Chinese demand for prehistoric tusks fuels ‘mammoth rush’ in Siberia

Crouching near a wooden shed in his snowy backyard, Prokopy Nogovitsyn lifts up a grey tarpaulin and takes out a vertebra the size of a saucer – part of a mammoth skeleton.

“Some friends found this in the north and wanted to sell it,” says Nogovitsyn, who lives in a village in the northern Siberian region of Yakutia. “But it lacks tusks, so nobody wanted it.”

Mammoth bones are widespread in Yakutia, an enormous region bordering the Arctic Ocean covered by permafrost, which acts as a giant freezer for prehistoric fauna.

But over the last few years this part of the world has experienced something of a mammoth rush: after China banned the import and sale of elephant ivory, its traditional carvers turned to the tusks of the elephants’ long-extinct ancestors.

Mass poaching massacre: nearly 100 elephants slaughtered for ivory in Botswana

Russian exports amounted to 72 tonnes in 2017, with over 80 per cent going to China.

Some Chinese buyers come to Yakutia to buy tusks directly, while some Russians also export them.

Thousands of woolly mammoths roamed the Pleistocene-era steppe tens of thousands of years ago and their remains are preserved in Yakutia’s permafrost.

Authorities estimate that 500,000 tonnes of mammoth tusks – known as “ice ivory” – are buried here.

Local hunters and fishermen have long picked up mammoth bones along river banks and sea coasts but prices dramatically increased over the last decade, leading fortune-seekers on arduous Arctic quests.

The new industry has created a new source of revenue and led to an increase in paleontological discoveries.

While tusk hunters can obtain licences, the trade is still not fully regulated and some complain of pressure from the authorities and confiscation of their finds.

Collecting tusks is a complicated affair prepared months in advance. Equipment has to be shipped hundreds of kilometres to the north.

Yakutia covers 3 million sq km (1.2 million square miles), an area five times the size of France, much of which has no roads.

Collectors buy licences for particular areas. Some use powerful water jets to burrow prospecting tunnels into river banks, creating labyrinthine icy mines.

Good-quality mammoth ivory can sell in China for over US$1,000 a kilo and locals see it as the only way to achieve financial security in northern Yakutia, where jobs are scarce and the climate makes agriculture impossible.

“There is a mammoth rush now,” said one collector, who has worked with a licence for over a decade but requested anonymity due to the industry’s current vague status.

A bill to fully regulate prospecting and the trade in tusks was introduced in the Russian parliament in 2013 but inexplicably has still not been voted on, he complained.

China’s tug of war over tiger and rhino protection: did Trump’s trade war influence Beijing’s original decision?

Exporting tusks from Russia became more difficult recently.

“Ordinary people should know that they can pick something up off the ground, sell it, pay a tax, and live in peace,” he said.

Last year, collectors staged a protest in the region’s main city of Yakutsk, accusing authorities of confiscating their ivory haul even though they had the necessary permits.

They held up placards saying: “Return tusks back to the people!”

“The situation is at a dead-end” as long as Yakutia can’t persuade Moscow to pass the proposed bill, said regional lawmaker Vladimir Prokopyev.

He argued that while digging up the permafrost is harmful, 90 per cent of collectors simply pick up tusks from the ground and Yakutia’s proposed bill forbids the damaging use of water jets.

Collectors are especially worried after a recent documentary on state television painted them as millionaire poachers.

The documentary called Island of Skeletons accused Yakutia authorities of turning a blind eye to prospectors’ “criminal” trade.

Prokopyev claimed the film was “ordered by [Russian] mammoth oligarchs who used to be monopolists” in buying tusks from locals then selling to China, but have now lost out to Chinese dealers who come to buy them directly.

The film claims prospectors “barbarically” destroy archaeological sites.

But Valery Plotnikov, a palaeontologist at the Yakutia Academy of Sciences, said the mammoth rush benefited science by providing specimens the academy could not otherwise afford.

He was studying a rare prehistoric cave lion cub that a collector found last summer.

“We have a symbiosis with licensed collectors,” he said, adding that they provide researchers with valuable items for free but remain owners of specimens and stand to profit when their finds are exhibited abroad.

He also receives tusks confiscated from collectors who operate illegally, without a licence or in protected areas.

Those who have a licence and pay a customs levy should be able to export, he said.

Yakutia governor Aisen Nikolayev said he hoped the bill regulating tusk collectors would be finally passed in 2019, though he acknowledged “there is some resistance” to it.

Without a national law classifying mammoth ivory as a special natural resource, the trade is in a “grey zone”, he said.

