Information provided by Woodland Park Zoo

To help put the spotlight on the imperiled future of elephants, Washington state Governor Jay Inslee has proclaimed today, September 22, to be Elephant Appreciation Day. Widely recognized, Elephant Appreciation Day is a fitting day to sign a pledge to help end the ivory trade.

To date, more than 5,000 members of the community have signed a pledge in support of the 96 Elephants campaign, named for the number of elephants killed in Africa every day for their ivory, which is made into jewelry, trinkets and religious objects, or grounded into traditional Eastern medicine.

The 5,000+ signed pledges have surpassed the original goal of collecting 960 pledges from Washington state residents. People of all ages may still join the herd and take the pledge to never buy, sell or trade ivory, and to support a moratorium on ivory sales in Washington state.

In July the zoo launched its participation in the 96 Elephants campaign to stop the killing, stop the demand and stop the trade. 96 Elephants is a coalition of more than 150 zoos, aquariums and partners coming together to help save elephants from extinction. This collaborative focus is to educate millions of people about the elephant crisis, secure state by state ivory moratoria to close the legal loopholes that conceal black market ivory in the U.S., and raise funds to bolster elephant protection.

The United States has one of the largest markets for ivory. Earlier this year, the Obama administration announced the National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking to ban commercial trade of ivory within the U.S. However, because of complicated federal legislation and a lack of regulation in individual states, the black market is alive and thriving. To truly stop the ivory trade, enforcement is needed at both the federal and state levels.
New York, which was the largest market for legal ivory in the United States, and New Jersey have now successfully banned ivory sales in their respective states, thanks to the 96 Elephants campaign.

“Recognizing Elephant Appreciation Day is an opportunity to tell people about the staggering number of elephants being killed every day for their ivory,” said Woodland Park Zoo President and CEO Dr. Deborah Jensen. “While the elephant crisis is grim and heartbreaking, by working together, we can make a difference and become the generation that saves elephants.”

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Wash. is a partner in the 96 Elephants campaign and has been collecting pledges and educating people from another part of the state. An additional 3,000+ Point Defiance Zoo visitors have signed the 96 Elephants campaign promise in recent weeks, agreeing to support bans on the sale or trade of ivory.

"We are committed to this crucial conservation campaign, and we’re gratified that so many members of our community have joined us in this effort,” Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium Deputy Director John Houck said. “The slaughter of elephants by poachers in Africa is horrendous and we must all do everything we can to end this shameful practice.”

Point Defiance Zoo and Woodland Park Zoo each aim to persuade elected officials to sponsor legislation for an ivory ban at the state level, Houck added.

Around the world, conservation organizations are on the ground, fighting poachers and transnational organized crime groups that are behind the large-scale poaching to fund terrorist groups and the illegal drug and arms trade. Woodland Park Zoo supports these efforts in Africa and Asia through partners like the Tarangire Elephant Project in Tanzania, where a network of 33 game scouts in seven villages serve as anti-poaching patrol. In the last year alone, 55 poachers have been arrested.

Visit www.zoo.org/96elephants for more information about these anti-poaching activities and the 96 Elephants campaign.