STROUD MP David Drew is lending his support to calls for a UK ivory ban to help protect elephants from further slaughter for the illegal ivory trade.

Mr Drew attended an event at Westminster organised by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Endangered Species to highlight the elephant poaching crisis and public support for a UK ivory ban.

He was able to view some of the many ivory items recently donated by members of the public to IFAW’s UK ivory surrender.

IFAW invited people to surrender their own ivory to be destroyed as part of a campaign to close the UK’s ivory market and save this iconic species from the threat of extinction.

The surrender has received overwhelming support from the UK public with almost 500 ivory items weighing around 150kgs donated in just a few months.

Philip Mansbridge, UK Director of IFAW, said: “There is clearly huge public momentum in the UK for an ivory ban. With elephant populations at an all-time low and the species facing extinction due to the ivory poaching crisis which is killing at least 20,000 elephants each year, it is fantastic to see so many people keen to give up their ivory.

"We thank everyone who has surrendered ivory as well as the huge number of politicians who are supporting the campaign for a UK ivory ban.

“On the display in Parliament today we have around 60 tusks and parts of tusks which represent a herd of nearly 30 elephants. This is why we need to urgently close down our ivory markets. There is no time to wait with elephants in crisis.”