Washington, D.C. — This week, Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) introduced legislation to save African elephants and rhinoceroses from poachers. The bill would impose trade sanctions on countries that facilitate ivory and rhino horn trafficking. Ivory from elephant tusks and horn from rhinos contributes billions of dollars to the global illegal wildlife trade and funds organized crime and terrorist organizations. Born Free USA, a global leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation, applauds Representative DeFazio’s legislation, the Targeted Use of Sanctions for Killing Elephants and Rhinoceros (TUSKER) Act.[teaserbreak]
According to Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA and the Born Free Foundation, “As our recent reports (Ivory’s Curse and Out of Africa) show, the international illicit ivory trade is being driven by dangerous organized crime syndicates in Africa and Asia and must be stopped. Elephants continue to be slaughtered at record levels; heroic park rangers are literally laying their lives on the line to keep them safe; and national security in the most vulnerable parts of Africa is made more fragile. Congressman DeFazio deserves the full support of all Members of Congress for tackling this significant issue head-on.”
“More than 20,000 elephants and 1,200 rhinos were slaughtered in 2014 alone and over 1,000 park rangers have been killed trying to protect endangered wildlife,” said DeFazio. “The illegal wildlife trade funds the operations of gun, drug and human trafficking crime syndicates. It also funds extremely dangerous terrorist groups that threaten regional stability in Africa and national security in the United States. We need to choke off the access to the market. My legislation sends a strong message—if countries permit this illegal trafficking, there will be economic consequences.”
Ivory’s Curse: The Militarization and Professionalization of Poaching in Africa finds that significant criminal syndicates and organized terrorist gangs engage in elephant poaching to acquire ivory, which they sell to buy arms, and that political elites and state security forces are often complicit. Out of Africa: Mapping the Global Trade in Illicit Elephant Ivory focuses on the ivory supply chain and the trafficking of ivory from the bush in Africa to retail markets in Asia.
Born Free USA is a global leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation. Through litigation, legislation, and public education, Born Free USA leads vital campaigns against animals in entertainment, exotic “pets,” trapping and fur, and the destructive international wildlife trade. Born Free USA brings to America the message of “compassionate conservation”—the vision of the U.K.-based Born Free Foundation, established in 1984 by Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, stars of the iconic film Born Free, along with their son Will Travers. Born Free’s mission is to end suffering of wild animals in captivity, conserve threatened and endangered species, and encourage compassionate conservation globally. More at www.bornfreeusa.org, www.twitter.com/bornfreeusa, and www.facebook.com/bornfreeusa.
Media Contact: Rodi Rosensweig, 203/270-8929, therodicompany@gmail.com