To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate

Tell Congress: End the Ivory Trade!

It’s time for America to stand up to the illegal ivory trade that is generating billions of dollars a year for criminal and terrorist organizations – while killing tens of thousands of elephants. Any country that helps facilitate the ivory trade should pay a steep economic price. Pass the TUSKER Act without delay and put an end to the ivory trade!

Why is this important?

Every 15 minutes an elephant is killed for its ivory. That’s over 30,000 a year.

The illegal ivory trade is a cruel business. But it’s much more than that. Illegal ivory generates up to $10 billion a year for criminal and terrorists organizations.

Crime syndicates involved in gun, drug, and human trafficking reap huge profits from the ivory trade. So do dangerous terrorist groups, including Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army and al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab. These terrorists threaten the safety and stability of Africa and the national security of the United States.

Ivory smugglers thrive with the complicity of local authorities who have little incentive to stop them. Although the trade is outlawed, lax enforcement and bribes make it easy for smugglers to operate.

It’s time for America to send a message: any country that facilitates the ivory trade will pay an economic price.

I’ve introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would do just that, and I hope you’ll lend it your support. The Targeted Use of Sanctions for Killing Elephants in their Range (TUSKER) Act would impose trade sanctions on countries found to be complicit in facilitating ivory trade.

With the TUSKER Act, local authorities would face a new calculus when dealing with ivory smugglers: either you enforce the law, or you face the fallout of tough economic sanctions.

Sign the petition: tell Congress it’s time to pass the TUSKER Act and shut down the ivory trade!

Thank you for taking action.

Peter DeFazio