Tolerance

Do words mean anything anymore? From this article in the National Geographic:

Hunting and poaching, even within the national parks, have drastically reduced hippo and elephant populations in the past, yet both have made a comeback, thanks in part to changes in enforcement and attitude. The resurgence is a sign of human tolerance and nature's resilience.

Isn't the comeback rather a sign of human intolerance for hunting animals to extinction? And was the poaching and hunting a result of intolerance, or rather the economic incentives and pleasure taken in killing animals?