The UK government plans to include five more species of wildlife under its Ivory Act 2018.
The BBC reported Biodiversity Minister Trudy Harrison as saying ‘The Ivory Act is one of the toughest bans of its kind in the world and by extending greater legal protections to five more species, we are sending a clear message the commercial trade of ivory is unacceptable.
‘The UK has long led the way in conservation and our ban shows continued global leadership in doing all we can to protect the world’s most endangered species.’
The Ivory Act 2018 targeted materials from elephants according to The Guardian. Other animals, like hippos and killer whales, were then targeted for their ivory.
In 2022, the import, export, and dealing of elephant ivory was made illegal in the UK. The government is now wanting to add hippos, narwhals, sperm whales, killer whales, and walruses, as they are hunted and killed for their ivory. Should anyone be found out for breaking the law, they will be given unlimited fines or jailed for five years.
Ministers believe that hippos are the most at risk after elephants, and ‘the other species were already threatened by the climate crisis.’ In 2020, hippo teeth were one of the mammal body parts most seized by the EU.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) celebrates this new proposal. ‘We welcomed the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs’s decision to extend this powerful legislation, which will go a long way in cracking down on a damaging trade. Today is a good day for conservation and a step change towards international commitments to safeguard our natural world,’ said IFAW Head of Campaigns and Programmes Frances Goodrum.
Pictures: GettyImages
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