BEIJING — China has pledged to end the processing and sale of ivory, a move that — if fulfilled — would be a major victory in the battle to end the slaughter of tens of thousands of African elephants by poachers every year. But the country has not said how quickly it will act, and a top Chinese official called on the United States in an interview this week to also tighten its rules on ivory trading.
WildAid in the News
The New York Times
05/29/2015
The Chinese government crushed nearly 1,500 pounds of confiscated elephant tusks and ivory carvings Friday morning in Beijing, the state news agency Xinhua reported, a day after the renowned Chinese pianist Lang Lang urged travelers not to bring ivory back to China in an awareness campaign at the Beijing Capital International Airport. ...
On Thursday, Lang Lang participated in a campaign co-hosted by the Beijing airport customs and conservation groups, the African Wildlife Foundation, Save the Elephants and WildAid, to urge travelers not to bring ivory back to China.
The Guardian
05/29/2015
China has committed to phasing out the domestic manufacture and sale of ivory products for the first time. Conservation groups said the announcement was “the single greatest measure” in the fight to save the last African elephants from poaching.
The New York Times
05/27/2015
Animal conservation groups stepped up their campaign to end the ivory trade in Hong Kong this week by releasing the results of a survey that found that most respondents favored a comprehensive ban on the sale of ivory.
The Guardian
05/27/2015
Thieves have raided a police storeroom holding Mozambique’s largest ever haul of confiscated rhino horn and ivory, making off with 12 horns valued at around £700,000.
...
Governments across Africa have become increasingly hostile to the international crime gangs that operate the trade in ivory and rhino horn. But in Mozambique the gangs have found a vulnerable gateway to the black markets of China and Vietnam.
People
05/07/2015
Moved by his trip to Vietnam with fiancée and Stalker costar Maggie Q, Dylan McDermott produced a short video to "make people feel something," he tells PEOPLE, about the "senseless killing of animals" that is unfortunately rampant in the country.
Newsweek
04/29/2015
Last week a fisherman in northwestern Peru caught an enormous manta ray, and photos of the dead, bloody animal have angered conservationists around the world.
The Telegraph
04/22/2015
Google is marking Earth Day 2015 with a special Doodle, which includes "a totally scientific and 1,000 per cent accurate personality quiz," telling you which animal most closely represents your personality.
Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, when events worldwide are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
It was first celebrated in 1970, when around 20 million Americans took part in rallies across the country to spread the message of environmental awareness.
