US Second to China in Illegal Ivory Trade

The United States is the biggest market for ivory after China, according to experts.

The illegal trading of ivory is so widespread that the United States Department of Fisheries and Wildlife  has proposed banning of imports of ivory tusks for commercial purposes and any sale will be allowed only after it is proved that the ivory is at least 100 years old.

China and South East Asia have been traditional markets for ivory but federal authorities say the United States is fast catching up, according to a report in SFGate. San Francisco and New York have a thriving market for ivory.

"Compared to what is being imported into China and Thailand, we are far below that, but the fact that we are the No. 2 importer is significant," said Gina Kinzley, elephant keeper at the Oakland Zoo, reports SFgate.

A campaign to save the slaughter named "96 Elephants", after the number of elephants being killed everyday, is being launched by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Wildlife Conservation Society to push for stronger laws against illegal trading of ivory.

Illegal ivory trade has more than doubled since 2007. Between 2009 and 2012 , 1,665 ivory pieces were seized by the US Border agents, according to the International fund for Animal welfare, IFAW . 

International Wildlife regulators say that around 20,000 elephants have been killed in Africa in 2013 alone. Elephants are being slaughtered at an unprecedented rate; on average, an elephant is killed every 15 minutes for its ivory, according to IFAW .  

National parks in Africa are a hotbed for militant groups and warlords in the region to fuel their hunger for money and they slaughter elephants in these parks for the lucrative trade. The continuous civil war in the region is abetting the attacks.

Recently, poachers in Africa killed 68 elephants in the  Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said park officials; all from April to June. This has forced park officials to beef security and call for military help.

Poachers use poisoned arrows, helicopters and even chain saws to kill and hack the jumbos.