U.S.: 'Near-Total' Ban on Ivory Trade

Officials announced Thursday a dramatic expansion of restrictions on elephant ivory within the U.S., a move they say will diminish what remains of the trade.

The measure, issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), finalizes a proposal made last year to ban the commercial trade of ivory in most contexts within the country. Previous U.S. regulations have focused largely on preventing the importation of ivory and offered relatively generous allowances to ivory already here.