Update: This bill failed to pass in 2015.
Bill Description:
Prohibits any person from selling, purchasing, bartering, offering for sale, possessing with intent to sell, or importing with intent to sell ivory or rhinoceros horn. Ivory is defined the tooth or tusk from any species of wildlife.[teaserbreak]
Exemptions:
A person may convey an ivory or rhino horn item to a legal beneficiary as part of an estate.
Importation expressly authorized by federal law is also exempt.
The Department of Wildlife Conservation may issue a permit to people wishing to sell ivory or rhino horn…
• For bona fide educational or scientific purposes.
• That is part of a bona fide antique (100 years old) and is less than 20% by volume of that antique, provided that the seller provides adequate documentation.
• That is part of a musical instrument, provided that the seller provides adequate documentation showing the item was manufactured no later than 1975.
• That is part of a firearm, provided that the seller provides adequate documentation showing the item was manufactured no later than 1975.
Background:
African elephants are nearing extinction due to the high price of ivory and consumer demand. An average of 96 elephants are slaughtered daily by poachers, and over 100,000 have been killed in the past 3 years. Read more about the horrific ivory trade here.
Meanwhile, rhinos are killed for their horns, which are believed to have medicinal powers in parts of Asia. This market is fueling the slaughter of more than 1,000 rhinos per year. 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.
The U.S. is the second largest ivory market in the world, after China, and also a significant destination for rhino horn. Hawaii is an Asian-Pacific hub where materials from animals are traded on the way to the mainland. The state is the third largest market in the nation and the largest online market. Legislation banning the trade in these products will reduce the demand, which in turn will reduce the killing.
Take Action:
Oklahoma residents, contact your state senator and urge him or her to support this legislation!
Read the full text and follow its progress here.