New York Ivory Crush

On August 3, 2017, New York state destroyed nearly two tons of ivory in Central Park at the state’s first ivory crush. New York is the first state to crush ivory, which follows two US government crushes of six tons in 2013 and nearly one ton in 2015. New York passed an ivory trade ban in 2014, which has helped spur action to protect elephants from the current poaching crisis. The United States government implemented its own ban on ivory trade in 2016, and imposed stricter penalties to those who engage in wildlife trafficking. The ivory crushed in Central Park had an estimated total value of nearly $8.5 million.