Wednesday, 8 June 2022

Tinkling the Ivories?

The UK's Ivory Act 2018 becomes effective in June 2022. It is supposed to stop the killing of African elephants by banning the import and sale of new (as opposed to antique) ivory. Offenses are punishable by a fine of up to £250,000 or a maximum of 5 years in prison. Elephants are saved! (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/27/ivory-ban-loophole-means-elephant-body-parts-can-still-be-traded-in-uk). There are, however, two major loopholes in the act. The first, is that people can (and do) still import elephant skins, feet, ears and tails into the UK. The second, is that the act allows ivory from other sources (e.g. whales, mammoth and narwhals etc), to be sold in the UK. Perhaps some 'traders' will claim that the elephant ivory they sell, comes from other species? Proving otherwise requires genetic testing.

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