Thread: Preban ivory is my favorite material for scales

Originally Posted by Slamthunderide

I was under the impression that there was a way to tell if it was pre ban and the newer stuff. I think it's beautiful and would like to have a pair of tusk to display. I know that it's out there But the Price would be thru the roof

Yep, it can be tested,and is tested in major smuggling cases,carbon 14,They can tell if the animal died one week before we nuked Japan or two weeks after.
Other thing with elephant Ivory you need to know,is it Indian or african,Indian is 100% banned,takes DNA testing to know the diff.

Originally Posted by BobH

Hey Bruno

That point is there will always be "another elephant" whether you sell the confiscated poached ivory or not.

I think the main concern is that one day there may not be another elephant!

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Yep, it can be tested,and is tested in major smuggling cases,carbon 14,They can tell if the animal died one week before we nuked Japan or two weeks after.
Other thing with elephant Ivory you need to know,is it Indian or african,Indian is 100% banned,takes DNA testing to know the diff.

Which, unless there is a more accessible test, means there is effectively no way for folks like us to know whether it is pre or post ban.

I fully realize that I personally won't bring the international ivory trade to its knees by not participating, but since I much prefer seeing ivory in its original form still attached to an elephant, I *personally* choose to have nothing to do with the stuff. As long as ivory, be it pre-ban or post-ban, is coveted in the marketplace, it will be poached. So I choose not to partake. I personally want nothing to do with anything that will - however tangentially - support a practice that I abhor.

All of which I realize ultimately means little in the grand scheme of things other than me not competing with you guys on ebay for ivory-scaled razors. But it makes me feel better.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

Which, unless there is a more accessible test, means there is effectively no way for folks like us to know whether it is pre or post ban.

I fully realize that I personally won't bring the international ivory trade to its knees by not participating, but since I much prefer seeing ivory in its original form still attached to an elephant, I *personally* choose to have nothing to do with the stuff. As long as ivory, be it pre-ban or post-ban, is coveted in the marketplace, it will be poached. So I choose not to partake. I personally want nothing to do with anything that will - however tangentially - support a practice that I abhor.

All of which I realize ultimately means little in the grand scheme of things other than me not competing with you guys on ebay for ivory-scaled razors. But it makes me feel better.

Some sanity has to prevail here,read and understand the laws.I have over past couple yrs posted all the links to all the laws and regulations,am not doing that anymore.
An Elephant that was killed 90 yrs ago,is of no matter,it was 100% legal and the tusks are 100% legal and traded every day in this country.
I used to buy Ivory Billiard balls to turn brush handles,these were 100++ plus yrs old,do you have an issue with that??
Wood products such as lignum (the real deal) Ebony,some dalbergias,some Rosewoods are today banned from import and are not legal to even buy unless they are in this country at this time.
The martin Guitar company was told to cease and desist from importing exotic woods by the feds two yrs ago
, you do not like the new rules,move your company to China.
What is here in the U.S. at this time is legal,Killing animals today should be banned,agreed 100%

Originally Posted by Cangooner

I think the main concern is that one day there may not be another elephant!

Again, I agree so lets really do something effective about it and not get overly smug about the feel good exercise of the burning of confiscated ivory. You will never eliminate poaching altogether but the amount that is going on is hardly under control with present practices. Hell they are even poaching black bears in North America just for the gall bladders.

Bob

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Some sanity has to prevail here,read and understand the laws.I have over past couple yrs posted all the links to all the laws and regulations,am not doing that anymore.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to tell anyone else what to do, I'm just saying what my own personal position is. I tried to be careful to say that what I was saying was my own personal approach. I don't presume to tell anyone else what to do or not to do. As for the laws, I honestly don't know what the law on ivory is up here in Canada. But again, this is not a legal decision for me. There are plenty of things that are legal for me to do that I choose not to do because they don't sit right with me. But again, that's my own personal choice regarding how I govern myself, and has really nothing to do with what anyone else should or should not do.

As for guitar woods - there is a domestic crisis looming too: a shortage of sitka spruce. So it's not all a domestic/foreign issue at all.

Originally Posted by donv

A while back, I saw a photo of a huge pile of confiscated ivory being burned. That made me sad. I'm sure that there is some reason for not doing it, but, why couldn't the government sell the ivory and use the proceeds to pay for taking care of the living elephants? Burning it, to me, seemed to be a final insult to the dead elephants. It didn't bring them back, it didn't send a message to any poachers, it just made an ugly fire. I don't know, it just seemed really messed up.
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I read an article a few years ago, discussing the different ways various African states were going about protecting the elephants and other large species.

The places with flat out bans were struggling had were dealing with diminishing herds.

The nations that had seasons and sold hunting rights were experiencing exponential growth of their herds. Plus where funding their conservation programs.


You know, in our wealth we have no concept of true poverty. I can't say I wouldn't harvest an elephant if the Choice was the elephant or my kid...

And we're not even going to TALK about what happens to Mr Badger!

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Yep, it can be tested,and is tested in major smuggling cases,carbon 14,They can tell if the animal died one week before we nuked Japan or two weeks after.
Other thing with elephant Ivory you need to know,is it Indian or african,Indian is 100% banned,takes DNA testing to know the diff.

It can't be C14 they test, that gives an uncertainty of 40-50 years at best, but there is other tests I'm sure.

This is not an easy subject, some of us really love ivory but I think none of us want to see the elephant gone.
The pop. numbers of elephants is for political means being pushed both up and down.
As for total ban or not I just hope they find some solution that works.

Originally Posted by Lemur

It can't be C14 they test, that gives an uncertainty of 40-50 years at best, but there is other tests I'm sure.

This is not an easy subject, some of us really love ivory but I think none of us want to see the elephant gone.
The pop. numbers of elephants is for political means being pushed both up and down.
As for total ban or not I just hope they find some solution that works.

You may be correct about the C14.Cannot remember how it is tested but have read that can be done.
Ivory is banned from import in many countrys to curtail the killing of Elephants which is a good thing for sure,but as long as China and japan keep buying it the market will always be active.
Is sort of like the whaling industry today,the slaughter go's on.