New Report Highlights Massive Scale of Ivory Trade in the U.S.

[Guest guest]

Link:

http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/issues_facing_wildlife/wildlife_trade/elephant_trad\

e_fact_sheet/elephant_poaching_and_ivory_seizures/2008_us_ivory_report.html

 

New Report Highlights Massive Scale of Ivory Trade in the U.S.

 

*May 5, 2008

 

*

 

Despite global restrictions and domestic law designed to protect elephants

from poaching, illegal ivory is sold on a massive scale throughout the

United States, according to an investigative report issued today.

 

The Humane Society of the United States and its international arm, Humane

Society International, joined with Care for the Wild International, Save the

Elephants and the John Aspinall Foundation to support this new

investigation.

 

This new report by Esmond Bradley Martin and Daniel Stiles confirmed

findings from a 2002 HSUS/HSI report on ivory trade in the

U.S.<http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/wildlife_news/hsus_investigation_illegal_ivory\

_trade_in_our_own_backyard.html>,

but also quantified the amount of ivory found and distinguished the origin

of the ivory.

 

The investigative report concluded that the United States was the world's

second largest consumer of illegal ivory. Most ivory objects for sale here

were jewelry or small carved figures—about one-third of them carved and

imported illegally from middle-men in China. This has occurred despite an

18-year-old ban on the international trade in elephant ivory under the

Convention

on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and

Flora<http://www.hsus.org/about_us/humane_society_international_hsi/internationa\

l_policy/treaties/convention_on_international_trade_in_endangered_species/>(CITE\

S).

 

In 2002, the U.S. was one of ten countries identified by the CITES meeting

as not having established the comprehensive internal legislative, regulatory

and enforcement measures necessary to control internal trade of ivory. The

U.S. never reponded to this problem.

 

Although U.S. law generally bans the commercial importation and sale of

ivory, loopholes are widely manipulated to keep the trade alive. For

instance, ivory objects found for sale in the United States were often

mislabeled as " antique " or " mammoth ivory " in order to take advantage of

legal loopholes that allow the sale of such ivory.

 

*Don't buy ivory*

 

The public should not buy ivory because it is not possible to know for

certain its orgin and it is likely to have come from poached elephants in

Africa. Sign the Don't Buy Wild

pledge<https://community.hsus.org/campaign/dont_buy_wild_pledge>and

learn more about avoiding ivory products.

 

Between 1979 and 1989, the number of African elephants plunged from about

1.2 million to about 600,000. The trade ban halted the precipitous decline

of African elephant populations but the pressure on these majestic animals

is keen today because of high demand for ivory.

 

*Need for new regulations*

 

HSI and The HSUS call for new U.S. legislation making it illegal to sell or

offer for sale ivory of any sort. Such a law would address the problem of

mislabeled ivory. We also encourage states with illegal ivory trade to

develop their own legislation prohibiting sale of ivory.

 

*China reaching for more ivory*

 

The report comes in advance of an important CITES meeting in July 2008

during which a proposal for a one-time, legal export of stockpiled ivory

from four southern African countries—Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and

Zimbabwe—to China will be discussed. The HSUS and HSI strongly oppose this

short-sighted proposal.

 

At the June 2007 CITES meeting, a deal was struck for four southern African

countries<http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/elephants_ar\

e_given_reprieve.html>(Botswana,

Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa) to export all their

stockpiled ivory to " trading partners " approved by the Standing Committee.

Japan has already been approved. In order to be an ivory trading partner,

the country has to have control over its domestic ivory carving and trading.

The reports above demonstrate that as carved ivory on sale in the U.S. came

from China, China has no control over its ivory exports.

 

 

--

United against elephant polo

http://www.stopelephantpolo.com