Last week, a bill that seeks to stop the trafficking of ivory and other animal parts throughout the Commonwealth passed the state House and is on its way to the Senate.
The buying and selling of goods derived from endangered and at-risk animals is prohibited by HB 994. Baleen whales, bonobos, cheetahs, chimpanzees, dolphins, elephants, giraffes, gorillas, hippopotamuses, jaguars, leopards, lions, and even the extinct mammoth are among the animals that are covered by this bill.
According to a Humane World for Animals investigation this year, ivory trafficking is still a problem in the Commonwealth. The detectives discovered carved tusks, bracelets, and figurines manufactured from elephant tusks and other endangered wildlife in stores and online auctions spread throughout 27 countries. A taxidermized giraffe’s head, neck, and shoulders cost $6,000 in Kingston.
Both domestic and interstate ivory product imports and exports are prohibited by the federal Endangered Species Act of 1976. There are no limits on the sale of ivory items within states under the law.
Legislation is required to stop ivory sales domestically and curb poaching overseas, according to the bill’s sponsor, Representative Leanne Krueger, a Democrat from Delaware County.
“We must stop the demand,” Krueger stated. Therefore, if we can stop the sales in Pennsylvania, it will lessen the need to kill animals.
Because illegal traffickers frequently attempt to pass off elephant ivory as mammoth, Krueger stated in her co-sponsorship memo that she included the extinct mammoth. Consequently, elephant ivory has been discovered for sale under the pretense of legitimate mammoth ivory, she added.
Violators may be fined up to $20,000, depending on the seriousness of the offense.
The bill has been submitted to the Senate Game and Fisheries committee after passing the state House earlier this week by a vote of 127-76.
