**NEWS RELEASE**

CONTACT: STEPHEN SAUTNER: (1-718-220-3682; ssautner@wcs.org

MAX PULSINELLI: (1-571-218-7601; mpulsinelli@wcs.org)

WCS Praises California Senate for Passing Ivory Ban

  • AB 96 Passes with 26 Votes in Favor, 13 Against
  • Bill now goes to Governor for signature
  • Key to stopping elephant slaughter is to stop sale of ivory
  • California poised to play a direct role in saving elephants

NEW YORK (DATE, Sept. 2, 2015) – The Following statement is from John Calvelli, WCS Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Director of the 96 Elephants Campaign:

“WCS [Wildlife Conservation Society] and the 96 Elephants campaign praise the California Senate for passing AB 96, state legislation that would ban the sale of ivory and rhinoceros horn in the state of California. We commend Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins and Senator Ricardo Lara for championing the bill. And we thank the public and our fellow bill sponsors The Humane Society of the United States, Natural Resources Defense Council, Oakland Zoo and California Association of Zoos and Aquariums for their tireless efforts to support AB96.”

The bill will go back to the Assembly (where it already passed on June 2nd) for a concurrence vote due to minor amendments made in the Senate before it reaches the governor’s desk shortly.

Calvelli added: “The ivory issue is not something that’s only happening half a world away – there is a major ivory market right here in the U.S., and California is among the largest consumers.  Now, California is poised to play a direct role in saving elephants from the ravages of the illegal wildlife trade.

“The goal of 96 Elephants – named after the number of elephants gunned down each day in Africa by poachers – is to stop the killing, stop the trafficking and stop the demand.  Banning the sale of ivory is a key step toward stopping the demand.

“The California legislature has shown real leadership on this issue. WCS and 96 Elephants urge Governor Brown to now sign AB 96 into law so that elephants can be further protected from poachers’ guns and wildlife traffickers.”

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Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)

MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. VISION: WCS envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in more than 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City,  visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: www.wcs.org; http://www.facebook.com/TheWCS; http://www.youtube.com/user/WCSMedia  Follow: @thewcs.

96 Elephants
WCS is leading global efforts to save Africa’s elephants and end the current poaching and ivory trafficking crisis. In 2013, WCS launched its 96 Elephants campaign to bring together world citizens, partners, thought leaders, and change makers to leverage collective influence to stop the killing, stop the trafficking, and stop the demand. The campaign, which has partners from around the world including 125 U.S. zoos, focuses on: securing effective moratoria on sales of ivory; bolstering elephant protection; and educating the public about the link between ivory consumption and the elephant poaching crisis. www.96elephants.org