--- title: Elephant Poaching Ivory: Times Square Ivory Crushing Against Trade description: More than a ton of ivory was crushed in New York's Times Square Friday to highlight the threat of the ivory trade to the African elephant canonical: https://time.com/3928505/elephant-ivory-times-square/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-19T20:30:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:05:09.227Z article:section: Science og:title: Elephant Poaching Ivory: Times Square Ivory Crushing Against Trade og:description: More than a ton of ivory was crushed in New York's Times Square Friday to highlight the threat of the ivory trade to the African elephant og:url: https://time.com/3928505/elephant-ivory-times-square/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9de96cfc1b0c16ef/69885574a988caef9b6b31e6/ivory-trade.png?branch=production&width=894&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 894 og:image:height: 503 og:image:alt: ivory trade og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Elephant Poaching Ivory: Times Square Ivory Crushing Against Trade twitter:description: More than a ton of ivory was crushed in New York's Times Square Friday to highlight the threat of the ivory trade to the African elephant twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9de96cfc1b0c16ef/69885574a988caef9b6b31e6/ivory-trade.png?branch=production&width=894&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Elephant Advocates Crushed A Ton of Ivory In Times Square > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=6c6adac0-1d66-4722-a35c-728f7a545c94&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Wildfires, Beetles and Climate Change [Watch (HLS stream): Wildfires, Beetles and Climate Change](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/wYhUFMcF.m3u8) (4:46)  _Published 2009-09-14. In this Climate Central report, Dr. Susan Prichard explains how tree-killing bark beetles flourish in warmer temperatures, leading to severe wildfires_  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jun 19, 2015 8:30 PM UTC  Hundreds of ivory trinkets sit on display in New York's Times Square before their destruction. Hundreds of ivory trinkets sit on display in New York's Times Square before their destruction. Justin Worland  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jun 19, 2015 8:30 PM UTC **Correction appended: June 21** More than a ton of ivory taken from poached animals was crushed in New York’s Times Square on Friday to highlight the threat of the ivory trade to the African elephant. Environmental activists say the ivory crushing gathering, which featured lawmakers, wildlife advocates and celebrities, will show that the illegal ivory trade can’t continue. “Today’s ivory crush will send a message to the world,” U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell told a crowd of lawmakers, wildlife advocates and celebrities. “We’re not only crushing ivory, we’re crushing the ivory market.” When the speeches concluded, a 25-ton rock crusher buzzed to life and began grinding the first of hundreds of seized ivory pieces into a sand-like pulp. The hundreds of wildlife supporters gathered to watch broke out in applause as shards of ivory flew from the machine. The destroyed ivory, along with six tons that were destroyed in 2013, will be used to create an elephant memorial. Read More: [How DNA Could Help Catch Elephant Poachers](http://time.com/3926324/dna-elephant-poaching/) The event comes the week before the U.S. is expected to issue new regulations prohibiting the ivory trade, and weeks after the Chinese government said it would plan to do the same. Wildlife activists say such actions have never been more urgent. The prevalence of elephant poaching has increased in recent years, largely as a result of increased demand for ivory in China, and as a result, elephant populations have dwindled. Fewer than 500,000 elephants roam Africa today, and poachers kill 50,000 more each year. Destroying ivory that has been traded illegally may seem like a no-brainer, but the practice has drawn criticism from a variety of groups, including some who support the conservation of wildlife. Some say that ivory [contains evidence](http://time.com/3926324/dna-elephant-poaching/) that could be used against traders. Others argue that ivory crushes reduce the supply and increases the likelihood that poachers will hunt for elephants, they say. But the groups behind the ivory crushing say the public awareness of the event far outweighs the reduction in supply that destroying ivory may cause. “I had no idea that the U.S. was one of the largest ivory markets in the world,” said Food Network star Katie Lee, who works with conservation group 96 Elephants. “Every time I tell someone the statistics, they’re shocked. The more people that hear about this, the more change that can take place.” Jeffrey Flocken, who leads the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s North American branch, described the one ton load as “a drop in the ocean” when it comes to satisfying “infinite demand.” Still, he said, crushing the ivory sends a clear message that the illegal trade won’t be tolerated. (_An earlier version of this article mischaracterized Jeffrey Flocken’s statement.)