The UK has implemented the toughest Ivory Ban ever recorded and it could really help save elephants as fines and jail time are being enforced.
The United Kingdom government have announced a ban on all Ivory products within the country or already owned by residents. The ban is said to be the toughest one ever implemented. This is great news as it will discourage people from purchasing or even owning ivory items.
The ban applies to all ivory, whether or not it has been in a family for generations. There have been a few items which will be excluded from the ban. They are listed below:
- Musical instruments that were made before 1975 and contain less than 20% ivory;
- Antiques that are over 100 years old and have been assessed by a specialist;
- Items that contain less than 10% ivory that were made prior to 1947;
- Museum-accredited pieces.
Anyone found in violation of the ban could face up to five years in prison or an “unlimited fine”.
“Ivory should never be seen as a commodity for financial gain or a status symbol, so we will introduce one of the world’s toughest bans on ivory sales to protect elephants for future generations.”
“The ban on ivory sales we will bring into law will reaffirm the UK’s global leadership on this critical issue, demonstrating our belief that the abhorrent ivory trade should become a thing of the past.” – UK Environment Secretary, Michael Gove
The CEO of the Tusk trust has praised the UK government for their strong stance on the matter.
“We are delighted that the Government has listened to our concerns and given the overwhelming public response to their consultation is now moving decisively to introduce tough legislation to ban the trade in ivory in the UK.
“The narrowly defined exemptions are pragmatic. The ban will ensure there is no value for modern day ivory and the tusks of recently poached elephants cannot enter the UK market. We welcome the fact that Ministers are sending such a clear message to the world that the illegal wildlife trade will not be tolerated and every effort will be made to halt the shocking decline in Africa’s elephant population in recent years.”
This is such amazing news for the African Elephant. We hope that other countries will follow this example.
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