By Rachael Bale, ANIMALS Executive Editor



When most people think of poaching, they picture the slaughter of an African elephant for its ivory tusks or the butchering of a rhino for its horn. What many people don’t realize, however, is that poaching happens in our own backyard, too. Last month, a Pennsylvania man was sentenced to pay $250,000 after admitting to taking thousands of diamondback terrapins (a type of turtle) from a New Jersey marsh and illegally shipping them in unmarked packages to people who wanted them as pets.

A National Geographic/Morning Consult poll finds overwhelming support for increasing the number of endangered species. By a 10-1 margin, the poll of 2,200 Americans supported adding more protected