For some in Yakutia, however, it’s a source of pride that the region helps stop the hunting of elephants for tusks.

“Our dead bones are saving living elephants,” said Nogovitsyn. “Being able to gather them is important both for us and for Africa.”

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/2180646/chinese-demand-prehistoric-tusks-fuels-mammoth-rush

2 arrested with 10.448 gram of elephant ivory in Siliguri

Siliguri (West Bengal), Dec 15 (ANI): After receiving secret information, Director of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) Siliguri unit seized 10.448 gram, six pieces of elephant ivory. Two accused have been arrested in the case. They were carrying ivories from Assam’s Nalbari which were supposed to be smuggled to Babubhai in Kolkata. Elephant ivory is having a huge demand in China and South East countries.

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
https://news.biharprabha.com/2018/12/2-arrested-with-10-448-gram-of-elephant-ivory-in-siliguri/

New research measures impacts of China’s elephant ivory trade ban

Research released last month by WWF and TRAFFIC, the wildlife monitoring network, found that there has been a substantial decline in the number of Chinese consumers buying ivory since the ivory trade ban went into effect on December 31, 2017. But there is still work to be done to diminish both the supply and demand for elephant ivory in China.

Of 2,000 Chinese consumers surveyed, 14 percent claimed to have bought ivory in the past year — significantly fewer than the 31 percent of respondents who said they’d recently purchased ivory during a pre-ban survey conducted in 2017. Some ivory sales have simply gone international, however: 18 percent of regular travelers reported buying ivory products while abroad, particularly in Thailand and Hong Kong.

TRAFFIC reports that all of the formerly accredited (i.e. legal) ivory shops the group’s investigators visited in 2018 have stopped selling ivory. But the illegal ivory trade has not been so thoroughly shut down. TRAFFIC investigators also visited 157 markets in 23 cities and found 2,812 ivory products on offer in 345 separate stores.

When China banned all commercial trade in elephant ivory and shuttered its domestic ivory markets at the end of 2017, conservationists applauded the measure. But they also warned that if China’s neighbors didn’t take similar action, the ivory trade would simply shift to those countries.

New research finds that those concerns were absolutely justified, though China’s ivory ban has had some decidedly positive impacts all the same.

Research released last month by WWF and TRAFFIC, the wildlife monitoring network, found that there has been a substantial decline in the number of Chinese consumers buying ivory since the ivory trade ban went into effect on December 31, 2017. Of the 2,000 Chinese consumers surveyed for a study titled China Ivory Consumption Research Post-Ban 2018, 14 percent claimed to have bought ivory in the past year — significantly fewer than the 31 percent of respondents who said they’d recently purchased ivory during a pre-ban survey conducted in 2017.

Chinese consumers overwhelmingly view the ban favorably, according to the survey, which found that 9 out of 10 respondents support it. Or at least, 9 out of 10 respondents said they supported the ban once they were made aware of it. Just 8 percent of respondents knew about the ban without having to be prompted, but that is twice the amount of awareness that existed pre-ban. These results suggest that, while word is slowly spreading, China needs to do more to increase public awareness around the ivory trade ban.

That’s especially true of the Chinese consumers who travel internationally, as the study found that 18 percent of regular travelers reported buying ivory products while abroad, particularly in Thailand and Hong Kong.

“We are seeing some positive trends in post ivory ban China that indicate the new legislative changes may be yielding positive results,” Margaret Kinnaird, Wildlife Practice Leader for WWF, said in a statement. “But persisting demand and a lack of awareness among consumers in some parts of the country as well as weak spots with insufficient regulation and enforcement means we need to redouble efforts in strengthening these areas.”

In another study, China’s Ivory Market after the Ivory Trade Ban in 2018, TRAFFIC reports that all of the formerly accredited (i.e. legal) ivory shops the group’s investigators visited in 2018 have stopped selling ivory. But the illegal ivory trade has not been so thoroughly shut down. TRAFFIC investigators also visited 157 markets in 23 cities and found 2,812 ivory products on offer in 345 separate stores. That’s 30 percent less ivory for sale than was found in a similar 2017 survey, but still a high level of trade considering that the sale and purchase of ivory is illegal.

Ivory trafficking hotspots identified by the WWF and TRAFFIC include a handful of provincial cities like Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, and Pingxiang, as well as the city of Dongxing, which sits on China’s border with Vietnam. In fact, according to the research, those five cities were the site of more than half of all the ivory products TRAFFIC found for sale.

Sales of illegal ivory online also have yet to be eradicated, though they do appear to be in decline as well. According to the study, the average number of new ivory advertisements have decreased by nearly 27 percent on websites and close to 11 percent on social media platforms since the ban went into effect.

