Tinkling With the Ivories

The UK's 2018 Ivory Act banned the importation of Elephant ivory. This applied to relatively new material, exempting 'antiques'. The law was intended to reduce poaching, a serious threat to the survival of these endangered animals. Predictably, post-2018, there was a surge of imports of ivory and worked-ivory objects from other 'unprotected' (by law species) but also endangered species. It's now intended to extend the ban to all other ivory-producing species (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/23/imports-of-ivory-from-hippos-orcas-and-walruses-to-be-banned-in-uk). Ivory is, of course, just hard tooth enamel, so it's a bit odd to regard it as a product (like a fruit or wood). Ivory-producing animals need their teeth to survive. Ivory from Hippopotamuses, Orcas and Walruses will now be included in the ban. These animals are also threatened by poaching, so the move may help their conservation. Ancient chess sets, fashioned from the teeth of Orcas, will still be legal. This extra protection is sorely needed, as all these species(and Elephants), are threatened by climate change.