Poaching

noun (gerund); also verb (present participle of "poach", transitive/intransitive)

/ˈpoʊ.tʃɪŋ/

The illegal hunting, capturing, or killing of wild animals in violation of local, national, or international wildlife conservation laws.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Despite the success of Project Tiger, sustained poaching driven by transnational demand for wildlife parts continues to undermine India's conservation gains, underscoring the need to treat wildlife crime as organised crime rather than a mere forest-department lapse.

Synonyms

illegal huntingwildlife poachingunlawful trappinggame theftpoaching of faunasnaring

Antonyms

conservationprotectionpreservationlawful hunting

🌱 Word Family

poach (v), poacher (n), poached (adj), anti-poaching (adj compound)

🔡 Root

Old French pochier = to thrust into a bag; Middle French poche = pocket/pouch; Middle English pocchen

📜 Etymology

From Middle English pocchen ("to bag"), via Old French pochier ("to thrust into a bag"), from Middle French poche ("pocket, pouch") — illegal hunters would stuff stolen game into bags to conceal their catch.

🧠 Memory Hook

Picture a "POACHer" sneaking onto someone else's land to "PO-ke" and snatch game — the root is the same poke/thrust as in "pocketing" what isn't yours.

🌿 Environment & Ecology 📖 Seen in: Wildlife Conservation — Protected Area...

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