WAN is pleased to announce that Canada is about to put an end to the Trade in Elephant Ivory and rhino horns. Proposed regulations that would ban Elephant ivory and rhino horn in Canada, as well as imports of hunting trophies from elephant and rhino parts, have been published in Gazette I.
“Elephants and Rhinos may have become extinct in our lifetime if urgent measures are not taken to save them. We congratulate the Canadian government for playing a world-leading role in protecting these iconic species for future generations,” Kelly Butler, wildlife campaign manager for Humane Society International/Canada, told WAN.
“Canadians have made it clear that there is no place in our country for the trade of Elephant ivory and rhino horns or hunting trophies of these species. HSI/Canada strongly supports the regulations as published in Gazette I, which would become the global standard for the protection of Elephants and rhinos in out-of-range areas,” Butler continued.
The proposed regulations follow years of campaigning by HSI/Canada and our coalition partners, as well as the support of academics, public figures and hundreds of thousands of affected people. In its 2021 mandate letter, the federal government responded by committing to “curb the unlawful wildlife trade and end the trade in elephant and rhino tusks in Canada.”
The regulation is in accordance with the directives of the main experts and stakeholders in the field of elephant and rhino protection: the Coalition for African Elephants (which represents 78% of African countries where elephants are held), the Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and Flora and the International Union for Conservation of Nature have all called for the closure of national ivory markets.
According to a 2020 survey conducted by Insights West, 94% of Canadians favor a ban on the Elephant Ivory Trade. A public petition calling for a ban on the Elephant Ivory Trade has gathered more than 700,000 signatures.
The publication in Gazette I, the Canadian government newspaper, is one of the last steps in the creation of new regulations. As soon as the proposed regulations are published in the Official Journal I, they will be the subject of a consultation and will be modified on the basis of commentaires.Si if necessary, the regulations are officially published in the Official Journal II.
Canadian residents are asked to sign the letter from HSI/Canada in support of the measures, which will be submitted to the government during the 30-day public consultation.
