Let us pay close attention to the global poaching of elephants for their ivory and rhinos for their horns. And, when I say “close attention,” I don’t mean ‘track the issue, study the numbers, and blithely watch as the populations of these precious species continue to decline;’ I don’t mean ‘urge elephant and rhinoceros range states to do more (and more and more) to stop poaching;’ I don’t mean ‘call for reduction of demand for ivory and horn in Asia.’ I mean “close attention” as in – close to home, right here in America. [teaserbreak]
Born Free will do all that we can to save elephants and rhinos, including supporting anti-poaching efforts, exposing the poachers and profiteers, and calling for an end to the massive Asian demand for ivory. But, we must also ensure that the U.S. does not drive the trade. This is one of the reasons that the ivory crush I attended in Denver was so important; the U.S. sent a strong global message that there is no place for ivory in our marketplace.
But, we need to couple this message with concrete actions.
In 2014, two bills were introduced to tackle the ivory trade at major ports of entry. New York is likely home to the largest ivory market in the U.S., so State Assemblyman Robert Sweeney and State Senator Tony Avella introduced a bill to ban the sale, purchase, and trade of all ivory articles. This includes both elephant and mammoth ivory, preempting a possible loophole in the law that could be exploited by people trying to pass poached elephant ivory off as tusk from an ancient mammoth.
Some 5,000 miles away in Hawaii, State Senator Clayton Hee (D-23) is pushing a similar bill to crack down on the demand. There are, unfortunately, a couple of exemptions in this bill, for antique ivory and other specific ivory imported prior to certain dates. While it is, of course, better to not have exemptions for so-called “antiques” – since this can so easily be used as a loophole for illegal ivory – this bill is undoubtedly still a strong statement that poached parts won’t be tolerated.
Most recently, New Jersey has gone even farther than New York and Hawaii. Senator Raymond Lesniak (D-20) introduced a bill to ban the sale of ivory and rhinoceros horn in the state. There are a few exceptions: for elephant ivory obtained multiple decades ago, and for other ivory and rhino horn legally owned prior to this act. Still, as with Hawaii’s bill, it is a crucial step in the right direction. Including rhino horn in the language expands the discussion to multiple forms of poaching, and directs focus to the critically endangered rhinoceros.
Bravo to those in state legislatures who recognize our role in wildlife trafficking – and their role in stopping it!
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Adam