14 DAY TRIAL // This coming October 8, some 6 tons of ivory will be publicly destroyed in the United States. Most of the ivory comes from elephants slaughtered by poachers. A small portion of it was seized from tourists returning from Africa.
Presently, it is all kept in storage in a warehouse in Denver, Colorado, Mongabay tells us.
The US started stockpiling ivory in 1989, in the aftermath of a global ban that made it illegal for people to buy and/or sell this material.
The Obama administration explains that its decision to crush the country's ivory stockpile is intended to make it as clear as possible that the US does not and will not ever tolerate the illegal wildlife trade.
What's more, it will not shy away from doing everything in its power to put an end to it.
Conservationists say that, for the time being, whopping amounts of ivory and numerous body parts taken from endangered animals in Africa and other regions worldwide get shipped to the US.
Otherwise put, this country and nations in East Asia are the preferred destinations for wildlife smugglers.
It is to these people that the Obama administration wishes to send a very clear message by destroying the six tons of confiscated ivory.
Commenting on the planned destruction of the US' ivory stockpile, Carter Roberts, the current president and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund, stated as follows:
“By crushing this ivory stockpile, the U.S. government is sending a signal. If we're going to solve this crisis we have to crush the demand, driven by organized crime syndicates who are robbing the world of elephants and stealing the natural heritage of African nations.”
“It’s a global phenomenon. So we hope this encourages other governments to take bold, decisive steps to curb the demand for illegal elephant products,” he added.
According to ENN, some bits and pieces of ivory will be preserved and used to build a memorial to the thousands of elephants that have thus far been killed by poachers. It is possible that the memorial will be erected in Washington DC.