SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Zoo Safari Park hosted a “Toss the Tusk” event on Friday morning. The event, organized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Wildlife Trafficking Alliance and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was designed to bring awareness to elephant poaching and the illegal ivory trade.
The park's guests were encouraged to support long-term conservation efforts by surrendering their unwanted elephant ivory items, including jewelry, household items, and art pieces.
One attendee told CBS 8, “I have been holding onto this stuff for years after I inherited it from my mom and some from my mother-in-law. Knowing it is ivory, I didn’t know what to do with it, so I have just been hanging onto it. When I saw the notice, I went, ‘Ahhhhh!’ I can give it to the right people.”
Authorities say that surrendering items made of elephant ivory will help ensure their availability will not drive demand for the product. Removing elephant ivory products from the market can help keep these majestic animals alive for generations.
The illegal ivory trade and its support of it have decimated not only the elephant population but also other animal populations. During Friday’s event, displays showed the real consequences of supporting the market. There were tusks from many different animals and the hides of big cats like cheetahs.
Attendees met U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife law enforcement staff and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance scientists, who answered questions and shared information about elephant conservation and illegal wildlife trade.
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