South Africa is home to a great number of endangered species in the world, such species include the African elephant, black Rhinoceros (figure 5) etc. However, these animals are facing a major that is leading them to  their deaths and not just the death of one but the death of all, their extinction. Poaching is a leading cause of endangered species such as the African elephant and black rhinoceros. These animals play a huge role in the environments and their extinctions only represents a disruption to the ecosystem, but also a tragedy to the entire life cycle, including the human communities especially in areas of development.  According to Kolbert (2014) the modern global ecological crisis, is attributed to the anthropocene epoch’s role in the impending doom and mass extinction of all life on the planet which she describes as the ‘sixth extinction’ as opposed to the series or 5 historical mass extinctions. She further notes the geologic traces left behind due to the activities like poaching  (figure 5); nuclear fallout, biodiversity and habitat loss/disappearing environments etc,. The story of poached animals is a devastating reminder and cautionary tale of our own extinction as humanity.

Eco-critic: Based on reports from the WWF (2016), there are approximately 415,000 African elephants left in the world. This number is critical and should instill fear into  society. This is not only due to the fact that its only  within the range of the thousands but due to the fact that the number of African elephants fell by more than 86% over a period of 31 years. Naturally, this means they will be extinct in about 20-30 years if we don't take immediate action in our conservation efforts.

Eco-action: To address this challenge we must look into addressing the lead cause, poaching at its root. Poaching is an illegal culling and trade  practice , that can be challenged through  the implementation of tight border enforcement and regulatory law. Poachers are criminals and should be treated as such.  Increased public awareness surrounding the issue is also an important part of addressing this environmental concern. This collective effort in educating ourselves as a society is very instrumental in bringing this mass extinction to an end, ensuring a sustainable planets that supports all life across.This is our final chance to stop the lawless slaughter!