“We are encouraged by the decline in both trade and consumer demand since the ban went into effect, but there’s still work needed to address the persistent demand and lack of awareness among consumers in some parts of the country,” Jan Vertefeuille, who oversees WWF’s ivory work, said in a statement. “And particularly concerning is the finding that people who regularly travel outside mainland China have actually shown an increase in intent to buy ivory this year.”

Xu Ling, who coordinated WWF’s and TRAFFIC’s research efforts in China, said that the findings support the call for China’s neighbors to take steps to outlaw the ivory trade in order to safeguard a future for elephants.

“Closure of the legal ivory market is a critical tool for Chinese government efforts and sets a benchmark for other countries and regions where domestic ivory markets remain active,” Xu Ling said in a statement. “Only a united global effort will achieve the goal of stamping out ivory trafficking for the benefit of elephant conservation.”

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/10/new-research-measures-impacts-of-chinas-elephant-ivory-trade-ban/

Elephant campaigner to trek Great Wall and investigate ivory culture in China

Everest summiteer Holly Budge is to trek the Great Wall of China and meet local communities to investigate the demand for elephant-tusk ivory in Chinese culture.

Budge runs the How Many Elephants charity and uses art to help people make an emotional connection with the elephant-poaching crisis in Africa. Her work includes an installation in a former chapel in Alresford with graphics depicting the 35,000 elephants which are currently poached in a year.

"I believe we’ve become desensitised to seeing gruesome photos of dead elephants," she explained. "But through art and design, I hope to bridge the gap between scientific data and human connection."

Budge has not only scaled Everest to raise awareness of her charity but was the first woman to skydive the mountain in 2008. She has also raced semi-wild horses 600 miles across Mongolia in nine days, and raised more than £300,000 for charities through her adventures so far.

She brought a 14-metre section of her installation to the Wildlife & Safari Travel Show in Harrogate and encouraged visitors to decorate their own elephant.

Budge’s next challenge is to trek the length of the Great Wall of China, and carry out research in rural communities into how elephant ivory fits into local culture.

"One of the problems is that the word for "tusk" translates as "elephant teeth" and many believe the elephant’s tusks grow back. When I have taken my exhibition to universities in Shanghai and Beijing, and explained that the elephant dies, I have had people in floods of tears because they simply didn’t realise," she said.

"I would love to work with airports in China and have them display my installation along the travelators; that could have a huge impact."

Budge has spoken at events including TedX in Brighton and the African Travel & Tourism Association conference, and is included in San Miguel’s Rich List 2018: "men and women devoted to finding a new kind of wealth in the world".

She is keen to work with travel and tourism companies who might be able to help her raise awareness and support.

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
https://www.ttgmedia.com/news/news/elephant-campaigner-to-trek-great-wall-and-investigate-ivory-culture-in-china-15709

China seizes 156 mammoth tusks in huge ivory haul

The contraband was seized in late April at a border crossing in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province bordering on Siberia, but the find was only announced this week by Chinese customs, state media said.

The haul, which also included two elephant tusks and a range of other animal parts, was hidden under a shipment of soybeans.

Eight suspects, including Russians and Chinese, have been arrested, the People’s Daily said.

China banned the sale and processing of elephant ivory last year after having banned its import in 2015.

This, along with global efforts to stamp out the ivory trade to save elephants from extinction, have led smugglers to turn to a stock of ancient mammoth tusks buried mostly in Siberia but also Europe and North America.

The People’s Daily said the shipment as a whole was one of China’s largest involving animal parts in recent years.

The official Xinhua news agency said the inventory included “two elephant tusks, 1,276 antelope horns, 156 mammoth tusks, 406 walrus tusks, 226 narwhal tusks, as well as gall bladders and bear teeth and 320 kilos of sea cucumbers.”

A wide variety of animal parts are sought after in China as traditional medicines or for other uses, while ivory carving is an ancient art in the country.

The latest seizure’s estimated value was 106 million yuan ($15.7 million), Xinhua said, adding that an investigation was under way.

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/07/19/china-seizes-156-mammoth-tusks-in-huge-ivory-haul/

Mesa woman works to prevent elephants' extinction

Kavala, a 7-year-old orphaned elephant in faraway Zambia, needs the support and protection of humans until she can join a herd.

Her mother was shot by poachers in 2011 and Kavala was found three weeks later with an abscess on her knee and many infected sores on her body.

Mesa nonprofit Elephantopia, which has a mission to save elephants and build community, is sponsoring Kavala, who lives in an orphanage run by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation. Next weekend, a Gilbert business is hosting an event to help the organization.

