I suggest that all people participating hers do a little reading up on elephants. African elephants are a problem and are not endangered at all. There are probably too many of them and they are very expensive to protect. They need lots of water, and tons of land to provide enough food (adults consume about 300 to 600 pounds per animal per day) and in addition they need to kept out of agricultural areas....it is no small matter and it has nothing to do with Ivory stop all poaching, stop all harvesting, stop all trade in ivory and these problems will continue to exist.
You understand wrong Steve. I did not make any suggestion about how to deal with the issue. I stated what some of the problems are and one approach that I believe will have no positive effect.
As I understand it not if Grandma's piano happened to be imported. Aside from that there are a lot of items other than Grandma's Piano. One instance, when I was in the Navy we visited Italy (several times between 1957 and 1959) and while there I purchased a couple pieces of Cameo Jewelery made from black onyx and Ivory because compared to US prices they were very inexpensive. I gave them to various women including my mother my sisters and sisters-in-law....some of them are no doubt still in the family being passed on when the women I gave them to died. Under the new rules they won't be saleable because there is no way on earth to positively establish when they were imported. I would say there are litterly millions of various ivory pieces imported the same way from 1946 to 1989 - I'm sure no one can even guess how much.
People who have to live with them should be. At the turn of the last century things in Africa were much different than today and like it or not, you and I had nothing to do with the changes Those changes would have occured even if we never existed. If elephants are to survive, it will not be because of what you and I do, it will be because of action taken on the ground where the elephants are and that will most likely include maintaining some maximum herd size in each area set aside for elephants (there are some huge such areas). Overpopulation of any species (humans included) leads to none of the species, but particularily the younger members, having enough. So the idea is to maintain the herd at a level that provides the best chance of survival for the most.
Believe it or not - his statement is not false logic...you will read it in the conservation department writings of practically any state. In an over population situation the "weaker" members of the herd are the young immature members not able to compete with the larger more fully developed adults.
In many areas today the deer herd is larger than it has ever been (Delaware is one of those places). I grew up in the Pocono Mts of PA and the deer population in and around my home town is much larger now than it was 60 years ago. Largely because of human development, deer, like grey/brown rabbits and squirrels live well in conjunction with humans and are much easier to find in moderately populated areas than in the outback.
That would probably be by noon on the 1st day Ed. Deer tend to go where there is no shooting.:biggrin:
But is that realistic? Can ivory exist as a valuable material without people poaching?
The point is -- the nations where the elephants actually live -- have ivory. The nations where the elephants don't live are preventing them from selling it on the grounds there is poaching in the countries where the elephants live. Isn't there something that is just totally wrong with that picture. Actually doesn't it make sense that 100 tons of legal ivory going on the market each year would make ivory less valuable and more available and hence make poaching less profitable and less likely to happen?
and just as naive to think it will go away by banning the sale of legitimate ivory.
