China destroys more than 660 kilograms of smuggled ivory

[TexasTowelie]

Source: AP

BEIJING -- Chinese authorities Friday destroyed 662 kilograms of ivory that was seized after being smuggled into the country, as part of a crackdown on the illegal trade.

In front of reporters in a suburban section of Beijing, wildlife officials placed raw tusks and ornate carvings onto a conveyor belt that fed the ivory into a machine that crushed the pieces into tiny pebbles.

China bans smuggling of ivory, but in 2008 secured an exemption to a global ivory trade moratorium to import legal stockpiles for traditional carvings that can be sold domestically. Conservationists argue that this legal trade has prompted a resurgent demand for ivory while providing a convenient cover for a thriving black market. They have demanded China impose a complete ban on imports and domestic trade.

China announced a temporary, one-year ban on all imports in February, saying that would allow authorities to gauge the effect on poaching.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/nation-world/world/article22584483.html

[Enthusiast]

1. I hope this has the effect we seek.

[Travis_0004]

2. I dont get why they dont use mammoth ivory

Its very beautiful and I would imagine its cheaper than regular ivory.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

3. No mammoths are harmed by collecting the ivory ...

... but it's not a renewable resource. yet.

There's certainly a trade in mammoth ivory today, but it's limited by the number of mammoth skeletons discovered each year, mostly in Siberia I think.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/04/125-mammoth-tusks/larmer-text