For Your Information: Today the United States announced a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking. The Strategy will strengthen U.S. leadership on addressing the serious and urgent conservation and global security threat posed by illegal trade in wildlife.
In addition to the strategy, we are also announcing a ban on commercial trade of elephant ivory, which will enhance our efforts to protect iconic species like elephants and rhinos by prohibiting the import, export, or resale within the United States of elephant ivory except in a very limited number of circumstances.
If the importer was the driver of the vehicle that is!
I once saw the state of a Datsun which had colided with a Camel, the car was less than half its original length (I also saw the Camel and it was not a very large one)… So, if you’ve crashed into an Elephant and survived, perhaps you deserve to take some of the poor beast home as a souvenir ?
This law does not go far enough. Here is how to address the real problem.
1- Poachers should captured, hunted down and shot on the spot. Poachers are now using machine guns and helicopters to kill entire herds of these innocent animals. I think a good ratio is to shoot 5 poachers for every elephant poached.
All elephant and Rhino horn and ivory from all sources should be banned, ceased and heavily fined , including artworks and antiques, and yes!..pipes.
We should apply trade restrictions to other countries that allow Ivory, especially China and their lame folk medicine that says ivory and horns have curative powers. We are suppose to allow the slaughter of rhinos so some idiot can improve his/her sex life.
The South African military is supporting the rangers in Kruger Park and still they are losing 50 rhino per year. It’s simple economics: $80,000 for a rhino horn when the average wage in Mozambique wouldn’t put tires on my car.
And China is the market. Good luck lobbying for trade restrictions against China. Most western countries are climbing over eachother to trade with China.
AND… Let pipemakers know in writing and in person who currently utilize elephant ivory (Not Mammoth), about the UNETHICAL use of ivory (EVEN IF PROCURED LEGALLY OR FROM CURRENT STOCK). Put pressure on those who use ivory, on sets currently being produced. Don’t support those with your dollar vote who use ivory, legal or otherwise, even if it is not on your personal set and even if it is from current stock in the workshop. Don’t give your money to those who use ivory.
Our dollars fuel the elephants problems. Even if our use of ivory pales in comparison. Irish music and the pipes are a precious thing, just like elephants.
I stand by this 100%, even if those who make pipes consider ivory a superior material to modern synthetics!
Are you willing to be the first one to pull the trigger ,and what if you find out afterwards that the poacher only killed the elephant so he could afford the medicine for his sick child. Knee jerk reactions never solve a problem . To address the real problem you have to find the root of the problem. Poverty is probably the main candidate but it is probably far more complex than that.
While I can’t begin to understand the mentality that finds it fun to shoot an elephant (speaking as someone who was a regular foxhunter in his youth), it is for the most part not an issue in conservation terms. In some parts of Africa, elephant populations are extremely healthy and the challenge is managing the population, not conserving it. Given the money hunting brings in, I struggle to blame the countries involved.
As far as the trade in ivory goes, the issue needs to be tackled on the demand side: as incredible as it sounds, many consumers of these products do not know or understand where they come from or what is involved money in getting hold of them. There is no reason that properly managed elephant (rhino, etc) populations could not supply sustainable quantities ivory, if and only if the trade can create real traceability.
Despite their size, it is not easy to reliably locate an elephant carcass in the bush. And despite popular stories, they don’t all go to some elephant graveyard to die.
No, it is much easier to find a herd and pick your target. Unfortunately, elephants will visit their dead, or linger near them, making them easy prey for poachers.
It’s so sad that such complex, intelligent..even sentient…beasts are getting wiped out for trinkets. Projections estimate the African elephant effectively going extinct within this century.
Arthur C. Clarke had a novel suggestion for protecting whales - ranch them. No one’s concerned about the extinction of cows or chickens, note. Same could apply to proboscidea, of course. Doesn’t look like that’s ever going to be on the table, though.
