Editorial

There are plenty of controversial decisions to be made in November, but Measure 100 is not one of them.

The Wildlife Trafficking Prevention Act would prohibit the sale of products and parts from 12 endangered animals in Oregon. Those animals are rhinos, cheetahs, tigers, sea turtles, lions, elephants, whales, sharks, pangolins, jaguars, rays and leopards.

Election Day in the United States is still more than three weeks away. But here at home ballots will hit the post office next Friday, Oct. 21. So this election season we’re giving you our ballot recommendations in plenty of time for you to contemplate and respond to, if you like.

Measure 100

Endangered animal protections

Yes

Oregon isn't the first place that leaps to mind in a discussion of animal poaching. But the backers of this measure make a persuasive if anecdotal case that the state is becoming a supply hub for elephant ivory, rhinoceros horns and lion genitals.

Measure 100 would outlaw trafficking of endangered exotic animal parts within Oregon. It sounds a little far-fetched, but supporters say there is a shadowy market in ivory, rhinoceros horn and other illicit items in the state. Federal law prohibits such sales, but the Endangered Species Act does not apply to in-state trade in animal parts.

Measure 100

Restricts wildlife trafficking

YES

It’s not often that you get the chance to hurt terrorists and help elephants with the single stroke of a pen.

Poaching of endangered animals has long been a global problem, with a booming market for things such as elephant ivory, sea turtle shells and rhino horns. In recent years, it’s taken a more sinister turn, as the proceeds from wildlife trafficking funded terrorist groups in sub-Saharan Africa.

Every 15 minutes, an African elephant is killed for its tusks. At that rate, the last wild elephant will be gone within 20 years. The United States is second only to China as the world’s top market for elephant ivory, which means Americans bear a heavy responsibility to end the demand that makes the slaughter of elephants profitable. Oregonians can do their part by approving Measure 100 on the Nov. 8 ballot, which would ban the sale of ivory, rhinoceros horns and other heavily trafficked products made from the corpses of endangered species.

Oregonians face key choices on seven ballot measures this year. Five of the measures are considered here, while Measure 97 and Measure 98 — each with significant potential longterm financial impacts — will be discussed in separate editorials. That doesn't make this group of five any less important, however. From veterans' benefits to higher education finances, the consequences of each count to all Oregonians.

There are plenty of controversial decisions to be made in November, but Measure 100 is not one of them.

The Wildlife Trafficking Prevention Act would prohibit the sale of products and parts from 12 endangered animals in Oregon. Those animals are rhinos, cheetahs, tigers, sea turtles, lions, elephants, whales, sharks, pangolins, jaguars, rays and leopards.

The trade in such things as rhino horns and elephant tusks won’t end if Oregonians approve a ballot measure this fall that would largely outlaw the practice. That said, a state ban on sales could make it more difficult, and that in itself is a good thing.