The Elephant Ivory Trade

The UN-backed Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a treaty among nations for the protection of certain species against over-exploitation through international trade. In 1989, after a decades long crisis in which elephants were being slaughtered for their tusks, CITES took action by instituting an international ban on all trade in elephant ivory. The ban extended to all international commercial trade in both African and Asian elephant including all parts such as ivory, skin, leather, meat and hair. Sadly, in 1997, the total ban was diluted, allowing a resumption of commercial trade in elephants from Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.  
 
It is impossible for the human eye to distinguish between legal and illegal ivory. Outlaws take advantage of the “loophole” of legal sales to target weakly patrolled elephant habitats and to smuggle and launder ivory from poached elephants into legal inventories. But whether the ivory was obtained legally or illegally, it comes at the price of more dead elephants. Persistent strong demand for ivory provides an enormous incentive for these poachers. 
 
Antiquities made of ivory are generally allowed, but owners must have them certified by a publicly-recognized expert as having been produced before June 1, 1947*. It must also be evident that the antique does not contain raw ivory. One must be aware that even the sale or purchase of such legal antiquities will also only perpetuate the ongoing slaughter of this endangered species.
 
If elephants in Africa and Asia are to have a chance of survival, the trade in ivory must be completely prohibited both domestically and internationally. Soon it will be too late.

Help Protect Elephants!
Make a point of never buying ivory products. Every purchase sustains the economic incentives for poachers and ivory smugglers, and increases the demand for dead elephants.  
 
*Australia: antiques must predate June 1, 1974.
 Canada: July 3, 1975
 France: information not avail
 Germany: June 1, 1947
 UK: June 1, 1947
 USA: item must be more than 100 years of age

eBay bans ivory from their sites
The Internet auction house eBay is setting a good example. As of January, 1 2009, ivory items will be banned on all of its web sites worldwide. IFAW applauds eBay's decision to ban ivory, and encourages other web platforms to do the same. Only a commitment to forward-looking conservation principles like those shown by eBay will help put an end the ivory trade once and for all.