Celebrities write to the Prime Minister asking for urgent action on animal welfare pledges, as leading animal protection organisations stage Downing Street demonstration
Humane Society International / United Kingdom
Peta UK
LONDON—Two years on from the publication of the Government’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare, which promised to “revolutionise the treatment of animals in the UK”, celebrities including Dame Joanna Lumley, Leona Lewis, Will Young and Susie Dent have written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stating that animals “have been badly let down”. The celebrities, joining forces with leading UK animal charities Animal Aid, Compassion in World Farming, FOUR PAWS UK, Humane Society International/UK, PETA UK and the RSPCA, lament a lack of progress on addressing issues such as ending live animal exports, exploring action on the import and sale of fur products and banning keeping primates as pets. The signatories call on the Government to deliver its Action Plan in full.
In addition to the letter from celebrities, 25 of the country’s largest animal protection groups including the RSPCA have published an open letter to Rishi Sunak, detailing the Government’s inaction on vital animal welfare measures over the last two years and stating, “Our patience, and our trust, has now been exhausted. The organisations urge the Prime Minister to ensure that his Government will not abandon its promise of world-leading action for animals that millions of British people are waiting for.
Of the dozens of “game changing welfare measures” pledged in the Action Plan to better protect animals at home and overseas, only around a quarter have been delivered so far. The Kept Animals Bill, containing several Conservative manifesto promises, such as banning live exports for slaughter and fattening and stopping the cruel trade in puppies, has not been given Parliamentary time for over 17 months. The Action Plan’s flagship legislation recognising animal sentience and requiring it to be considered when formulating and implementing Government policy has still not been brought into force.
Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs at Humane Society International/UK, said: “The Government’s apparent disinterest and unwillingness to deliver its own Action Plan for animals is frankly baffling. MPs tell us they receive more constituent correspondence calling for better animal protection than any other issue, so passing legislation like the Kept Animals Bill and a ban on fur imports should be an easy and obvious choice in terms of popular policy. But instead, we and animals are enduring endless delays, seemingly deprioritised by this Government despite huge public concern. We urge Mr Sunak to remember his Party’s promises to animals and start delivering the action that they deserve, and voters expect.”
Elisa Allen, PETA vice president of programmes, said: “Animals are in peril, and the government has seemingly abandoned them as time is running out for it to make good on its word. PETA is calling on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ensure the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill becomes law, along with every other piece of promised pro-animal legislation without further delay.”
Chris Sherwood, RSPCA chief executive, said: “Sadly, animals have been left in limbo by continued inaction on key animal welfare issues by this UK Government. The RSPCA’s landmark Kindness Index found that 80% of people in the UK believe animal welfare should be protected by the government through legislation but sadly we have seen far too little progress from some of the key pledges contained with the UK Government’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare. We urge Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to end the gridlock, revive the Kept Animals Bill and ensure this administration keeps its promises for the nation’s animals – helping deliver a country where all animals are respected and treated with kindness and compassion they deserve.”
Coinciding with the letters, the animal charities held an eye-catching demonstration in Westminster with campaigners dressed as Rishi Sunak and Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey staging a scene of animals being ‘hung out to dry’ on a washing line in front of Downing Street.
National polling carried out in April 2022 shows that Brits want to see the Government follow through on its promises to enhance animal welfare. The poll found 72% of respondents – and 71% of those who voted Conservative in the last general election – would like the Government to pass more laws designed to improve animal welfare and protect animals from cruelty.
Photos from the action outside Downing Street can be downloaded here (credit: PETA).
The open letter from celebrities to Rishi Sunak can be viewed here. The full list of signatories is:
Evanna Lynch, Jan Leeming, Dame Joanna Lumley DBE FRGS, Jodie Prenger, Kirsty Gallacher, Leona Lewis, Dr Marc Abraham OBE, Megan McCubbin, Pete Wicks, Peter Egan, Rula Lenska, Dr Scott Miller BVSc MRCVS , Susie Dent, Tracy Edwards MBE, Will Young.
The published letter from animal protection NGOs to Rishi Sunak can be viewed here.
