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Many baby elephants, such as the one pictured above at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya, become orphans after their parents were killed by poachers.

(Natasha Dolezal)

A bill seeking to ban commercial sales of ivory and rhino horn in Oregon died in a House Judiciary committee on Thursday.

A work session scheduled for June 4 on SB 913 was canceled just before a legislative deadline for action on bills.

The primary opposition on the Senate side was led by Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, whose district includes the Wildlife Safari in Winston. Lobbyists for the National Rifle Association also rallied strong opposition to the bill.

Votes in favor of it were mostly along party lines, except for Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, and Rep. Julie Parrish, R-West Linn, who both supported SB 913.

House leadership ultimately killed the bill, said Scott Beckstead, Oregon senior director of The Humane Society of the United States.

Sponsored by Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton and supported by a broad coalition of animal-welfare groups, SB 913 would have closed a major loophole in federal law.

Currently, federal law prohibits commercial imports of ivory and rhino horn and bans it across state lines but does not regulate sales within states.

Beckstead expressed supporters' disappointment in a statement.

"Sadly, Oregon has missed an opportunity to do its part to help save elephants and rhinos from the threat of extinction," he said.

"Despite compelling evidence that these animals are headed for extinction, and that their slaughter is helping fund international criminal and terrorist organizations, some in the Legislature are apparently choosing to protect the profits of a small but vocal minority that profits from the continued trade in ivory and rhino horn."

--Monique Balas; msbalaspets@gmail.com