On Friday, U.S. President, Barack Obama and People’s Republic of China President, Xi Jinping agreed to end the domestic commercial trade of ivory in their respective countries. This historic accord comes at a time when as many as 35,000 elephants are poached each year for their tusks to supply the world’s growing ivory demand.
“We are seeing an important, public commitment from the world’s two largest economies to work together to bring an end to the elephant-poaching crisis,” says Dr. Patrick Bergin, African Wildlife Foundation CEO and member of the White House Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking. “President Obama and President Xi are sending a clear message that they intend to throw the weight of their countries behind the elephant crisis.” As part of this agreement, the two governments will c-operate in bringing additional training, technical expertise, information sharing and public awareness to the wildlife trafficking crisis.
Find out what this means for Africa’s elephants
