Demand for elephant ivory is at all time high in China, according to an endangered animal specialist who testified at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday. The subject was the rise of poaching in Africa, including rising demand for rhino ivory in Vietnam. Witnesses included the founder of Save the Elephants in Kenya & the managing director of the Global Financial Integrity Organization.
Recent reports, including one using NASA satellite imagery of elephant reserves in Kenya, have shown a dramatic increase in ivory and rhinoceros-horn poaching in Africa.
The Levin-Grassley bill would require states to obtain the names of beneficial owners of corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) created under state laws. The impetus of the bill is to expose illegal financial dealings by international criminals and terrorist groups.