China Bans Ivory Imports for 1 Year to Protect Elephants

ABC Snooze ^ | 02/26/2015

[E. Pluribus Unum]

China imposed a one-year ban on ivory imports that took immediate effect Thursday amid criticism that its citizens' huge appetite for ivory has fueled poaching that threatens the existence of African elephants.

The State Administration of Forestry declared the ban in a public notice posted on its official site, in which it said the administration would not handle any import request.

[molson209]

Will not stop stockpiling until the ban ends

[b4its2late]

I guess they have enough to last them a good long time.

[hadaclueonce]

wow, one entire year!

That will make an impact.

/s

[momtothree]

The elephants will still be killed and the tusks kept in a warehouse. IMHO.

[PGR88]

They need to protect their ivory chopstick manufacturing industry....

/s

[FatherofFive]

We should start raising elephants like we raise cattle. Not sure of the costs. But if you want more of something, start selling it.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I remember when the USA banned hunting alligators for their skins. it didn’t stop as the poachers continued, but there was no market for the skins.

When the Alligator population picked back up enough to allow hunting, the game and fish commission demanded that the FRONT FEET of the gators be left on the skins as this undercut those who had killed gators during the ban and froze the skins. Any skin brought in without the front feet was considered a poached skin and confiscated.

[laweeks]

Howz’ ‘bout blocking the insane and cruel slaughter of your unborn and newly born children in your country (something even we can’t do) instead of worrying about some go#damn elephants?

[El Cid]

Rules/Following the Laws - and China are lines on two different planes. They never intersect.

[DocRock]

Elephant populations flourished under the legal Ivory trade of CITES. The members paid very high dues to deal in legal Ivory imports/exports and the dues went directly to the game wardens so they could purchase new vehicles, build new game warden camps, buy guns and equipment. When wardens caught poachers with Ivory, they sold the Ivory through CITES and the income went to the protection of the elephants. Same when elephants died naturally, the Ivory was sold through CITES. Now with no Income from Ivory sales, the game wardens became poachers and the elephant population has suffered from the actions of animal rights idiots.

[Calpublican]

“instead of worrying about some go#damn elephants”

Can’t we be concerned about the murder of children and the murder of elephants? Is our capacity for compassion finite?

[laweeks]

Sorry, but I’m a hell of a lot more concerned with the slaughter of humans who can’t fight back. I’ll never give up that concern.

[Calpublican]

Of course your passion is commendable, but animals can’t fight back either. We have dominion over them, which includes responsibility for them. I am old, and the older I get the more aware I have become of human misuse of other humans and animals. We are accountable for both.

[FateAmenableToChange]

The only successful elephant protection strategy has involved assigning ownership of the elephants to local villages, meaning they get a lion’s share of the kill tag from sport hunters. Villages that used to poach the elephants for ruining crops now protect them as a precious resource that means water, schools, all sorts of public improvements plus cash in pocket for the villagers. Poachers are identified and dealt with because that’s money the village won’t see.

The market has a way. The communists can’t really accept that it works.