(3 Aug 2017) MICK FLEETWOOD CRUSHES THE ILLEGAL IVORY TRADE IN NEW YORK'S CENTRAL PARK
Rock star Mick Fleetwood joined political and conservation leaders in New York's Central Park to physically -- and morally -- crush the illegal ivory trade.
The co-founder and drummer of Fleetwood Mac helped feed trinkets, statues and into a rock crusher on Thursday (3 August 2017) in Central Park to demonstrate the state's commitment to smashing the illegal ivory trade. The jewelry was crafted from the tusks of at least 100 slaughtered elephants.
"This is the beginning of a very fast race that has to be run in order to win the end result," Mick Fleetwood said. "The end result would be not a good result if it continues at the rate of knots that it's going and there's not going to be any elephants within, really in a comparatively short amount of time in Africa."
The artifacts placed ceremoniously onto a conveyor belt to be ground into dust included piles of golf-ball-sized Japanese sculptures, called netsuke, intricately carved into monkeys, rabbits and other fanciful designs. Many of the items were beautiful. Some were extremely valuable.
But state environmental officials and Wildlife Conservation Society members, who partnered with Tiffany & Co. for the "Ivory Crush" of nearly two tons (1.8 metric tons) of ivory, said no price justifies slaughtering elephants for their tusks.
The sale of ivory across international boundaries has been banned since 1990, but the U.S. and many other countries have allowed people to buy and sell ivory domestically, subject to certain regulations that gave smugglers loopholes. Last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service instituted a near-total ban on the domestic commercial ivory trade and barred sales across state lines.
Since August 2014, New York law has prohibited the sale, purchase, trade or distribution of anything made from elephant or mammoth ivory or rhinoceros horn, except in limited situations with state approval. Enforcement efforts have focused on New York City, the nation's largest port of entry for illegal wildlife goods, state officials said.
The ivory pieces sent to the crusher included more than $4.5 million worth seized by undercover investigators from Metropolitan Fine Arts & Antiques in New York City in 2015. In pleading guilty last week to illegally selling ivory, the store's owners agreed to donate $100,000 each to the World Wildlife Fund and Wild Tomorrow Fund for their endangered species protection projects.
More than 270 tons (245 metric tons) of ivory have been destroyed by governments and conservation groups in high-profile public events in 22 countries, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Some critics have argued that destroying ivory could drive up black market prices by increasing scarcity, thus encouraging more poaching. Others argue that it's wasteful and that it would be better to sell confiscated ivory to pay for conservation efforts in poor African countries.

Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ] ​​
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]


You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]

свернуть