To: Governor Mike Dunleavy

Save the elephants. Ban the sale of ivory in Alaska!

Gov. Sean Parnell: enforce a complete ban on the commercial sale of African elephant ivory in Alaska.

Why is this important?

Save the elephants. Stop the selling of Ivory in Alaska.

The elephant poaching crisis reached its peak last year with about 30,000 of these amazing species slaughtered for their tusks. Seizure data collected for 2014 so far shows that this year could be even worse.­­ With an estimated 96 elephants dying for their tusks every day, taking all ivory off the market may be our last shot at stopping the killings.

Poachers killed 35,000 elephants in 2012 alone, representing the highest rate of poaching since the 1989 ban. The importation, selling and buying of this ivory is not allowed internationally. But it is legal to buy, sell, or ship within the boundaries of the U.S. and there are no permits or registration requirements in most states!

A complete ban on the commercial sale of ivory is the best way to help ensure that U.S. markets do not <span class="profanity">contribute</span> to the further decline of African elephants in the wild.

National Audubon Society and WWF on the trade of elephant ivory products in Alaska yield the fact that approximately one-third of the ivory for sale in gift shops was white ivory, which is either from elephant or new walrus sources, and that 60-80% of the white ivory is elephant ivory.

The illegal ivory is hidden a lot of times in plain sight, with dealers claiming it’s legal ivory. The fact that pre-ban and antique ivory is legally sold, generally without certification, presents a serious problem for the endangerment of African elephants.

We must enforce a complete ban on the commercial sale of African elephant ivory in Alaska.