“Every day, they get to walk in the Kafue National Park. They have a guard, and it’s a hands-off policy. They let the elephants be elephants,” said Elizabeth Schrank, a Mesa resident who founded Elephantopia a few years ago. “The goal is that, hopefully, she’s going to meet a wild herd of elephants that will accept her, and she will go and live with that herd.

“Until then, she knows that she’s safe with this community of orphaned elephants because there are about 13 of them altogether and she doesn’t have to worry about getting attacked by poachers.”

Elephantopia, which fundraises via crowdsourcing and special events, is seeking 50 participants for a “paint, sip and relax” event on World Elephant Day, Aug. 12 at Painting with a Twist in Gilbert.

The “twist” is that eco-conscious individuals, while socializing and painting Kavala’s likeness, will help raise about $800 of the quarterly $3,000 needed to nurture her.

Without protection, poachers will take Kavala’s tusks and sell them in Asia’s illegal ivory trade to be fashioned into carvings or jewelry or crushed into a powder believed to have medicinal value.

This year, China banned the ivory trade, but it continues illegally.

According to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, about 144,000 elephants were killed for their ivory from 2007 to 2014. Only about 450,000-600,000 elephants survive in the African wild today. By 2025, the existence of forest elephants will be threatened.

About 7,600 elephants live in Zambia. According to the 2015 Great Elephant Census in Zambia, the population is stable in some portions of the country.

In Sioma Ngwezi National Park, elephants are almost extinct. The World Wildlife Fund says there were 1,089 elephants there in 2004 and by 2015 there were only 48.

There’s a glimmer of hope, however.

“It’s a slowing trend,” Schrank said. “It used to always be an average of 96 elephants a day were being killed (globally) for ivory. That number is lowering, meaning the protections put in place are working and the public outcry is starting to take effect.”

Schrank fell in love with the huge mammal when, as a child, she got the opportunity to feed one at a zoo. She assumed that they’ll always be around.

As an adult living in South Africa, she experienced them in the wild. She also learned of their status as a keystone species in the African ecosystem – without elephants, hundreds of other plant and animal species would cease to exist because many animals depended on their droppings to exist.

“If you take the elephants out of the equation, all of a sudden – over a hundred tree species relied on elephants for propagation – all of a sudden, you’re going to lose a lot of different tree species, different birds and other animals that use the droppings,” Schrank said.

She also learned about the ongoing human-elephant conflict.

In South Africa, she lived in a village where most people were subsistence farmers, who grow food for themselves and their families.

“So, when an elephant came through and ate all their crops, it was a real issue because they can’t go to the store and get more food. That was their food,” she said, adding, “It was eye-opening.”

Hence, Elephantopia believes not just in saving the animals, but also building community.

“After having lived there for a while and visited so often, you can’t really do one without the other,” she said. “The people who are there 24/7, they are the ones who have to deal with elephants walking in 24/7 through their backyards. You’ve got to support them, so they can make their own livelihood.”

That would be the first step to securing their help to conserve the wildlife around them, Schrank said.

To that end, Elephantopia, which operates with a handful of volunteers, has done other projects.

With a $5,000 grant from Tempe Rotary Club, it has installed water wells for the entire Mukambi community, which is located just outside Kafue National Park, and donated math sets and paid the school fees of the 80 students at Mukambi Community School.

Elephantopia’s new focus is men in their 30s and 40s, who are often overlooked. This is also the age group that resorts to poaching as a livelihood because they don’t have an education or training to aspire for a job.

Schrank, a music teacher by profession who runs her own studio, wants to establish a project to help support small businesses for these people so they can make an honest living. An example would be training to become safari guides or drivers.

“It’s just a matter of finding those people a niche,” she said.

Schrank’s next visit to Zambia will be in 2020 with a small group of volunteers to work on her plans. She is also looking for volunteers to “join the herd,” as she calls it, and help fundraise, share on social media or even travel to Zambia.

In the meantime, Elephantopia uses World Elephant Day to draw attention to the animals’ plight and call people to support organizations that are working to stop illegal poaching and trade of elephant ivory.

Last year, the nonprofit reached more than 100 people at the Phoenix Zoo with educational activities for children, including opportunities to send a “thank you” letter to rangers protecting elephants in Zambia.

Other initiatives it has led include the Global March for Elephants, Photo Safaris to Zambia and participation in a successful petition and letter to the Chinese government to halt the sales of ivory in China.

This year, in addition to the event in Gilbert, Elephantopia also is hosting events in Virginia and Texas.

Every bit helps to ensure that the species survives and thrives on this planet for generations to come, she said.