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Media contact: Sally Ivens, Humane Society International/UK , sivens@hsi.org ; 07590 559299
Humane Society International / Global
HSI
Humane Society International engages with international agreements that either directly or indirectly affect animals on a large, global scale. The adoption or rejection of one international measure can affect thousands or even millions of animals. We actively lobby for stronger protections and against weakening of protective measures at the following:
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a United Nations agreement that aims to protect certain species of wild fauna and flora against over-exploitation through international trade in animals, plants and their products. HSI experts regularly attend CITES meetings and contribute by preparing research materials for consideration by the country delegates.
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) is a United Nations agreement that aims to conserve terrestrial, marine, and avian migratory species throughout their range. Range states may create global or regional agreements under the CMS umbrella for certain listed species. HSI is an official cooperating partner of the CMS and some of its subsidiary agreements, including the CMS Sharks MoU.
The International Whaling Commission regulates whaling and whale conservation. In 1982, the IWC voted to ban commercial whaling, a move that ended the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of whales. Despite the ban, Japan, Iceland and Norway continue to hunt whales commercially and work to overturn the ban. HSI experts attend the biennial meeting to fight for whales.
The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) is responsible for the conservation and management of fisheries for tunas and other species – such as dolphins, sharks, sea turtles and seabirds – in the Eastern Pacific Ocean
The Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP) was formed under the IATTC to limit the number of dolphins that die from being caught in fishing nets targeting the tuna that swim beneath them in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. In the United States, tuna caught using this method cannot be labeled “Dolphin Safe,” but the AIDCP has a similar label used by other member countries in spite of the risk to dolphins.
Free Trade Agreements have the potential to positively influence the lives of billions of animals across the globe. This is why HSI in the EU has been engaging with the negotiators for trade deals with Mexico, Vietnam, Mercosur, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia to ensure the inclusion of robust provisions to protect animals.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an organization established in 1995 to oversee the multilateral trading system. It offers both a platform for negotiations of new rules and a mechanism to settle dispute over the compliance of existing rules. The outcome of WTO decisions has the ability to either strengthen or weaken animal protection policies of member countries. Therefore, HSI pro-actively engages in WTO-related events like the Public Forum and submits amicus curiae on disputes involving animal protection policies.
The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) is an intergovernmental organization created in 1924 with the original goal of ensuring transparency and cooperation among veterinary services on matters of animal health and zoonotic diseases. In 2001, the organization expanded its mandate to encompass the promotion of animal welfare. To reach these goals, OIE elaborates on animal health and welfare recommendations that (once approved by its country representatives) are included in its Code. In view of ensuring that the recommendations will uphold good welfare practices, HSI engages with OIE headquarters and with OIE member countries to advocate for the most animal-friendly recommendations possible. HSI efforts have contributed to the adoption of a chapter with on pig welfare and recommends pregnant sows and gilts to be housed in groups. HSI’s team is now working towards securing a similar victory for laying hens.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a non-governmental, independent organization that develops and publishes international standards for products, services, and systems. HSI has participated in the creation of an ISO Technical Specification on implementing animal welfare practices and continues to engage in in-country debates to ensure that national standards are designed in alignment with scientific recommendations for higher animal welfare.
The World Bank is an organization of five institutions providing financing, policy advice, and technical assistance to governments of developing countries. HSI assisted in the creation of the International Finance Corporation’s Good Practice Note on Animal Welfare.
The International Councils on Animal Protection in OECD and Pharmaceutical Programmes (ICAPO and ICAPPP) are umbrella associations through which animal protection organizations, including HSI, interact with global chemical and pharmaceutical regulators who meet under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH), and the Veterinary International Co-operation on Harmonisation (VICH). Through ICAPO and ICAPPP, HSI works to promote more humane and sophisticated testing tools and strategies that to better assess human and environmental hazards of chemicals and products while replacing, reducing or refining animal use.
Humane Society International celebrates landmark decision for animal protection and the #BeCrueltyFree campaign
Humane Society International / Brazil
Petra Wegner/Alamy Stock photo
BRASILIA—The Brazilian Supreme Court decided today that the State of Amazonas was within its rights to promulgate Law 289/2015 banning cosmetic tests on animals in its territory. The law, passed in 2015 by the State Assembly of Amazonas to end these cruel and unnecessary tests, was challenged by the Brazilian Association of Cosmetics, Personal Hygiene and Perfume Industry (ABIHPEC). ABIHPEC submitted a Direct Action of Unconstitutionality (ADI 5996) to the Supreme Court in September 2018, arguing that the State of Amazonas had overstepped its powers and that the subject matter could only be ruled at the federal Level.
