Bill Honoring Slain Elephant Could Help Fight Ivory Trafficking

Care2
By Alicia Graef
September 16, 2014

Earlier this summer the heartbreaking story of Satao, one of Kenya’s most well-known and beloved elephants, made headlines after he was killed by poachers in Tsavo East National Park. Now legislation introduced in his honor could impose trade sanctions on countries that continue to facilitate the bloody ivory trade.

Among ongoing efforts to fight the poaching crisis, last week Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee Peter DeFazio introduced the Targeted Use of Sanctions for Killing Elephants in their Range (TUSKER) Act, in honor of Satao – who was known as a tusker for his enormous tusks – in an effort to impose consequences on countries that aren’t upholding their commitments to shut down the trade and protect elephants.

Sadly, Sateo’s tragic death was one among tens of thousands of elephants who continue to die because of the world’s seemingly insatiable demand for ivory. A recent study published in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences found that the demand is responsible for the deaths of 100,000 African elephants in just the past three years alone.

Not only has this devastating loss raised concerns that we could see these magnificent animals disappear from the landscape within our lifetime, but also about how the ivory trade is continuing to threaten global security and support criminal activity.

DeFazio stated:As many as 40,000 elephants were slaughtered in 2013 alone for their tusks and over 1,000 park rangers have been killed trying to protect endangered wildlife. 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.

According to a statement, numbers from the White House National Security Council and information from the UN Security Council shows elephant ivory contributes between $7 billion and $10 billion a year to the global illegal trade and funds organized criminal and terrorist organizations, including Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, the Janjaweed in Darfur and the Al-Qaeda linked terrorist group Al-Shabaab.

Conservation and wildlife advocacy organizations are applauding the bill’s introduction and hope further efforts from the U.S., which is the world’s second largest market for ivory behind China, will help stem the the flow of ivory and encourage tougher poaching laws and trade regulations in countries that are involved in the trade. The bill will now be heard by the House Natural Resource Committee, which will hopefully move it forward.

“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,” said Adam Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA.

Meanwhile, elephant and rhino advocates from around the world are getting ready to speak out on October 4 for the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos in an effort to raise global awareness about the poaching crisis, to call for a global ban on the trade of wildlife parts and to demand governments take serious action to stop wildlife crime.

Check out the the March for Elephants and Rhinos to find out more about how to get involved.