“It’s not just the issue of ‘Oh, my favorite animal’s not there anymore,’” Schrank said. “It’ll change the whole ecosystem.”

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/news/mesa-woman-works-to-prevent-elephants-extinction/article_e05f0096-9a68-11e8-a62f-87ef684c7329.html

China seizes 156 mammoth tusks, 406 walrus tusks and over 1,000 antelope horns in huge ivory haul

Chinese customs authorities said they seized 156 prehistoric mammoth tusks from a truck entering from Russia in one of the country’s largest such hauls.

The contraband was seized in late April at a border crossing in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province bordering on Siberia, but the find was only announced this week by Chinese customs, state media said.

The haul, which also included two elephant tusks and a range of other animal parts, was hidden under a shipment of soybeans.

Eight suspects, including Russians and Chinese, have been arrested, the People’s Daily said.

China banned the sale and processing of elephant ivory last year after having banned its import in 2015.

This, along with global efforts to stamp out the ivory trade to save elephants from extinction, have led smugglers to turn to a stock of ancient mammoth tusks buried mostly in Siberia but also Europe and North America.

The People’s Daily said the shipment as a whole was one of China’s largest involving animal parts in recent years.

The official Xinhua news agency said the inventory included “two elephant tusks, 1,276 antelope horns, 156 mammoth tusks, 406 walrus tusks, 226 narwhal tusks, as well as gall bladders and bear teeth and 320 kilos of sea cucumbers.”

A wide variety of animal parts are sought after in China as traditional medicines or for other uses, while ivory carving is an ancient art in the country.

The latest seizure’s estimated value was 106 million yuan (US$15.7 million), Xinhua said, adding that an investigation was under way.


Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/07/19/china-seizes-156-mammoth-tusks-406-walrus-tusks-1000-antelope-horns-huge-ivory-haul/

Mammoth ivory among large shipment seized in south China

Several hundred mammoth and elephant ivory products being smuggled into a south China port were seized by port officials in the Chinese province of Guangdong yesterday.

During an inspection, 740 ivory products weighing a total of 28 kilogrammes were discovered by Huangpu Customs officers. Two suspects were also arrested, reported China News Agency.


The shipment is the first to be seized by Huangpu Customs since China banned all ivory trade at the end of 2017. It consisted of 15 kg of illegal African ivory products and 13 kg of undeclared items made from mammoth ivory.

Trade in ivory from the tusks and teeth of mammoths, which became extinct more than 10,000 years ago, is legal and has been growing due to international trade restrictions on elephant ivory.

It is estimated that over half of ivory sold into China is mammoth ivory.

Earlier this month, a 13-year-old Vietnamese schoolgirl was caught by Chinese customs officers at Dongxing port on the southwest coast of China as she attempted to smuggle 49 ivory products strapped to her body.


Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
https://gbtimes.com/mammoth-ivory-among-large-shipment-seized-in-south-china

China Shuts Down Ivory Trade, Wildlife Trafficking Continues

China deserves credit for shutting down the illegal trading in elephant ivory that has contributed in recent years to the killing of thousands of African pachyderms.

But much credit should also go to international nongovernment organizations that have championed the elephants' cause and raised public awareness of it in China.

On Dec. 31, 2017, China, the world's largest ivory market, banned all domestic ivory sales.

John Gruetzner, the managing director of Intercedent, a Toronto-based, Asian-focused investment advisory group, said that the Chinese government's decision to halt the trade was partly "a response to global pressure, including pressure from the United States."

But, says Gruetzner, the decision also came as a result of Chinese leader Xi Jinping's anti-corruption drive as well as pushback from African nations.

According to Gruetzner, Chinese government indifference in recent years had permitted the carving of elephant ivory that contributed to the killing of some 33,000 African elephants a year.


To read the full article, click on the story title.

China’s ivory sales ban shows need for Asia-wide strategy

Ivory carvings have disappeared from view at Beijing’s liveliest antique market. “China no longer allows trading in ivory goods,” traders said on a visit in March. Some who previously specialised in ivory have switched to selling still-legal mammoth ivory carvings; others have shut down.

China, the world’s biggest importer and consumer of ivory, imposed a comprehensive ban on trade in ivory items at the start of January, in an attempt to halt demand that is driving rapacious poaching. The law is part of internationally co-ordinated measures to protect Africa’s elephants from extinction.

Enforcement has been serious, cutting off visible trading channels and hurting China’s formerly legitimate ivory sales and carving industry. Carving workshops have closed.

