Hawaii can play a critical role in ending brutal ivory trade

Tens of thousands of elephants are butchered annually — 96 each day, or one every 15 minutes.

Last year, the New York and New Jersey legislatures prohibited the statewide sale of elephant ivory and rhino horn products. With these enacted laws, the largest market for ivory on the East Coast was shut down.

This year, nearly a dozen state legislatures have taken up, or will soon take up, similar legislation. House Bill 837, sponsored by Rep. Karl Rhoads, is Hawaii’s opportunity, as one of the top ivory markets, to help stem this trade.

This pending legislation is Hawaii’s second chance to shut down the flourishing, illegal ivory trade. Our state was the first to introduce such legislation last year, but despite unanimous passage from four committees and supporting testimony from more than 500 individuals and organizations across Hawaii and as far away as Africa and China, the bill failed to meet deadlines in its final conference committee.

In 2013, the Legislature passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 149 urging residents and businesses not to buy or sell ivory of illegal or unknown origin. Sadly, the buying and selling continues to this day.

Hawaii, not only as a top retail state of ivory, but as the threatened and endangered species capital of the world, can and should be a leader on this issue. A 2008 investigation by Save the Elephants showed Hawaii had the third largest retail ivory market in the U.S., only behind New York and California.

The same investigation found nearly 90 percent of ivory items for sale in Hawaii were of unknown or likely illegal origin. A 2013 study showed Hawaii has arguably the largest online sales market for ivory; many items provided no documentation establishing legal provenance. This is a major concern for residents and visitors who may unknowingly purchase ivory illegally smuggled into the state in violation of federal and international laws.

If the slaughter of one of our planet’s most beloved, intelligent and iconic species is not reason enough to justify the end of the ivory trade, consider that the ivory and rhino horn trade funds terrorist activities and other transnational criminal syndicates, such as The Lord’s Resistance Army and Janjaweed, a connection recognized by the Obama administration.

As part of its National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking, the Department of the Interior has taken steps to clamp down on the import, export and interstate sale of elephant ivory and other products of wildlife listed under the Endangered Species Act, including the rhinoceros.

HB 837 is an important legislative tool to aid the ongoing federal enforcement efforts and help reduce the threat of elephant poaching by closing Hawaii’s market for ivory sales. As the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stated, "It is extremely difficult to differentiate legally acquired ivory, such as ivory imported in the 1970s, from ivory derived from elephant poaching. USFWS criminal investigations and anti-smuggling efforts have shown clearly that the legal ivory trade can serve as a cover for illegal trade. By significantly restricting ivory trade in the United States, it will be more difficult to launder illegal ivory into the market and thus reduce the threat of poaching to imperiled elephant populations."

The magnitude of the elephant poaching crisis is unprecedented. Hawaii has a responsibility to do its part to help end the trade, just as Africa’s elephant range states and China must also do. We urge our elected representatives to ensure the swift passage of this measure before it’s too late for these keystone species.