.3 million shillings ($211,000). They also impounded 297 firearms, 370 rounds of ammunition and 150 shell casings. Police arrested 163 poachers, 123 of whom have been or will be charged in court. Judges have ruled on five cases, all of them resulting in convictions, according to police commander Emmanuel Kandihabi, the officer in charge of the crackdown. The convicted poachers will serve sentences ranging from three months to 10 years. Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism Khamis Kagasheki praised the officers' work and thanked area residents for their co-operation. He said longer sentences would serve as a more effective deterrent for poachers. "Recently, Kenya and South Africa sentenced a rhino trader to 40 years in jail," he said. "This is what we want. Such an offender should get between 50 and 60 years in jail." More than 23,000 elephants are murdered for their ivory tusks each year.[/QUOTE] [url]http://sabahionline.com/en_GB/articles/hoa/articles/newsbriefs/2012/11/19/newsbrief-05[/url] [IMG]http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/594/cache/elephant-ranger-protections-endorsed_59433_600x450.jpg[/IMG]

gross, they're all deflated and shit

Fucking poachers. [editline]19th November 2012[/editline] Scum of the earth they are.

[QUOTE=teh pirate;38518965]gross, they're all deflated and shit[/QUOTE] It is actually a common misconception that elephants are hunted for their teeth, which are improperly referred to as tusks; the tusks are actually large sacs that surround the elephant to provide it with extremely efficient insulation against heat and cold, and the ivory is actually a thick paste that composes approximately 85% of their mass and is used commonly in the plastic industry as a flame retardant.

[QUOTE=Snowmew;38519207]It is actually a common misconception that elephants are hunted for their teeth, which are improperly referred to as tusks; the tusks are actually large sacs that surround the elephant to provide it with extremely efficient insulation against heat and cold, and the ivory is actually a thick paste that composes approximately 85% of their mass and is used commonly in the plastic industry as a flame retardant.[/QUOTE].... what. You mean they arent solid? my whole life is a lie.

Why not just kill deer. Nobody gives a fuck about the deer.

[QUOTE=Snowmew;38519207]It is actually a common misconception that elephants are hunted for their teeth, which are improperly referred to as tusks; the tusks are actually large sacs that surround the elephant to provide it with extremely efficient insulation against heat and cold, and the ivory is actually a thick paste that composes approximately 85% of their mass and is used commonly in the plastic industry as a flame retardant.[/QUOTE] [img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=458276&dateline=1321924266[/img]

This'll cheer you guys up! I have a close family friend who lives on a reserve she owns in Botswana, and has a few [I]very[/I] rich donors who make sure that she is always fully armed and ready to go on her sanctuary. She has a crew of 12 men who go around in patrols with her, and since it's private land, she has full rights to shoot to kill if people come on to her land armed. That goes double since she's a reserve. She has this massive-ass .50 cal sniper rifle she uses which she calls her "boom gun" since it's mostly meant to scare off poachers. The best thing (she says at least) she's ever done was catch this group of poachers in a boat on her lake (thing) trying to shoot hippos. It was her "natural inclination to shoot the biggest hole in the boat she could and watch them try and get away from the hippos." She also brought a live baby panther to my freshman class. I'm going to try and get out there one of these summers and hunt for poachers with her, if I can.

[QUOTE=Snowmew;38519207]It is actually a common misconception that elephants are hunted for their teeth, which are improperly referred to as tusks; the tusks are actually large sacs that surround the elephant to provide it with extremely efficient insulation against heat and cold, and the ivory is actually a thick paste that composes approximately 85% of their mass and is used commonly in the plastic industry as a flame retardant.[/QUOTE] What? No. Fucking look up "tusk" or "ivory" on Wikipedia to see how wrong he is.

[QUOTE=ewitwins;38520399]This'll cheer you guys up! I have a close family friend who lives on a reserve she owns in Botswana, and has a few [I]very[/I] rich donors who make sure that she is always fully armed and ready to go on her sanctuary. She has a crew of 12 men who go around in patrols with her, and since it's private land, she has full rights to shoot to kill if people come on to her land armed. That goes double since she's a reserve. She has this massive-ass .50 cal sniper rifle she uses which she calls her "boom gun" since it's mostly meant to scare off poachers. The best thing (she says at least) she's ever done was catch this group of poachers in a boat on her lake (thing) trying to shoot hippos. It was her "natural inclination to shoot the biggest hole in the boat she could and watch them try and get away from the hippos." She also brought a live baby panther to my freshman class. I'm going to try and get out there one of these summers and hunt for poachers with her, if I can.[/QUOTE] That sounds like an amazing Job. Wow

[QUOTE=hiimpaul123;38521609]That sounds like an amazing Job. Wow[/QUOTE] She is the definition of badass. She and my dad click really well and I [I]really[/I] (secretly) wish they'd get together so I can go on mad safari adventures over the summer.

[QUOTE=ewitwins;38520399]I'm going to try and get out there one of these summers and hunt for poachers with her, if I can.[/QUOTE] Some poachers are the scum that does it for the easy buck. Others are poor people who find poaching to be the only way to make a living in an economy ruined by decades of imperialism. Slaughtering animals for their ivory is indisputably wrong, but being gung-ho about killing other human beings when they aren't even threatening you is just as disturbing. I don't have much sympathy for poachers who get what's coming to them, but enthusiastically talking about killing people as a summer pastime is even more messed up than what the poachers do.

[QUOTE=catbarf;38521893]Some poachers are the scum that does it for the easy buck. Others are poor people who find poaching to be the only way to make a living in an economy ruined by decades of imperialism. Slaughtering animals for their ivory is indisputably wrong, but being gung-ho about killing other human beings when they aren't even threatening you is just as disturbing. I don't have much sympathy for poachers who get what's coming to them, but enthusiastically talking about killing people as a summer pastime is even more messed up than what the poachers do.[/QUOTE] I think poachers should be engaged with equal force. If they shoot at you, you can shoot back. I would think the poor ones would not want to die over an elephant and would run off at the first sign of trouble. Warning shots are fine. Poachers can sometimes be heavily armed though. In which case you should be too, just to be safe.

[QUOTE=Snowmew;38519207]It is actually a common misconception that elephants are hunted for their teeth, which are improperly referred to as tusks; the tusks are actually large sacs that surround the elephant to provide it with extremely efficient insulation against heat and cold, and the ivory is actually a thick paste that composes approximately 85% of their mass and is used commonly in the plastic industry as a flame retardant.[/QUOTE] A++ troll, had me going for a bit.

[QUOTE=OvB;38522262]I think poachers should be engaged with equal force. If they shoot at you, you can shoot back. I would think the poor ones would not want to die over an elephant and would run off at the first sign of trouble. Warning shots are fine. Poachers can sometimes be heavily armed though. In which case you should be too, just to be safe.[/QUOTE] I spent two years in Tanzania and saw a fair number of poachers. It's an extremely varied group, because a poacher can be anyone from a poor guy with a gun who has to poach to make a living, to professionals who are very serious about poaching as a career and will kill anyone who gets in their way. They can be extremely unpredictable because you never know who you're dealing with. Threaten him and he might run away, or he might shoot first. That's what makes them so dangerous, some are more innocent than others. But even if every poacher was a hardcore criminal, the 'I want to spend the summer in Africa and kill trespassers with a sniper rifle' mentality is maybe a [I]little[/I] bit morally ambiguous, at the very least.

[QUOTE=King Tiger;38520832]What? No. Fucking look up "tusk" or "ivory" on Wikipedia to see how wrong he is.[/QUOTE] Thank you for pointing out the joke as it flew over your head.