GRIFFITH PARK, Calif. – A necklace made of carefully carved beads has for sat untouched for years.
“It stays in its little box at home," Janica Jones said. "I would never ever ever wear it.”
The beads are made of ivory, likely from an Asian elephant. Jones says her family bought it in Pakistan decades ago and she has held onto it for years, mostly so it didn’t end up on the black market.
“I don’t want someone making a profits off of the death of an elephant," Jones said.
Jones works as a gardener at the Los Angeles Zoo, and came in on her day off to participate in the zoo’s first ever "Toss the Tusk" event. People arrived from all over the city, carrying jewelry, trinkets, and small sculptures, many echoing the same sentiment. Numerous attendees have been looking for a way to unburden themselves from these unwanted heirlooms associated with pain and death.
“I didn’t feel it was right to throw them away really, because they’re sacred I think," another woman said as she handed in a necklace that had belonged to her grandmother.
By turning these items in to authorities, their former owners have the peace of mind knowing it will be put to good use. Some will be DNA tested and used for research. Others will help train dogs like Scout, a 1-and-half-year-old Springer Spaniel who works with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Scout is a new trainee but will eventually work to sniff out ivory at the Los Angeles International Airport or the Port of Long Beach.
“Having an animal protect other animals is something that really fascinates me," said Warden Nick Molsberry, Scout's human partner. "Here we have a dog that is protecting some of our endangered species and critically threatened species such as rhinos and elephants.”
Elephants and ivory may seem far removed from southern California, but CDFW Assistant Chief Nathaniel Arnold says poaching is a worldwide problem.
“We’re seeing approximately 96 elephants killed per day," Arnold said. "One every 25 minutes.”
Unfortunately, Arnold adds, the U.S. plays a huge role.
"We’re the second highest consumer of ivory in the world so it’s critical that we take a stand here and that the rest of the world takes that same stand,” said Arnold.
Jones was happy to take that stand.
“I have memories and other memorabilia that don’t involve the death of an elephant, so this is really pretty easy to give up," Jones said, washing her hands of the necklace and clearing her conscience as well.
If you have ivory you'd like to turn in, You can mail them to:
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Attn: Law Enforcement Division
1416 9th Street, 13th Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
If the items are too big to mail, you can also call the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Law Enforcement Division at 916-653-4094 and they will happily make other arrangements to retrieve the ivory.