NEW YORK (November 7, 2016) – WCS has issued the following video statements today by Dr. Elizabeth Bennett, WCS Vice President of Species Conservation, on the newly published study in PNAS on ivory forensics.  To receive a copy of the paper, please contact PNAS News Office immediately at 202-334-1310 or PNASnews@nas.edu.  Please note the paper is embargoed until 3:00 p.m. USET TODAY, November 7, 2016.  To interview Dr. Bennett, please contact the WCS press office.

Says Bennett: “This study shows that once poached, elephants are being moved rapidly into trade; illegal ivory isn't coming from old stockpiles, and shows that we just have to close down markets and demand. The slight decline in speed of ivory going into trade since 2011 is also worrying as it implies accumulating large shipments might be because ivory is getting scarcer from sites lacking good enforcement. And lastly, CITES calling on countries to close down markets is clearly good in this context.”

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