A tonne of illegal ivory carved into decorative objects has been destroyed in New York's Times Square as a symbol of the fightback against the poaching that kills thousands of elephants a year.
The objects - most of them seized from the store of a jailed Philadelphia art dealer - were placed one by one on a conveyor belt before being dropped into the crusher to the sound of applause.
"Today's ivory crush serves as a stark reminder to the rest of the world that the United States will not tolerate wildlife crimes, especially against iconic and endangered animals," said US Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell.
US officials estimate that between 2011 and 2014 the poaching of African elephants reached the highest level ever recorded, with 100,000 animals slaughtered for their ivory.
It follows a growing demand for ivory, with international organised crime networks seeing it as a low risk, high-profit market.
Dozens of demonstrators held up posters in Times Square saying that 96 elephants fall victim to the illegal trade each day.
"Today's message is this: We plan to crush the ivory trade and crush the profits of the traffickers," said Cristian Samper, president of the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society.
The WCS said other ivory destruction events had taken place across the world, including in Kenya, Zambia, China, Hong Kong and France.
The international trade in ivory was outlawed in 1989. It is also banned or severely regulated in a number of other countries.
The neighbouring states of New York and New Jersey recently banned the sale and trade of ivory.
China is the largest market, accounting for more than 70 percent of worldwide demand in ivory, with the United States in second place.
"We are part of the problem, we also must be part of the solution," said Jewell.
AFP
source: newshub archive
