It’s Official, Tanzania and Zambia’ Request to Sell Ivory Have Been Turned Down
Today, the UN’s wildlife trade organizations have turned down Tanzania’s and Zambia’s requests to sell ivory. This is a great victory for conservationist and wildlife fans alike and a monumental step towards ending poaching. For the past month we have been updating viewers about all that has been going on leading up to CITES CoP15, which has been going on for the past week. Through the awareness created, the numerous petitions that we’ve rallied and our supporters who signed and spread the petition, a movement was created.
It is without a doubt that the public outcry that was created and the nearly 500,000 petition signatures shifted the decision made by the standing committee. However, it doesn’t just end there, stopping the legal sale of ivory stockpiles is one thing, but the illegal ivory trade still continues to flourish. We must continue to raise awareness about this issue and educate others. Laws and documents aren’t going to end poaching and stop the demand for ivory, educating the end user is what’s needed.
Below is a video created by the Environmental Investigation Agency into the illegal ivory trade in Tanzania and Zambia, the 2 countries who’s proposal to legalize ivory sale was just rejected.
To read the BBC article on the official news…click here
Bush Warriors 
March 22, 2010 at 4:45 pm
This is a tremendous victory for wildlife and African elephant conservation. This writer would love to see the enormous stockpiles of confiscated ivory burned now. The temptation is too great for that much ivory (big money) to sit there with now no place to go. Theft or corruption is possible.
We saw many illogical decisions being made in Qatar concerning other vulnerable species, but it is gratifying to see this issue put to rest.
Education of the public, to reject buying anything made of ivory is an ultimate goal and the principles of “supply and demand” would take over, making elephant ivory poaching unprofitable. That is the only true way that it can ever be stopped. As long as there is big money in ivory, elephants will be at risk.
March 22, 2010 at 7:38 pm
This is not going to resolve the problem it will just go underground… These countries need to be rewarded somehow for trying to do this legally – it should somehow be more rewarding than selling the ivory on the black market!
March 31, 2010 at 2:33 am
I agree with what National Wildlife Humane Society says.