But similar touristy antique markets in neighbouring countries continue to sell elephant ivory – which makes enforcement harder. As conservationists expected, underground cross-border transportation of ivory is proving more difficult to shut down than domestic sales.

To read the full article, click on the story title.

China Shuts Down Ivory Trade, Wildlife Trafficking Continues

China deserves credit for shutting down the illegal trading in elephant ivory that has contributed in recent years to the killing of thousands of African pachyderms.

But much credit should also go to international nongovernment organizations that have championed the elephants’ cause and raised public awareness of it in China.

On Dec. 31, 2017, China, the world’s largest ivory market, banned all domestic ivory sales.

John Gruetzner, the managing director of Intercedent, a Toronto-based, Asian-focused investment advisory group, said that the Chinese government’s decision to halt the trade was partly “a response to global pressure, including pressure from the United States."

But, says Gruetzner, the decision also came as a result of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive as well as pushback from African nations.

According to Gruetzner, Chinese government indifference in recent years had permitted the carving of elephant ivory that contributed to the killing of some 33,000 African elephants a year.

Driving the demand for ivory in China have been members of a growing Chinese middle class who in the past could never have afforded to purchase carved ivory decorations. This was a luxury that was reserved in past generations for a rich minority.

Peter Knights, the CEO of WildAid, a San Francisco-based group, described China’s ban on ivory as “the greatest single step toward reducing elephant poaching.”

The announcement of the ban led almost immediately to the closing of 172 ivory-carving factories and retail shops in China.

Poaching in Kenya also went down from 390 elephants killed in 2013 to 46 reported last year, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service.

To read the full article, click on the story title.

United Kingdom, Taiwan announce they will introduce elephant ivory bans

Two more nations this week announced their decision to come down hard on commercial sales of elephant ivory, further strengthening the global campaign to save these gentle giants from poachers and wildlife traffickers.

On Tuesday, the United Kingdom said it will introduce what Prime Minister Teresa May described as “one of the toughest bans on ivory sales in the world.” On the same day, on the other side of the world, the government of Taiwan announced its intention to ban all commercial sales of ivory products, starting 2020.

Britain’s announcement follows a swell of public opinion against elephant ivory — when the U.K. government solicited public input last December, 88 percent of respondents supported a ban on ivory sales. HSI sent a detailed submission to the government on behalf of 19,623 of our supporters who agreed that only the strictest regulation would be acceptable. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, a vocal proponent of the ivory ban, applauded the public support, stating that it is “vitally important that we reverse the tragic decline in elephant populations.”

To read the full article, click on the story title

Three held over death of ivory investigator Martin

Police have arrested three men suspected to have been involved in the murder of ivory investigator Esmond Martin.

The three, who were not identified, are being held at the Parklands police station. The arrest comes as investigations indicated that Esmond could have been killed over a land row.

The 75-year-old was found dead in his Karen home on February 4. He had a single stab wound to the neck. His wife Chryssee Martin, who reported the death, found his body after she returned from a walk at 4pm.

Yesterday, Nairobi DCI chief Ireri Kamwende confirmed the arrests. “We have remotely connected them to the crime, but investigations are continuing,” he said.

The Latest findings by police indicate that Esmond was involved in a land dispute with individuals who had forged documents of his land in Karen and intended to kick him out.

A new team of investigators from the homicide section has taken over the probe. The investigators have written to the Lands ministry, seeking details of Esmond’s Karen home to which unnamed people have claimed ownership.

Police have abandoned earlier theories that the murder was a robbery gone bad.

DCI officers have also dismissed claims that Esmond’s murder was related to his work as an ivory investigator and a pending exposé.

Esmond has authored several groundbreaking investigative reports on rhino and ivory smuggling in Kenya and the trade in China, Vietnam, and Laos. He was said to have been working on a new exposé on ivory and rhino horn trafficking.

Esmond, an American geographer, had been travelling the world with his wife and colleagues Lucy Vigne and Dan Stiles. They were on a mission to identify ivory and rhino markets, the traffickers and smuggling techniques.

He was once a UN special envoy for rhino conservation. Among his achievements was helping persuade China to shut down its legal rhino horn trade in 1993 and ivory trade last year.

His last report, ‘Decline in the Legal Ivory Trade in China in Anticipation of a Ban’, was published by Save The Elephants last year.

 Please credit and share this article with others using this link:
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2018/03/21/three-held-over-death-of-ivory-investigator-martin_c1733335

Japan’s refusal to stop ivory trade undermines bans elsewhere

Japan has got out of implementing tough measures to clamp down on domestic sales of ivory. The move could undermine the international effort to halt the ivory trade.

