A study has found that Japan's inaction on the illegal ivory trade is fuelling demand, which means more of Africa's elephants are being slaughtered by poachers.
According to a report in The Guardian, investigators have uncovered fraud among traders who register ivory as ‘legal’ despite it coming from unsustainable sources.
The report states: "One-off sales of ivory stockpiled before 1989 are permitted and trade in old ivory is also allowed, but this works to act as a cover for the illegal trade."
Tragically, the study found; "that of the 37 Japanese ivory traders approached by Japanese investigators posing as sellers of whole tusks, 30 offered to engage in illegal activities, including buying and processing unregistered tusks of unknown origin, and registering tusks using false information."
"The revelations coincide with a rapid rise in ivory trade in Japan, amid a poaching epidemic in Africa, where more than 30,000 elephants are slaughtered every year for their tusks."
Africa's beloved elephants must be protected! Will you join me in urging the Japanese Government to join the USA and impose an immediate ban on all domestic trade in ivory in response to appeals by African nations to protect their remaining elephants?
The Japanese Government should also ban all online ads or auctions from offering elephant ivory for sale!
Please sign and share the petition.