Humane Society International submitted an opinion to the Court, defending the constitutionality of Amazonas’ ban by underlining that the state prohibition on the use of animals for cosmetic testing was both legally valid and scientifically sound. In a unanimous vote, the 11 judges decided against ABIHPEC’s request and confirmed that Amazonas has a legal right to ban cosmetics testing.
Helder Constantino, HSI/Brazil’s #BeCrueltyFree campaign manager, congratulated the Supreme Court for its decision: “It is wonderful that some progress has been achieved for the animals in these difficult times. Cosmetic tests on animals are unethical and strongly rejected by consumers. Over the years, a total of eight states have stepped in and enacted progressive legislation banning these tests, starting with São Paulo in 2014. This case was a very important one: if the law of the Amazonas had been declared unconstitutional, similar legislation could have been abrogated in all over Brazil. We congratulate the Court for its balanced judgement and for reaching its decision via a virtual process in order to comply with the confinement measures that we all must follow to slow down the COVID-19 epidemic.”
ABIHPEC is also challenging Law 7.814/2017, which prohibits animal testing on cosmetics and the sale of cosmetics that have been tested on animals in the State of Rio de Janeiro. Judge Gilmar Mendes is presiding over the case (ADI 5995) and has yet to issue a decision.
HSI’s #BeCrueltyFree campaign is supporting federal legislation ending cosmetic tests on animals. A report proposed to the Senate’s Commission of Economic Affairs (CAE) by Senator Alessandro Vieira, amending Bill 70/2014, would ban animal-tested cosmetics and ingredients and ban testing cosmetics on animals with immediate effect.
Facts:
Launched in 2012 by Humane Society International, #BeCrueltyFree is the largest campaign in history to end cosmetics animal testing and trade globally.
In Brazil, #BeCrueltyFree has received the support of Xuxa Meneghel, Fernanda Tavares, Ellen Jabour, Ray Neon, Rita Von Hunty, and many other influencers and celebrities. #BeCrueltyFree has also been joined by other NGOs, such as Latin American consumer awareness group Te Protejo.
The states of Amazonas, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraná, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have already banned cosmetic tests on animals. Together, these states host approximately 70% of Brazil’s national cosmetic industry.
Thirty-nine countries have already enacted measures aligned with the objectives of the campaign, including the European Union, Norway, India, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, Guatemala and Australia. Similar legislation is under consideration in Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the United States and elsewhere.
Tests on animals are still allowed by National Agency for Sanitary Surveillance (Anvisa) regulations to assess the toxicity of cosmetics. Although some tests have been recently abolished by the National Council for the Control of Animal Experiments, a body of the Ministry of Science and Technology, long-term toxicity tests that can use hundreds of animals to evaluate a single substance are still allowed.
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Media contact: Helder Constantino, hconstantino@hsi.org, +55 (21) 9 8342 4163
This momentous decision will save countless elephants from being snatched from their families and natural environment, says Humane Society International at CITES CoP18 in Geneva
Humane Society International / Global
GENEVA—Wildlife experts from animal protection charity Humane Society International are celebrating a momentous win for elephants at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), where delegates have just affirmed in plenary the decision to limit the controversial trade of wild-caught African elephants from Zimbabwe and Botswana to zoos
The European Union presented a series of amendments to last week’s decision which would allow trade of wild-caught elephants from Zimbabwe and Botswana to zoos only if approved by the CITES Animals Committee, in consultation with the IUCN African Elephant Specialist Group, an expert group that has publicly stated it does not believe there to be conservation benefits to wild caught elephants being sent to captive facilities. The amended text was passed by a vote of 87 in favour, 29 opposing and 25 abstaining.
Notably, the United States opposed both the original and amended proposal.
Audrey Delsink, wildlife director at Humane Society International/Africa says: “This is a momentous CITES decision for Africa’s elephants and despite compromised language being introduced by the EU, we are relieved by its passing. While it is disappointing that it is not an outright ban on trade in live elephants, the new language adds vital independent oversight and scrutiny. Speaking personally as an elephant field biologist I am jubilant that we have secured this victory for all the elephants who will now be spared the ordeal of being ripped away from their families. The capture of wild African elephants for export to zoos and other captive facilities is incredibly traumatizing for individual elephants as well as their social groups. Public sentiment is shifting, and people are increasingly outraged at the senseless and cruel practice of snatching baby elephants from the wild to live a life as a zoo exhibit.