Elephants are poached for the ivory in their tusks, which is sold on to consumers in Asian countries like China and Vietnam. As a result, the ivory trade is a significant threat to elephants’ survival.

Last week, the standing committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the global body that regulates trade in animal parts, met in Geneva. Several countries, particularly from Africa where elephants are poached, lobbied for CITES to force Japan to introduce a national ivory action plan. This would have forced the country to take concrete steps to clamp down, possibly including a ban on the domestic trade in antique ivory.

However, Japan managed to sidestep the proposal.

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://www.newscientist.com/article/japans-refusal-stop-ivory-trade-undermines-bans-elsewhere/

Ivory from elephant 'that died over 10,000 YEARS ago' unearthed by shocked farmer

The incredible find was noted at a farm in the county of Hanyin, Shaanxi province, northern China when the farmer, named as Yin Faping, was preparing to lay foundations for his new home.

He discovered 13 fossils around a metre long each, and called in experts who dated the incredible finds to date back to the Neolithic period.

But this is not the first time a discovery like this has been made.

A fossilised elephant tooth was found in the same area 30 years ago, with the latest discovery adding to the belief that mammals roamed the area thousands of years ago.

Experts say they hope the fossilised ivory will help them understand more about the history of the Han River Basin in the province, which is believed to have been a hotbed of activity in prehistoric times.

It is believed the relics will be transferred to the Northwest University museum in Xian, the provincial capital where they will be studied in greater detail.

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/888875/Ivory-elephant-dead-farmer-Hanyin-Shaanxi-province-China-Yin-Faping

Chasing Ivory Out of Business

Amidst many political issues that have had Westminster in contortions, a move to ban all ivory products has been proposed by the British government. Headed by Prince William, a block on the ivory trade coming to the United Kingdom is being considered by the government. On October 6, Environment Secretary Michael Gove announced plans for the UK to impose a ban on sales of the material in a bid to halt the poaching of elephants. The initial plans that have been put forward will be subject to a 12-week consultation ending in December.

The seriousness of the issue is learned in the number of elephants left in existence. Now just 20,000, the population has decreased by a third, in the last decade alone. Gove asserted: “The decline in the elephant population fuelled by poaching for ivory shames our generation. The need for radical and robust action to protect one of the world’s most iconic and treasured species is beyond dispute.” This message from the UK is important: Britain is currently the largest exporter of legal ivory in the world, namely to Hong Kong and China.

There are four exemptions to this incoming ban: musical instruments, items containing a small percentage of ivory, important historical, cultural, and artistic items, and sales to and betweens museums. The Musicians’ Union, Music Industries’ Association and the Association of British Orchestras’ applauded the exemption of instruments from the ban. Despite ivory not being used in instruments since 1989, various older instruments do contain it, including some of the most prized musical instruments throughout history.

Curbing demand?

Things have progressed faster on the other side of the pond. In June 2016, the US Fish and Wildlife Service published their final revising of the rule under section 4(d) pertaining to African elephants. The new regulation, which constituted an almost total ban of the commercial trade of ivory, came into play already the following month. But the main problem remains with other markets.

By far the largest consumer of ivory products is China. The market is driven by the Chinese middle class who see ivory items as symbols of wealth and status. The country is known to have the largest illegal ivory trade in the world according to a report by Cites. In 2015, after being pressured by campaign groups the government has crushed up to 6.2 tons of seized illegal ivory in an effort to slow down the market. The Minister of the State Forestry Administration Zhao Shucong said at a Beijing event, “we will strictly control ivory processing and trade until the commercial processing and sale of ivory and its products are eventually halted.” But out of all the nations trying to put an end to the business of ivory, internationally China is met with the most scepticism with regards to its commitment.

To read the full article, click on the story title

Is China Secretly Poaching Elephants in Africa?

Let’s talk about elephant poaching in Africa. First of all, there is not a single African country where you won’t find a footprint of China. Over the last two decades, China has been expanding its territory to Africa in small but sure steps. In the past, Africa would have easily pass as a United States or European Union playground. For instance, the USA has had several army bases in Africa which ‘collaborate’ with local armies to fight terrorists or restore order in times of war. One of the largest is Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti which oversees the Horn of Africa. Likewise, the EU has been a major trade partner.

One Belt One Road

The script, however, reads a bit different today. Africa is gradually turning its face to the east. China to be specific. The country has also considerably gained access to major African economies. It is now almost impossible to talk about development in Africa without mentioning China, a trend that seems to worry the westerners. Through its One Belt One Road initiative, the world’s second-largest economy has made notable regional trade ties in Asia, Europe, and Africa. The aim has been to develop infrastructure and enhance cultural exchanges.

