D.C.’s Mayor Supports Ban on Ivory and Rhino Horn Trafficking - National Humane Education Society

Paws Up!

To D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh (Ward 3) for leading the sponsorship of the Ivory and Horn Trafficking Prohibition Act of 2020.

Elephants and rhinos are both powerful creatures that are suffering at the hands of humans. Elephants are heartlessly killed for their tusks and rhinos for their horns to supply the wildlife trafficking industry. This industry has profoundly diminished them in Asia and Africa. Ivory is sought after by consumers in China, Japan, Thailand, and the United States while rhino horn is bought from consumers in Asia. Both are highly valued for the status symbol they represent.

As the elephant and rhino populations drastically declined, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), created in 1975, banned the sale of ivory and rhino horn in an effort to keep these sentient creatures from becoming extinct. This effort is a continuing battle. The United States chose to ban ivory sales in 2016, and some states have passed additional legislation to close any loopholes to help hinder the illegal wildlife trade.

Currently, California, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington have banned ivory and rhino horn from being sold in their states. Massachusetts will join them if S496 is approved. In 2015, D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh started the fight to ban the sale of ivory and rhino horn in the nation’s capital. Her persistence for the passage of this bill came to fruition when Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the Ivory and Horn Trafficking Prohibition Act of 2020. It is waiting to be approved by Congress.

Take Action: If you believe that wildlife should be preserved, please support legislation that strives to protect them and hinder the industry that makes them a target. Another way you can show your support is by choosing not to buy products sourced from animals.