“Countless elephant experts, animal lovers and celebrities from around the world urged countries to end this injustice by affirming the CITES ban, and we are so glad that our collective voices were heard. The definition of what is an appropriate destination is key, and the independent oversight by elephant specialists is critical, and so we will remain vigilant as that discussion develops, and fight against any attempts to justify or prolong trade in live baby elephants for captive purposes. We are extremely grateful to Kenya and the African Elephant Coalition for their efforts to protect wild African elephants.”
African elephants in Zimbabwe and Botswana are currently listed on Appendix II of CITES with an annotation that allows live elephants to be exported to “appropriate and acceptable” destinations. Under this definition, Zimbabwe has been capturing live baby African elephants in the wild and exporting them to zoos in China and elsewhere.
The practice has been highly controversial, drawing the condemnation of animal protection and conservation groups as well as elephant scientists who note that elephants are complex creatures who suffer both physically and psychologically as a result of captivity.
During the CITES conference, conservationist Dr Jane Goodall issued a statement of concern, and a host of celebrities such as Joanna Lumley, Ricky Gervais, Judi Dench, Pamela Anders and others submitted an open letter to European Union officials, calling on them not to oppose the CITES ban on trade in wild-caught baby African elephants ripped from their families and shipped off to foreign zoos.
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Media contacts:
At CITES: Brianna Grant, bgrant@hsi.org, [+1-202-360-3532]
United Kingdom: Wendy Higgins, whiggins@hsi.org +44 (0)7989 972 423
United States: Nancy Hwa, 202-596-0808 (cell), nhwa@hsi.org
Ricky Gervais, Simon Pegg, Leona Lewis, Dame Judi Dench, Alesha Dixon, Brigitte Bardot, Pamela Anderson, Thandie Newton, Evanna Lynch, Virginia McKenna, Joanna Lumley and Bryan Adams call on EU leaders at CITES wildlife conference not to overturn ban on trade in wild-caught baby African elephants for zoos and circuses
Humane Society International / Europe
Carole Deschuymere/Alamy
GENEVA–Ricky Gervais, Simon Pegg, Leona Lewis, Dame Judi Dench, Alesha Dixon, Evanna Lynch, Bryan Adams, Virginia McKenna OBE, Thandie Newton, Pamela Anderson, Peter Egan, and Jenny Seagrove are among a host of compassionate personalities who have joined forces with animal protection and conservation groups including Humane Society International, Brigitte Bardot Foundation, The Born Free Foundation, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, World Animal Protection and the Species Survival Network, in signing an urgent Open Letter to EU officials calling on them to support, not oppose, a ban on trade in wild-caught baby African elephants, ripped from their families and shipped off to foreign zoos.
The ban was first voted on and approved earlier this week by a majority of countries attending the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) in Geneva, but the EU voting bloc of 28 is expected to attempt to overturn it at the plenary vote next week.
The full letter and list of celebrity signers and the organizations be read here.
Forty-six countries attending CITES voted to end the highly-controversial trade in wild-caught African elephants from Zimbabwe and Botswana to captive facilities such as zoos in China and elsewhere. This represents an historic, landmark decision for elephants, who are social and emotional creatures and can suffer physically and psychologically in captivity. However, there is concern that the vote could be reopened at next week’s plenary meeting on August 27th and 28th and that the ban will be opposed by the European Union.
The ‘ban’ was passed by the required 2/3 majority vote in Committee I of CITES largely because the EU was unable to vote due to a procedural issue (it had not yet filed its credentials). The European Union – which spoke against the ban before the vote, and now has its credentials in order – looks set to vote against. As a 28-country voting bloc, the European Union’s vote is substantial and could overturn the decision if it opposes the ban. In that case, elephant families would continue to be ripped apart, and baby elephants condemned to a lifetime of suffering in captivity.
The letter reads: “Elephants are social and emotional creatures who form strong family bonds and suffer tremendously in captivity. Captured elephants can face horrific abuse during the capture process. Footage of wild-caught baby elephants awaiting export from Zimbabwe shows calves being beaten and kicked during capture. Some elephants have died during transit or shortly after arrival. Elephants who survive the long journey into captivity have been observed living in dark, barren cells in the holding facilities and zoos, in stark and heart-breaking contrast to the vast wilderness in which they naturally roam with family groups and larger clans.”
