Rejected petition Military Intervention in Africa to Stop Wildlife Crime

Illegal hunting of elephants and rhinoceros in Africa has soared over the last 3 years, due to rising prices of ivory and rhino horn. The poachers are highly organised, well-equipped crime syndicates, even paramilitary groups with experienced soldiers. African wildlife services are overwhelmed and outgunned; many park rangers have been murdered by the poachers. Not only is this crisis driving the animals to extinction, but struggling economies will lose vital ecotourism revenue. Worst of all, the ivory and rhino horn trade is funding political extremists and rebels, threatening legitimate governments. It may cause the emergence of rogue states, spreading war and international terrorism.
I suggest the situation be seen as a direct threat to UK and Commonwealth security. British forces should be assigned to national parks and reserves in our former African colonies, providing an effective deterrent to poaching and treating the armed criminals as battlefield opponents.