Ivory Trade - what do you think?

[TFinalshot]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-04-07 AT 02:43PM (MST)[p]

The body regulating international wildlife trade has authorised the one-time sale of 60 tons of ivory by three African countries to Japan at its meeting in The Hague on Saturday, a Japanese government official said.

The standing committee on the Washington Treaty, which aims at restricting trade in endangered species, authorised the sale by Botswana, Namibia and South Africa of their existing ivory stocks.

Under the 1973 treaty, formally known as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, ivory trade was banned in 1989.

Botswana, Namibia and South Africa had been seeking to resume exports of their existing stockpiles of elephant tusks. But the committee had said such a sale should be held up until an adequate monitoring system against poaching could be put in place.

At the latest meeting, however, the body agreed to the one-time ivory sale by the three countries, judging that Japan's controls are strong enough, according to the Japanese official who participated in the meeting.

It remains undecided when the African countries will carry out the ivory sale, said the official.

The Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Associated Press, 03 Jun 2007

 

[ismith]

African elephants arent endangered. Its due to the difficulty of preventing poaching in Africa that the ivory ban was enacted.
ismith

 

[Roy]

They are agreeing to sell the stockpiled ivory only. I don't see too much of a problem with it. Its a one-time sale. The danger is that poachers will see it as an open market once again. If they have the controls like they say they do it shouldn't have too big of an impact. On the other hand it is a lot like Colombia selling 100 tons of confiscated cocaine to only a select few countries. They are profiting from an illegal activity, and that is an ethics situation that will always be debated.


UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)

 

[kilbuc]

Elephants aren't endagered. In the southern countries of Africa(RSA, Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia) have stable to expanding populations with some countries conducting culling operations. Countries like Kenya and Uganda have had significant loss of elephants primarily due to poaching in the 70's and 80's. Legal sport hunting occurrs in all the southern countries for both cows and bulls under a strict quota system.

from the "Heartland of Wyoming"

 

[eelgrass]

I wonder what Japan will do with it? Probably grind it up and sell it to Japanese men who will snort it to make their little penis bigger?

 

[archerman]

Sounds to me like a lot of poachers and gov't officials are gonna get rich real quick on this one.
Archerman - Archery hunting addict!

 

[nochawk]

In a related field...

about 8 years ago when I move back to the lower 48 I had a few walrus tusk carving in my possession... those border agents jumped real high and came down hard on me...

I knew about Polar bear hides cant be imported... but walrus tusks??? apears Ivory is Ivory weather it is from a elephant or a walrus... makes a feller wonder about elk ivorys..?

 

[marlinmark]

Elk ivorys are really ivory. They are what is left of an ancient "tusk" but they are not real ivory. They are more like the enamel that makes up human teeth.

Mark

"When there's lead in the air, there's hope."

 

[202typical]

Sell it.