Can you believe that there are no domestic laws in Australia regulating the sale of ivory and rhino horn? Australia is a party to CITES which means we are beholden to international law preventing the importation of ivory and rhino horn. But you'd be amazed at how much of the stuff gets in!
A recent study by IFAW found that across a nine-month period, 2,772 ivory items were for sale at 175 auctions in 21 auction houses in Australia and New Zealand and 13 rhino horn items were also found. Only 8 per cent of ivory items for sale were accompanied by provenance documentation. (Link to IFAW report “Under the Hammer”)
That's just not good enough Australia. The Chinese and United States governments have committed to ending their domestic ivory and rhino horn trades. Even though Australia has a much smaller market, it s still a market and any market contributes to the demand for ivory and horn which keeps the poaching going. It s time for us to play our part. So here s what you can do.
- Take a photo with this A4 print out (elephant page or rhino page) and add your voice to the buzz on facebook. Post your pic at the No Domestic Trade facebook site too. NB. On the facebook photo, go to Options at the bottom of the photo and click Download.
- Sign and post this letter to Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg and let him know Aussies care about the future of elephants and rhinos.
That's all you have to do! The more our politicians are aware of this problem the more likely we are to see some legislation preventing the sale of ivory and rhino horn in Australia. Come on Aussies!
