Bill introduced in Washington, D.C. to end the trade in ivory and rhinoceros horn

The ‘Elephant Ivory and Rhinoceros Horns Trafficking Prohibition Act of 2015’  aka Bill 21-0251, a bill that seeks to eliminate the trade in ivory and rhinoceros horn in Washington, D.C., has been introduced by D.C. Council member Mary Cheh (Ward 3) and commended by Born Free USA.  Several states have already introduced legislation to ban the sale of ivory and rhino horn.

Illegal trafficking of these wildlife products is directly responsible for shocking declines in wild populations in recent years, and this bill is a crucial step toward reducing the target market in the U.S

Elephant poaching has reached crisis levels across Africa and rhino poaching is escalating exponentially.  The U.S. is the second largest ivory consumer in the world with New York, California, and Hawaii as the country’s largest markets for ivory. This bill, if passed, would play an integral part in ending the slaughter.

An average of 96  elephants are slaughtered daily by poachers, and more than 103,000 have been killed since January 2012, according towww.bloodyivory.org. “If the killing rate continues, certain African elephant populations in west and central Africa could be extinct within a decade,” explains Adam Roberts,, CEO of Born Free USA.

Additionally, both black and white rhinos in Africa are in serious danger due to poaching. The market for their horns is fueling the slaughter of more than 1,000 rhinos per year in South Africa alone. Only 25,000 black and white rhinos remain across all of Africa, and they could become extinct in the wild in as little as 12 years.

Councilmember Mary Cheh said, “This inhumane treatment will stop only when there is no longer demand for ivory and rhino horns in the United States and throughout the world. State action must supplement and support federal action, and passing this law now will enable the District to be a leader on this important issue.”