We’ve previously written about the need to not only deal with the supply side of the illegal ivory issue, but also the demand side. In fact, the U.S. is the second largest consumer of illegal ivory. If the demand continues to exist then so will the supply. Our goal is to not only help arm those focusing on protecting elephant herds with the genetic evidence to track poaching, but also bridge the educational gap here in the U.S. between purchasing ivory and driving elephants to extinction.
Which is why our attention was drawn to an article in today’s Guardian, entitled “Does mammoth ivory make ethical jewellry?”
You never thought you’d see the day, but ivory is back in¬†fashion ‚Äì mammoth ivory, that is. According to the International Union for¬†Conservation of Nature, mammoth-mining is big business in Russia. Tusks from the long-gone species are being reclaimed from their mass graveyard in the Siberian tundra, and each year 60 tonnes are exported to China, home to the world’s largest ivory market.
