Update (January 26, 2015): Unfortunately, this bill failed to pass the Senate Courts of Justice Committee and so it is dead.
Bill Description:
Prohibits any person from selling, offering to sell, purchasing, bartering, or possessing with intent to sell ivory or rhinoceros horn. Ivory is defined the tooth or tusk from any animal, including elephant, hippopotamus, narwhal, walrus, or whale.[teaserbreak]
Exemptions:
• Conveying ivory or rhino horn to the legal beneficiary of an estate.
• Importation expressly authorized by federal license or permit.
Background:
African elephants are nearing extinction due to the high price of ivory and consumer demand. An average of 96 elephants are slaughtered daily by poachers, and over 100,000 have been killed in the past 3 years. Read more about the horrific ivory trade here.
Meanwhile, rhinos are killed for their horns, which are believed to have medicinal powers in parts of Asia. This market is fueling the slaughter of more than 1,000 rhinos per year. Only 25,000 black and white rhinos remain across all of Africa, and they could become extinct in the wild in as little as 12 years.
The U.S. is the second largest ivory market in the world, after China, and also a significant destination for rhino horn. Legislation banning the trade in these products is aimed at reducing the demand.
Read the full text here.