We call on all EU Environment ministers and the Finnish Presidency, representing the EU as a 28 voting bloc at the CITES meeting, to reflect the position of the majority of African elephant range States, the great majority of EU citizens, and leading elephant experts, and support the proposal to end the export of wild-caught elephants for captive use.”
Speaking from the CITES meeting, Audrey Delsink, Humane Society International/Africa Wildlife Director and elephant biologist, said, “Elephants are highly sentient and social beings, and the loss of captured individuals causes sustained psychological trauma for both the captured elephant and the remaining family. Public opinion is shifting and people throughout the world are appalled by the capture of baby elephants from the wild for export to zoos. The EU must not turn its back on elephants.”
Will Travers OBE, President of the Born Free Foundation said, “The public are increasingly distressed at the plight of elephants in captivity and sanctuaries in the US, Brazil, Europe and elsewhere are now doing their best to care for numerous elephants that are being increasingly shed by traditional captive facilities in the West. If the EU scuppers this progressive and positive CITES measure next week it will demonstrate just how massively out of step EU leaders are with the compassionate views of its citizens.”
“France is supportive of this measure but most of the EU countries oppose the proposal although it would be an historic step forward for the conservation of the African elephant,” said Elodie Gérôme-Delgado, Programme Leader Wildlife Worldwide at the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. “We’re urging EU Member States to follow France’s lead as they have a unique chance today to put an end to a cruel and useless practice.”
Cassandra Koenen, Global Head of Wildlife not Pets at World Animal Protection said, “We urge the EU to protect these majestic animals. The world has been shocked to see distressing video and photos of terrified baby African elephants being rounded up and snatched from their families in the wild, to be shipped to zoos and circuses around the world. Elephants have suffered enough, and the absolute last thing we should subject them to is long, stressful transportation across the world, and unsuitable new homes in the name of entertainment.”
“This historic step could turn the tide on the brutal and torturous reality of the live trade in elephants. Elephants are sentient beings that belong in the wild, they are not a commodity to be traded to the highest bidder. The sooner we put the emotional wellbeing of the species before our own short-sighted financial gain, the sooner we will regain a small slice of our humanity,” said Karen Botha, Chief Executive of David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.
If the ban is not passed next week, African elephants in Zimbabwe and Botswana will continue to be allowed to capture and export live elephants to so-called “appropriate and acceptable” destinations based on the annotation to the Appendix II listing of their elephant populations. Under these conditions, Zimbabwe has captured more than 100 live baby African elephants in the wild and exported them to zoos in China since 2012.
If the EU supports the ban and it is voted through, such international trade in wild African elephant exported from Zimbabwe and Botswana will be limited to only “in situ conservation programmes or secure areas in the wild within the species’ natural range, except in the case of temporary transfers in emergency situations”.
Photos, video and interviews
Wildlife experts from supporting NGOs are available for interview on request. Photos and video of the baby elephant captures are also available here.
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Media contacts:
Humane Society International – Wendy Higgins whiggins@hsi.org +44 (0) 7989 972 423
Born Free Foundation – Gemma Hook hook@pmwcom.co.uk+44 (0)7920 820 018
Alan Carr, Alesha Dixon, Bella Lack, Bill Bailey, Bonnie Wright, Brigitte Bardot, Bryan Adams, Dan Richardson, Deborah Meaden, Dougie Poynter, Evanna Lynch, Gordon Buchanan, Jenny Seagrove, Joanna Lumley, John Challis, Judi Dench, Kate Humble, Lauren St John, Leona Lewis, Lily Travers, Brendan Courtney, Marc Abrahams, Mollie King, Nicky Campbell, Pamela Anderson, Paul O’Grady, Peter Egan, Ricky Gervais, Robert Lindsay, Rula Lenska, Simon Pegg, Susie Dent, Thandie Newton, Virginia McKenna.
List of the animal and wildlife conservation organizations that support this sign-on letter:
Animal Welfare Institute
Born Free Foundation
Born Free USA
Brigitte Bardot Foundation
Eurogroup for Animals
David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
Fondation Franz Weber
Humane Society International
Pro Wildlife
Robin des Bois
Species Survival Network
The People and Earth Solidarity Law Network
World Animal Protection
Content of the Letter:
For the attention of Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, incoming EU Commission President, and Antti Juhani Rinne, Prime Minister of Finland and President of the EU Council of Ministers
PLEASE DON’T OVERTURN THE CITES BAN ON SENDING BABY AFRICAN ELEPHANTS TO FOREIGN ZOOS AND CIRCUSES
The world has been shocked to see distressing video and photos of terrified baby African elephants being rounded up and snatched from their families in the wild, to be shipped to zoos and circuses around the world.
