Bill Description:
Prohibits any person from selling, offering for sale, purchasing, bartering, or trading any ivory or rhinoceros horn. Ivory is defined as a tusk from an elephant or mammoth.[teaserbreak]
Exemptions:
• Any activity expressly authorized under federal law.
• Firearms, knives, or musical instruments if: the ivory makes up of less than 20% of the item; the ivory accounts for less than 50% of the value of the item; the item was manufactured before 1975; and the seller provides documentation.
• Manufactured items with a small amount of ivory, if: the total weight of the ivory is less than 200 grams; the ivory accounts for less than 50% of the item’s volume; the ivory accounts for less than 50% of the value of the item; the ivory is not raw; the item was manufactured before 1975; and the seller provides documentation.
• A bona fide antique, if: the item is at least 100 years old; the seller provides documentation; the ivory accounts for less than 20% of the item’s volume; and the ivory accounts for less than 50% of the value of the item.
• For bona fide educational or scientific purposes.
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 a significant destination for both ivory and rhino horn. State legislation banning the trade in these products is aimed at reducing the demand.
Take Action:
Nebraska residents, contact your state senator and urge him or her to support this legislation!
Read the full text and follow its progress here.