Leaving Ivory in the Wild
May 29, 2015: More than six hundred kilograms of confiscated ivory and ivory products are shown to the media before being destroyed in Beijing by China’s State Forestry Administration and General Administration of Customs. VCGA bout three months ago, Kenyan wildlife conservationist Daphne Sheldrick, known to many as “elephants’ adopted mother,” passed away at 83 after devoting her whole life to elephant protection. Her book The Orphans of Tsavo touched many Chinese people and illuminated them about the importance of protecting the animal.
On January 1, 2018, China banned all trade in ivory, imposing stiff penalties on anyone caught buying or selling ivory products in the Chinese mainland.
Since then, every trading market for ivory products in the Chinese mainland has been shut down, resulting in a dramatic drop in ivory product trading.
A Good Model
Ivory artware has played an important role in traditional Chinese culture and many Chinese people still adore ivory products. So, for a long time, ivory trade was acceptable in China.
But in recent years, the public awareness about elephant protection has increased exponentially. In 2016, China announced a ban on all ivory trade and processing activities by the end of 2017. During the six months after the ban went into effect, China shut down 172 companies engaged in processing or selling ivory and suspended online retailers while strengthening the fight against illegal transporting and smuggling of ivory and ivory products.
On May 29, 2018, a crackdown against ivory smuggling by Beijing Customs seized six tusks—the 13th such bust this year. Since the beginning of 2018, the Chinese government has launched special campaigns to fight endangered species smuggling including ivory, confiscating 158 ivory artworks and busting a dozen smuggling rings.
“The ban is the fruit of the efforts of the Chinese government and insightful activists from across China and around the world,” declares Professor Qin Tianbao, vice dean of the School of Law and director of the Research Institute of Environmental Law at Wuhan University. “Ivory trading is still legal in many countries, which worries animal protection organizations because hunters have considerable economic motivation to kill elephants.” Qin believes China’s move to ban ivory trade sets a shining example for other countries.
June 21, 2018: An elephant drinks at a watering hole in the Amboseli National Park. In the past five years, about 150,000 elephants were killed by poaching, one every 15 minutes. At this rate, the largest mammal on the planet will be extinct in 15 years. VCGMarket Effects
Many animal protection organizations hail China’s ban as a “milestone for global wildlife protection.” Peter Knights, founder of WildAid, proclaimed, “China’s exit from ivory trade is the greatest single step towards reducing elephant poaching.” And he called for other countries to follow.
China has consistently been monitored by animal protection organizations because Asian countries including China compose an important consumer market for ivory. Due to historical, cultural and traditional factors in many Asian countries which are home to ancient civilizations, many people remain fond of exquisite ivory products, considering them a symbol of social status and identity.
In the past five years, about 150,000 elephants were killed by poaching, one every 15 minutes. At that rate, the largest mammal on the planet will be extinct in 15 years. This grim forecast prompted China’s issuance of the ban.