This week, 46 governments attending the triennual Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), in a landmark decision voted in committee to end the barbaric practice of capturing live wild-caught baby and juvenile elephants for this heartless trade. In doing so they voiced their overwhelming support for the 32 African nations who advocated for a ban on all such transports of live elephants, and restrict these transports exclusively to in situ conservation programmes or secure areas in the wild within the African elephant’s natural range. An open letter by 55 elephant experts this week agrees entirely with this position.
Shamefully, the European Union wants to overturn this historic victory. The CITES Parties will still need to take a final vote next week and the EU intends to vote against the ban. If it does so the EU’s vote will condemn wild-caught elephants to a lifetime in unnatural captivity just so that zoos and circuses in the EU and elsewhere can continue to have a steady flow of live elephants from the wild.
Elephants are social and emotional creatures who form strong family bonds and suffer tremendously in captivity. Captured elephants can face horrific abuse during the capture process. Footage of wild-caught baby elephants awaiting export from Zimbabwe shows calves being beaten and kicked during capture. Some elephants have died during transit or shortly after arrival. Elephants who survive the long journey have been observed living in dark, barren cells in the holding facilities and zoos, in stark and heartbreaking contrast to the vast wilderness in which they naturally roam with family groups and larger clans.
We call on all EU Environment ministers and the Finnish presidency, representing the EU as a 28 voting bloc at the CITES meeting, to reflect the position of the majority of African elephant range states, the great majority of EU citizens, and leading elephant experts and support the proposal to end the export of wild-caught elephants for captive use.
It would be obscene for the EU to endorse snatching wild baby elephants and condemning these beautiful leviathans to a life of captive misery.
Humane Society International / Global
Adam Peyman/HSIAfrican elephant ivory products for sale in Tokyo, Japan
GENEVA—The Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) today confirmed its commitment to closure of domestic ivory markets agreeing by consensus to focus scrutiny on remaining legal markets like Japan and the EU. The discussions focused attention on markets that remain open with obvious concern regarding their contribution to illegal trade and poaching. In a positive step forward, Israel noted its recent announcement on closure of its domestic markets in elephant and mammoth ivory, and Australia announced its intent to close its market. The European Union stated that they will tighten regulations.
The previous meeting of the Conference of the Parties in 2016 called on countries to close domestic ivory markets that are “contributing to poaching or illegal trade.” Some countries, notably Japan and the EU, have claimed that their markets were not known to be contributing to elephant poaching or illegal trade and have held out on taking action. Under today’s agreement, countries whose ivory markets remain open will now be requested to report on the measures they are taking to ensure that their domestic ivory markets are not contributing to poaching or illegal trade. Japan – which has a significant domestic ivory market and has been implicated in ivory trafficking to China – will be bound by this agreed decision, if affirmed by plenary next week.
A number of Parties, including several African elephant range States such as Gabon, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Nigeria Angola and Liberia, reiterated that all legal domestic ivory markets create opportunities to launder illegal ivory contributing to poaching and illegal trade.
Iris Ho, Humane Society International’s senior wildlife specialist says: “It is a welcome reassurance that the CITES Parties recognize the necessity of and urgency for any remaining significant ivory markets, such as Japan and the European Union, to shut down their ivory trade. No country should be off the hook when a growing number of countries including China, the United States, Singapore and the United Kingdom have adopted measures to restrict or ban their domestic ivory trade. We call on Japan to heed the recommendation of the CoP and close its domestic or intra-EU commercial ivory trade as soon as possible.”
Humane Society International warmly congratulates the governments of Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria and the Syrian Arab Republic for championing this proposal, as well as all 32 countries African Elephant Coalition for advocating for closure of domestic ivory markets worldwide. The agreement reached today will now go forward to the plenary of the conference for ratification on 27/28th August.
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Media contacts:
At CITES: Brianna Grant, bgrant@hsi.org, +1-202-360-3532 (cell/WhatsApp)
United States: Nancy Hwa, 202-596-0808 (cell), nhwa@hsi.org
