Ivory Poaching - could this end it? If not why not!
Discussion
The slaughter of elephant and rhino for their ivory is just dreadful. It seems to me millions are spent each year on anti poaching patrols and on preventing or disrupting the onward sale. Surely rendering the ivory worthless at source is the answer??
There must be a brightly coloured dye that can be injected under pressure into the tusks of these animals such that it cannot be easily or cheaply removed effectively making it valueless. If the resources were put instead into darting and treating the animals within a generation the market would cease to exist.
Am I completely wrong?
There must be a brightly coloured dye that can be injected under pressure into the tusks of these animals such that it cannot be easily or cheaply removed effectively making it valueless. If the resources were put instead into darting and treating the animals within a generation the market would cease to exist.
Am I completely wrong?
E you're right I knew it's basically keratin if I recall correct however it's still sought after by the poachers so rather than debate the rights or wrongs of that can we stick to the topic please?
Mods might it be possible to give this a run in the Longe as I think it deserves a wider airing - even if it proves me wrong.
Mods might it be possible to give this a run in the Longe as I think it deserves a wider airing - even if it proves me wrong.
HarryW said:
Need to kill the market for it, it's pretty much gone from the western world but I fear the ever growing Chinese economy is creating a bigger market for it. Get China to renounce and make it illegal, along with Tiger by products....
There are only two ways to kill the market. One, kill all of the animals, or two, make a cheap artificial product that's indistinguishable from the real thing. I think they need to stop burning confiscated Ivory and sell it, along with setting up farming reserves for Elephants. Humanely remove the tusks without hurting the Elephant as they mature then sell that Ivory. This will have 2 effects, firstly fund the farming and secondly flood the market making it no longer worth the money to poach. Make it become nothing worse than the equivalent of shearing sheep for wool.
HarryW said:
Need to kill the market for it, it's pretty much gone from the western world but I fear the ever growing Chinese economy is creating a bigger market for it. Get China to renounce and make it illegal, along with Tiger by products....
Is this stuff actually legal in China? I knew that's where the market was for it but I'd assumed it was a black-market 
TwigtheWonderkid said:
This is the type of area I'd like to see genetic engineering involved in. "Grow" ivory and rhino horn in the lab, and flood the market with it.
I'm probably talking rubbish and it's not doable, but it sounds like a good idea in theory.
The Chinese use powered Rhino horn in sky fairy medicines. So we could get people & animals to cut their nails and hoofs and donate the clippings so they can be ground up into powder and sold as Rhino horn, it would reflect the cheap Chinese rip-off ideology.I'm probably talking rubbish and it's not doable, but it sounds like a good idea in theory.
FourWheelDrift said:
I think they need to stop burning confiscated Ivory and sell it, along with setting up farming reserves for Elephants. Humanely remove the tusks without hurting the Elephant as they mature then sell that Ivory. This will have 2 effects, firstly fund the farming and secondly flood the market making it no longer worth the money to poach. Make it become nothing worse than the equivalent of shearing sheep for wool.
FourWheelDrift said:
The Chinese use powered Rhino horn in sky fairy medicines. So we could get people & animals to cut their nails and hoofs and donate the clippings so they can be ground up into powder and sold as Rhino horn, it would reflect the cheap Chinese rip-off ideology.
My toe nail clippings smell of crappy cheese! 
TwigtheWonderkid said:
This is the type of area I'd like to see genetic engineering involved in. "Grow" ivory and rhino horn in the lab, and flood the market with it.
I'm probably talking rubbish and it's not doable, but it sounds like a good idea in theory.
no argument from me on this ideaI'm probably talking rubbish and it's not doable, but it sounds like a good idea in theory.
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