On November 14th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will crush six tons of ivory, seized over the last 25 years. The decision by the Obama administration to publicly destroy stocks is applauded by WildAid, the only organization to solely focus on reducing the demand for wildlife products.
“This act will help raise awareness globally of the renewed threat to African elephants from trade in ivory,” said Peter Knights, Executive Director of WildAid. “The poaching crisis that funds terrorism and civil wars will only end if the demand for ivory is reduced.” Knights is appearing on the expert panel at the ivory crush in Denver, Colorado this week.
“Our shark fin campaign in China, led by Yao Ming, has proven that demand can be reduced through increased awareness and government action,” said Knights. “This crush is an important step that must be followed by increased awareness of the poaching crisis in consuming countries and increased government action to end legal trade which enables laundering of poached ivory.”
WildAid works with dozens of Asian and Western celebrities and business leaders, including Jackie Chan, Edward Norton, and Sir Richard Branson, distributing messages with Hollywood production values reaching hundreds of millions of people a week in China alone through donated media space.
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WildAid is a non-profit organization with a mission to protect wildlife from illegal trade and other imminent threats. While most wildlife conservation groups focus on protecting animals from poaching, WildAid primarily works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products such as elephant ivory, rhino horn and shark fin soup. With an unrivaled portfolio of celebrity ambassadors and a global network of media partners, WildAid leverages more than $308 million in annual pro-bono media support with a simple message: When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too.
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