Ivory destruction ceremonies have been a litmus test for where a country stands on the ivory trade ever since Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi torched 13 tons of ivory in 1989, setting the stage for a vote to ban international trade in ivory by parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). (news.nationalgeographic.com)
WASHINGTON, DC - The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) is calling for the closure of Japan's domestic ivory market after new evidence of illegal trade in ivory tusks was linked to the Ministry of Environment's tusk registration scheme. (eia-global.org)
Although African elephants are listed as an endangered species, with between 500,000 and 600,000 left in the wild, some African countries continue to push for legalizing trade in ivory tusks. (sciencemag.org)