Ivory

It does seem batty to destroy intricately-made works of art retrospectively - what is the point? No elephant will gain by it, and it would be a loss to humanity.

By all means institute legislation that protects existing and future elephants.

All it would achieve would be to make it even more wonderful to own such a lovely piece, and make anyone who had one hide it away to save it - thus raising the price of it, and the value of future ivory carving to those who could afford to buy clandestinely poached ivory.

Exhibiting pieces in a museum, alongside photographs of the work of poachers would be more effective.

I think the current rule of it being illegal to trade ivory unless it is over a certain age is sufficient.

I agree with everything Elegran posted.

Agree with other comments.

I actually think it is ridiculous and I can't see a single benefit for the proposal to be enacted. Classic own goal if they went ahead perhaps.

There are some handsome edifices in our seafaring towns, built by merchants who grew rich on the slave trade. If all the carved ivory should be destroyed shouldn't they all be pulled down for similar reasons ?

I read that there is a move to dye the trunks pink so that they are no use to the poachers. Seems like a good idea to me and no more costly than all the patrols which seem unable to stop the poachers.

How would they do it though,*Nonnie*? On the live elephant or after it is dead? The poachers kill them and take the tusks at once, so it would have to be on live ones.

First single out your elephant, from a herd of large frightened angry animals. Persuade it to stand still while you dye its tusks. You could try anaesthesia, but that is a lot of elephant to knock out. Get the dosage wrong and you have either a dead elephant on your hands or one that wakes up and is not happy to find you painting hair dye onto it.

Release it back to the herd and try to catch another - by now they are all spooked and ready to charge in defence of their friends.

Apparently Prince William endorsed the destruction of the royal collection.

I guess it was his way of saying how little value it had in the modern world thereby puting out a message to those who might covet it. I think we should have some sort of trade embargo with China to force them to stop using animal parts in their medicine [which will never happen of course].

Elegran I have seen photos of elephants which have had it done so presumably they do it as part of the conservation process.

I have been googling for this, nonnie and not having much luck finding anything about it having actually been done.

Plenty on a petition about it, and articles on how it would be a good idea. staintuskstostopelephantpoaching.wordpress.com/

Here is one of the few photos I could find fightforrhinos.com/2013/03/28/pink-elephants-poison-rhinos/

There are a lot of elephants to be coloured though. One idea is to feed them something that colours the horn from inside, but that would have difficulties too.

Another weapon against poachers is DNA testing which could trace suspect ivory back to the place where it was obtained, where operations against poachers could be stepped up. That is shutting the stable door after the horse has been stolen, though.