In the movement to restrict the sale of ivory, reduce poaching, and save elephants' lives, DoSomething.org members spoke up to #BeHerd. This week, they were.

On June 2, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced a near-total ban on the sale of ivory products in the U.S. 

"The new rules aim to curb the rampant slaughter of the elephant, an endangered species, which experts say accounts for 96 deaths a day," reported The New York Times. "They also intend to severely restrict the African ivory market in the United States, the world's second-largest consumer of illegally poached ivory."

DoSomething.org members contributed to the public push for the ivory ban by supporting the landmark legislation President Obama proposed last summer. In partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society, we launched Lead the Stampede. 

Through the campaign, members created "elphies" (elephant selfies!) by choosing an image of their favorite emoji stampeding with an iconic elephant. On August 19, 2015, in honor of Snuffleupagus' birthday and elephants around the world, members flooded POTUS's Twitter with elphies and messages, raising their voices to #BeHerd in support of the ivory ban.

So What Now?

The ban in the US represents the closing of a major ivory market, but poaching is still a global issue, with China being the largest market for illegal ivory. Last September, President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that both countries would ban ivory trade. Next week, a delegation from the United States will meet with Chinese officials in Beijing to discuss their restrictions on the ivory trade.

Nations from around the world will gather this September during CITIES CoP17, a world wildlife conference, to hammer out the details of a resolution that calls for an end to domestic ivory markets across the globe. The ivory trade is still in business, but as more markets close, there is smaller demand for elephant tusks and thus, fewer poachers.

Huge thanks and congratulations to our members for making elephant-sized strides in the animal conservation movement.

Want to protect more animals this summer? Learn more about how you can protect pets from sweltering heat through the Hot Dogs campaign.