How does poaching threaten wildlife populations?

Poaching significantly threatens wildlife populations primarily by leading to unsustainable population declines. When animals are unlawfully hunted for their body parts, such as ivory, horns, or skins, or for meat, their numbers decrease at a rate that exceeds the natural replenishment of the population. Many targeted species may already be vulnerable due to habitat loss or other environmental pressures, and the additional stress from poaching can push them further toward extinction.

The effects of poaching are often compounded by factors such as low reproductive rates in certain species, which makes recovery particularly slow and challenging. As these populations dwindle, the ecological balance is disrupted, affecting not only the species themselves but also the overall health of the ecosystem in which they exist. This critical disruption illustrates why poaching is viewed as a substantial threat to wildlife conservation efforts worldwide.