This post is brought to you by the San Francisco SPCA.

Courtesy galleryhip.com

Of all American cities, San Francisco is the 2nd biggest importer of ivory. Local demand for trinkets, jewelry, and carvings is contributing to ivory sales that are booming worldwide.

Every 15 minutes an African elephant is killed for its tusks, which amounts to over 35,000 elephants each year. At the current rate, African elephants are in danger of becoming extinct within the next five years. Right now, the death toll is only increasing.

Although California passed its own law to help stop the ivory trade decades ago, elephant parts imported before 1977 are exempt from enforcement statewide. Since it’s nearly impossible to determine the age of ivory, this gaping loophole means that California’s law is unenforceable and ineffective. This is why San Francisco is currently one of the epicenters of the illegal ivory trade and why almost 80 percent of the city’s ivory is thought to be illegal.

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Courtesy demotix.com

Sadly, rhinoceroses suffer from even less protection in California, because this law doesn’t apply to rhino parts. But global demand for rhino horn is skyrocketing, and rhinos are in serious trouble. More than 1,000 rhinos were poached last year alone for their horns, with only an estimated 28,000 left in the wild.

California State Assembly Bill 96 (so named because 96 elephants are killed every day in Africa) has the potential to change these sad statistics—and the fate of thousands of animals. By strengthening California’s ban on illegal ivory and offering protection to rhinos, passage of this bill would be a huge step toward preventing the slide toward extinction for these animals.

The San Francisco SPCA, along with numerous other animal welfare and environmental organizations, supports AB 96. So do the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, who earlier this month unanimously passed a resolution in support of this important legislation. We encourage all San Franciscans join us in the fight to save the world’s remaining elephants and rhinos before it's too late.