How Poverty Throughout the United States Leads to Illegal Poaching of Wildlife

Abstract

Abstract

The literature demonstrates that a number of factors contribute to illegal killing of wildlife, otherwise known as the crime of poaching. Poaching is a widespread problem in the United States, as up to half of the animals killed in Montana are by illegal poachers. According to the wildlife literature, poaching occurs for a variety of reasons: food or sustenance, exhilaration, tradition, and the most egregious, trophy-poaching, which is motivated by status and greed. Among the primary targets of poachers are bison, elk, deer, turkey and duck. Research shows that justifications for poaching include necessity for survival, family tradition, and economic profit. The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation between poverty and poaching of wildlife. The research question: does low socio-economic status lead to an increased likelihood of someone committing the crime of poaching? This paper also reviews factors associated with poaching-enforcement effectiveness.