Six tons of illicit ivory was pulverized in an industrial rock-crusher at the wildlife service's national Wildlife Property Repository, by degree of the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, on the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, on November 14th 2013. The devastating illegal slaughter of elephants over the last few decades prompted the seizure.
The LA Times reports that photographs taken before the obliteration revealed intricately carved statuettes, jewelry, staffs, and masks were swollen into crates, awaiting the rock-crusher. The aggregation of ivory was obtained over 25 years of undercover investigations, executed by the Wildlife Service.
President Obama has issued an executive order (July 1st 2013) with the intention of fighting poaching, as well as animal trafficking in Africa. The order has borne fruit early in its enactment: $10 million dollars in new aid has been allocated to fund the formation of a governmental sector, to oversee domestic and international efforts to redress poaching and criminal trafficking:
“The survival of protected wildlife species such as elephants, rhinos, great apes, tigers, sharks, tuna, and turtles has beneficial economic, social and environmental impacts that are important to all nations,” the executive order says. “Wildlife trafficking reduces those benefits while generating billions of dollars in illicit revenues each year, contributing to the illegal economy, fueling instability, and undermining security.”
image: yahoo news