Breaking through the media fog of the Chris Christie “Bridgegate” scandal, New Jersey legislators are finally redeeming themselves after passing legislation to ban interstate ivory trade!
Last year alone, over 35,000 African elephants were poached for their ivory tusks. Rather than participating in symbolic ivory crushes, New Jersey’s Senate Economic Growth Committee voted unanimously to ban ivory trade in the state all together. New Jersey is one of the largest ports for the ivory trade in America, by banning the sale and trade of illegal ivory products within the state’s borders, New Jersey legislators – in true Jersey fashion — are telling illegal poachers to “get outta here.”
This proactive step from New Jersey Senators, comes after President Obama’s revised National Strategy for Wildlife Trafficking was released earlier this year, which falls short in many ways. Cutting off the ivory trade in the U.S. at the source – the ports through which illegal goods enter the country — New Jersey is setting an example for all coastal states to follow. As a proud Jersey girl, I am honored to FINALLY present a trend from New Jersey that other states should actually emulate.
Image Source: Yathin S Krishnappa/Wikipedia Commons
Define "trade"! Musical instrument parts (i.e. piano key tops, trumpet buttons, guitar inlays, bow buttons) risk destruction because they MAY be ivory. Since 1856, celluloid "French Ivory" is widely used. Does New Jersey know the difference? How many ivory poachers will be stopped by destroying musical instruments that may contain some ivory. For that matter destroying carved chess pieces/dagar handles, cosmetic accessories, etc. won\’t save one elephant or stop one poacher because the market is global and such measures only increase prices of worked goods.