US Ivory Crush
On November 14th, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service destroyed nearly six tons of illegal ivory.
By crushing the seized ivory stockpile, the United States government sent a strong signal to the rest of the world that we need to get serious now about saving elephants and ending the demand that is fueling ivory trafficking. Elephants can’t wait.
Click here to watch a video of renowned conservationists Dr. Jane Goodall and Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton’s statement that highlights the occasion and the importance of taking further action to stop the poaching crisis.
More than 30,000 elephants are slaughtered every year just for their tusks—and many of those tusks end up in the United States, the world’s second-largest market for wildlife products. Loopholes in the U.S. law make it difficult to enforce regulations against importing ivory, particularly once ivory is smuggled past our borders.
More needs to be done. The United States needs to crack down on wildlife trafficking and enact a moratorium on domestic ivory trade. Our country is now in the position to make a real and lasting difference for wild elephants. The future of one of the world’s best-loved species is at stake.
