A Call to Action Outlawing Ivory and Rhino Horn in the State of Ohio

The purpose of this petition is to enact legislation banning the import, in-state, and Internet sale and distribution of raw and worked ivory and Rhinoceros horn products in the state of Ohio.

In 2014, President Barack Obama issued an executive order banning the import and export of ivory, yet the United States remains the largest consumer after China as the order fails to include; the import, in-state, Internet, and diplomatic loopholes. (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2014)

Trafficking of illegal ivory is a transnational organized crime run by terrorists and radicalists whom threaten our national security, our wildlife, and our people. (IFAW, 2013) “There is no legislation in Ohio and this is what I am working to change.” 

With 96 Elephants killed daily for their tusks and 1200 Rhino killed annually in South Africa alone, it is predicted that both of these keystone species will become extinct in less than 10 years. (National Geographic, 2014)

To understand the brutality of the killing, one must be aware of the methods – AK47’s, poisoned watermelons, cyanide dumped in watering holes thereby killing entire ecosystems in the process, hacking off tusks or horns while the animal is still alive, paralysis darts so the species cannot move yet is fully cognizant of machetes slicing into its skulls, and poisoned darts leading to weeks and weeks of extreme suffering before a long, unspeakable death. (McAvey, 2015)

Like humans, Elephants and Rhinos are ritualistic beings that are self-aware; intelligent, have lasting memories, long for and love their families, and whose calves depend on their mother’s milk for nutrients and survival, just as our babies do. And like our babies, without proper nutrition calves will succumb to the elements and even die from a broken heart.

Elephants and Rhinos are “keystone species”, meaning they are a species upon which many others depend on and whose disappearance initiates significant changes in an ecosystem. This is also known as a “trophic cascade” because of the cascading effect that a change in the size of one population at the top of a food web has on the populations below it. (Turk and Bensel, 2014)

I’m asking you to join me in pushing Ohio Governor; John Kasich, the Senate, and the General Assembly, to enact legislation banning the import, in-state, and Internet sale and distribution of raw and worked ivory and Rhinoceros horn products in the State of Ohio.

Let’s show the world that saving Elephants and Rhinos is a bipartisan effort.

Sincerely,

Christina LaMonica, Founder; Ivory Free Ohio – IFOH

~Ivory Free Ohio is a Grassroots Campaign Dedicated to Ending the Trade of Ivory, Rhino Horn, and Trophy Hunting Products, in Ohio.

Facebook Group: Ivory Free Ohio – IFOH

Twitter: @seechrissygo

Reference

African Environmental Film Foundation. (2012, August 24). White Gold. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/68WBv7iZ33s

Atkin, Bloom, Bonta, Lara, Levine, Maienschein, McCarty, Pavley, Rendon, Williams. (2015, January 7). Assembly Bill No. 96. Retrieved from http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/15-16/bill/asm/ab_0051-0100/ab_96_bill_20150107_introduced.pdf

Howard, B.C. (2015, January 22). South Africa Sees Record Year for Rhino Poaching. Nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved fromhttp://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/150122-rhino-poaching-south-africa-conservation-science/

IFAW. (2013, June). Criminal Nature; The Global Security Implications of the Illegal Wildlife Trade. ifaw.org. Retrieved from http://www.ifaw.org/sites/default/files/ifaw-criminal-nature-2013-low-res_0.pdf

iWorry.org. (2015). One Elephant is Killed every 15 Minutes.  iWorry.org. Retrieved from http://iworry.org/

McAvey, A. (2015). Ivory Free Vermont. Ivoryfreevermont.org. Retrieved from http://www.ivoryfreevermont.org/

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. (2014). USFWS Moves to Ban Commercial Elephant Ivory Trade. Fws.gov. Retrieved fromhttp://www.fws.gov/international/travel-and-trade/ivory-ban-questions-and-answers.html

Turk, J., & Bensel, T. (2014). Contemporary environmental issues (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.