By African Wildlife Foundation
Stop the clock on poaching
An elephant is being killed nearly every 15 minutes for its ivory… and rhinos are being poached at unsustainable rates for their horns. There are several proven strategies to protect them from needless slaughter: The most effective way is to make wildlife trade entirely illegal, on a global level. But in New Zealand, the domestic trade of elephant tusks and rhino horn doesn’t just exist, it is thriving.
The number of incidents of internationally protected wildlife seized at the country’s border increased by a massive 300 percent from 2011 to 2017. While border control tries to curb incoming wildlife products, once products slip through, it’s a different story.
Once ivory tusks and rhino horn hit the domestic market…New Zealand has no legal safeguards in place to further curb the trade. Ivory can even be sold at places like auction houses, where there are no requirements for proof of origin or age of the product.
The solution is clear: New Zealand must completely end its domestic trade in elephant ivory and rhino horn. Join AWF in telling the New Zealand parliament to start criminalizing their sellers and buyers. Together, we can protect the species we love. We need 50,000 to sign our petition now, and your name should be on it.
Go to petition:
