The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has welcomed the revision of a United States government rule on the elephant that will make it more difficult to launder illicit ivory in the US and provide greater protections to Africa’s elephants.
“Strong laws around wildlife crime and strong enforcement of those laws are absolutely critical in deterring traffickers and poachers, and each country has an obligation to review and strengthen its laws, close loopholes and otherwise simplify the role of law enforcement in combatting the illegal wildlife trade,” said Patrick Bergin, Chief Executive Officer of AWF, and member of the US Federal Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking.
The revision of the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s 4(d) rule for the African elephant under the Endangered Species Act, completes a near-total elephant ivory ban in the United States.
The revised rule will more tightly restrict ivory trade in the United States, essentially prohibiting most commerce in ivory, with very limited exceptions for certain pre-existing manufactured items such as musical instruments, furniture pieces and firearms that contain less than 200 grams of ivory and that meet other special criteria.
Bergin said the the revision of the rule and the US government’s continued support at home and around the world to combat poaching and trafficking are in keeping with the 2013 Executive Order issued by President Obama, which instructed all executive departments and agencies, including the US Fish and Wildlife Service under the US Department of the Interior, to take all appropriate actions to combat wildlife trafficking.
“All countries — and especially those that are source, transit or destination countries for illegal wildlife products — have a role to play in tidying their own house. Laws around wildlife crime must be strong and unequivocal if they are to send a strong, unequivocal message that trafficking in ivory and other wildlife products will not be tolerated,” Bergin said in a statement.
