The most immediate critical threat to African elephants, rhinos, apes, and other endangered wildlife is large-scale poaching and the organized criminal networks that traffic in these animals. Although national laws and international treaties protect these species throughout their range, two key factors prevent them from making a difference on the ground. The first is the weak application of relevant laws to arrest wildlife criminals, and the second is the failure of criminal courts to hand down sentences which not only take significant wildlife traffickers out of action, but also act as a deterrent. Widespread corruption feeds this process.