In Africa, the initiative has led to China undertaking massive projects in many countries. For instance, in the year 2009, the Chinese government and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) signed an agreement where China would build more than 9600 km (6000 miles) of road and railways. The project dubbed the North-South Corridor would run across seven countries and was estimated to cost about 1 billion USD. Similar large-scale projects are already happening or are set to begin in other African regions. Africa in return has provided a huge market for Chinese products. Literally almost everything has a ‘Made in China’ sticker; from electronics to fabrics, food, and wood.

Despite being a resourceful partner, China has been accused of giving with one hand while taking with the other. This is because since its significant entrance to Africa, massive elephant poaching started being reported. Apparently, China has the world’s largest ivory market. It also has licensed ivory retailers and carving factories. Approximately 30,000 elephant are being killed yearly for their tusks. The tusks are then taken to China where there’s a lucrative market.

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://www.crowdh.com/china-secretly-elephant-poaching-africa/

Ivory trade to be banned in UK 'to protect elephants'

The sale and export of almost all ivory items would be banned in the UK under plans set out by the government.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has announced a consultation to end the trade in ivory of all ages - previous attempts at a ban would have excluded antique ivory produced before 1947.
The government says there will be some exemptions, for musical instruments and items of cultural importance.

Conservation groups have given a guarded welcome to the plan.

Growing market

While the UK has had a ban on the trade in raw ivory tusks, it has become the world's leading exporter of legal ivory carvings and antiques in recent years.

According to an Environmental Investigation Agency report, there were more than 36,000 items exported from the UK between 2010 and 2015, more than three times that of the next biggest exporter, the US.

Conservationists argue that these sales stimulate the demand for the product, and are linked to increased elephant poaching across Africa.

Prince William has long been a campaigner against against ivory trade and in 2016 urged the UK to pass a total ban on domestic sales.

At a wildlife conference in Vietnam, he said: "Ivory is not something to be desired and when removed from an elephant it is not beautiful.

"So, the question is: why are we still trading it? We need governments to send a clear signal that trading in ivory is abhorrent."

Prince William plea on ivory trade

Animals poached in 'horrifying numbers'

Can China's ban save elephants?

Previous attempts in the UK by the Conservative Party to limit sales of ivory have failed to get off the ground.

A ban on sales of ivory produced after 1947 was announced by then Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom in 2016 but a follow-up consultation never materialised.

However, a 12-week consultation on Mr Gove's proposals is due to start immediately, and draft legislation covering a ban on sales and exports is likely in the new year.

To read the full article, click on the story title

Seizures of elephant ivory hit 30-year high

Elephant ivory seizures have hit their highest level for almost 30 years while poaching incidents have stabilised, according to the world conservation body.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, known as Cites, said that last year about 40 tonnes of ivory were seized from poachers and from people trying to import into places such as mainland China and Hong Kong. It was the best return since 1989.

The organisation’s secretary-general, John Scanlon, said that the prospect of tougher enforcement, greater awareness about illegal wildlife products among the general public and a growing number of countries banning the trade in ivory appeared to have dampened enthusiasm in the market.

To read the full article, click on the story title

Chinese national exported $700K worth of ivory and horns through Mass. shipping business, authorities say

A Chinese national was charged with shipping $700,000 worth of elephant ivory, rhinoceros horns and coral through a Concord-based shipping business in what federal officials are calling a wildlife smuggling ring.

Guan Zong Chen was arrested and extradited in 2015 while traveling from China to Australia and made his first appearance in court when he was arraigned in Boston federal court Monday, according to a U.S. Attorney's Office press release.

Authorities say Chen purchased wildlife artifacts from U.S. auction houses in California, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Texas to resell in Hong Kong.

He allegedly took on a Chinese college graduate as a co-conspirator, who was tasked with traveling to the U.S. to prepare the goods for export.

The graduate would either hand deliver or mail the wildlife goods to a shipping business in Concord, which would then have them repackaged and smuggled into Hong Kong, authorities said.

The wildlife goods were allegedly shipped in packages with documents that falsely stated their contents and value.

Authorities noted one example from 2014 in which Chen visited the United States to meet with the Concord shipper and instructed them to smuggle an ivory-made sculpture by falsely stating it was made out of wood and worth only $50.

Trading in rhinoceros horns, elephant ivory and coral has been regulated since 1976. Exporting certain wildlife goods that were not imported before 1975 and without proper documentation can result in a $650,000 fine and up to two years in prison.

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://www.masslive.com/news/boston/index.ssf/2017/07/chinese_national_allegedly_exp.html