_ ## Transcript >> I find it amazing that such a small non- descript little beetle can reeks a tabic on forest systems. >> A research scientist at the University of Washington Dr. Susan Prichard studies the effects of disturbances like insect outbreaks and wildfires on forests. Over the last two decades, more trees in western forests are being killed by bark beetles and there have been more fires. But, is climate change to blame? >> Each one of these, yellow sap concentration is an actual site where a mountain pine beetle as board into the bark of the logical pine and then it will lay eggs and its larvae will actually feed on the cambium tissue, the living tissue of the tree. So here, each one of the centers is an example of the tree trying to pitch out the beetle. The actual sap of the tree has [ unk ] that are toxic to the beetles and then also they are physically pushed the beetle out of the tree. >> Wow. So this tree is literally just fighting for its life. >> It is fighting for its life. That's not an overstatement actually. So, I can tell that unfortunately for this particular tree, it's not winning the fight. >> Beetles thrive in warmer weather. Mild winters, earlier springs and longer summers mean more beetles. >> So there is a climate linked for mountain pine beetle for sure. And what we're noticing in Washington State even today that in the last 20 years with warmer climate, warmer [ unk ] climate, there has been an increased incidents of mountain pine beetle. >> A resident of the quaint town in Winthrop in Central Washington, Dr. Prichard also says, warmer temperatures across the Western US have made drought stressed trees more vulnerable to beetle attack. >> Now if you have a vigorous tree, it will have enough defenses to pitch out some beetles so the beetles will attack the more weakened trees and maybe kill them. In an outbreak there could be, you know, acres upon acres of host trees where that there would be weakened, maybe drought, stressed, dense trees for these beetles to build up enough of a population that then they could start spreading into both weakened trees and healthy trees. >> Scientists have already made a definitive connection between warming temperatures and increase fires in the west. The connection between beetles and fire is less understood but many scientists like Prichard believe the combination of beetles, warming and drying forest will pre- dispose Washington State Forests to more fire. This year, more than 800 wild fires ignited in Washington State well above the yearly average. Prichard says in an outbreak of bark beetles starting in the 1990's let accumulations of dead trees priming the forests for a big fire event, which is exactly what occurred in August 2006 when the so- called tripod complex fire swept through the Okanogan Wenatchee forest destroying 180 thousand acres and costing $ 80 million. >> I actually saw the initial big smoke flumes. And if you were to look across the valley floor, you would not have been able to see even the trees. >> For Prichard, large fire events have been part of the landscape for millennium, vital to the renewal of the forest. She's concern about the future with an increase frequency of hot, dry weather, beetle outbreak and big fires. >> It actually reset the stage. It is a very natural cycle in this ecosystem. However, we are also facing unprecedented changes and climate. Here's an example of a Douglas first seedling, and you can see that it, you know, smaller in stature, it's very shallowly rooted in the soil and it's vulnerable to drought so as the top soil dries. It might dry out and die. So if we have more high severity fire then it might mean that trees that ever existed here for hundreds of not thousands of years are not able to success or able to produce. >> But since understanding the effect of disturbances on forest is her passion and work, Dr. Prichard has no plans to leave Central Washington anytime soon. They choose to live in a fire prone landscape. I think that's an important thing for people to actually take in to consideration when they wanna live in the great outdoors. The great outdoors in the Inland west means fire in the summers. >> Prichard and other scientist say climate change is at the very least partly responsible. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3928505/elephant-ivory-times-square/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3928505/elephant-ivory-times-square/"},"headline":"Why Elephant Advocates Crushed A Ton of Ivory In Times Square","datePublished":"2015-06-19T20:30:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:05:09.227Z","description":"'We're not only crushing ivory, we're crushing the ivory market'","url":"https://time.com/3928505/elephant-ivory-times-square/","keywords":["animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9de96cfc1b0c16ef/69885574a988caef9b6b31e6/ivory-trade.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9de96cfc1b0c16ef/69885574a988caef9b6b31e6/ivory-trade.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"ivory trade","caption":"ivory trade","creditText":"Justin Worland","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/animals/","name":"animals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3928505/elephant-ivory-times-square/","name":"Why Elephant Advocates Crushed A Ton of Ivory In Times Square"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Wildfires, Beetles and Climate Change","description":"In this Climate Central report, Dr. Susan Prichard explains how tree-killing bark beetles flourish in warmer temperatures, leading to severe wildfires","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/wYhUFMcF/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2009-09-14T03:15:02.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/wYhUFMcF.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3928505/elephant-ivory-times-square/","duration":"PT4M46S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3928505/elephant-ivory-times-square/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```