ivory

Yang Fenglan, shown here in November 2016, has been found guilty of smuggling hundreds of elephant tusks.

World News

Chinese 'Ivory Queen' Sentenced To 15 Years In Jail In Tanzania

5:31pm February 19, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

Yang Fenglan, who has lived in Tanzania on and off for decades and operated a Chinese restaurant, was found guilty of working with two Tanzanian men to smuggle more than 800 pieces of ivory.

Cambodian officials discovered 1,026 pieces of ivory hidden among marble in an abandoned container shipped from Mozambique. Cambodia has emerged as an ivory trade hub in recent years.

Environment

Cambodia Nabs More Than 3 Tons Of Illegal Ivory

10:59am December 16, 2018

by Daniella Cheslow

A tip from the U.S. Embassy alerted Cambodian authorities to a haul of at least 3.2 tons of ivory that shipped from Mozambique.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers display ivory seized from poachers around the country. KWS has played a critical role in carrying out operations against poachers.

DNA Test Helps Conservationists Track Down Ivory Smugglers

4:57pm September 19, 2018

by Christopher Joyce

The cartels that run the ivory trade try to cover their tracks — among other things, they smuggle tusks from the same elephant separately. But DNA testing can help find patterns.

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China's ban on the domestic ivory trade took effect Sunday.

World News

China's Ban On Its Domestic Ivory Trade Takes Effect

11:20am January 01, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

Chinese officials fulfilled a previous pledge banning the domestic sale and processing of ivory within its borders. The ban follows a similar measure implemented by the U.S. in 2016.

Last year, China banned the sale of commercial elephant ivory to stop poaching. That's when interest in ancient, buried woolly mammoth tusks boomed.

Woolly Mammoths Are Long Gone, But The Hunt For Their Ivory Tusks Lives On

7:18am August 16, 2017

by Daniella Cheslow

Last year China banned the sale of commercial elephant ivory. But that's led to another illicit trade — in woolly mammoth tusks — that is having a severe impact on Siberia's permafrost.

Li Chunke, a carver at the state-owned Beijing Ivory Carving factory, at work in his Beijing workshop.

World News

In China, A Shift Away From Trade In Ivory and Shark Fins

4:41pm January 13, 2017

by Anthony Kuhn

A week after China said it was cracking down on sales of ivory, the national carrier, Air China, said it would no longer allow shark fins to be transported as cargo on its flights.

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Fifteen tons of elephant tusks are set on fire during an anti-poaching ceremony at Nairobi National Park in Nairobi, Kenya in March 2015. Conservationists say a pledge by China to stop the ivory trade is a possible game-changer in the struggle to curb the

China Says It Will Shut Down Its Ivory Trade in 2017

6:49am January 02, 2017

by Christopher Joyce

After years of negotiation with wildlife conservation groups, China's government has now set a timetable to end its legal ivory trade--March 2017.

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Dennis Pungowiyi sells his ivory carvings at a craft fair during the annual Alaska Federation of Natives conference.

Ivory Ban Hurts Alaska Natives Who Legally Carve Walrus Tusks

6:20pm November 24, 2016

by Zachariah Hughes

Strict bans on ivory trade are aimed at preventing elephant poaching. But the measures are causing unintended consequences for Alaska Natives who hunt walruses and carve their tusks for a living.

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The Great Elephant Census shows that savanna elephant populations in 18 countries declined by 30 percent. Most of the animals counted were in protected areas.

African Elephant Population Declines By 30 Percent

6:28pm August 31, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

A census of African savanna elephants in 15 countries between 2007 and 2014 found the population decreased by 144,000 animals.

A Kenya Wildlife Services ranger stands guard in front illegal stockpiles of burning elephant tusks at the Nairobi National Park on April 30, 2016.

Environment

Up In Flames: Kenya Burns More Than 100 Tons Of Ivory

1:54pm April 30, 2016

by Gregory Warner

Nearly 30 years ago, Kenya burned 12 tons of ivory to try to halt the illegal ivory trade. Today it's burning 100 tons. How much difference does burning ivory make?

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