The fight against the global ivory trade is gaining more ground, with the UK extending its ban to include five additional species. The Ivory Act 2018, which was first enacted to protect elephants, will now safeguard the tusks of hippopotamuses, killer whales, narwhals, sperm whales, and walruses from the detrimental effects of poaching.
Despite the global hippo population being estimated at 115-130,000 across sub-Saharan Africa, a startling report by the wildlife monitoring group TRAFFIC suggests that an average of 1,349 hippos were targeted for their ivory annually between 2009 and 2018. Animal welfare groups have voiced particular concern for these extraordinary creatures, which are now even more vulnerable since the ban on elephant ivory began to show positive effects in the UK.
Statistics released by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) reveal a promising 66 percent decrease in the number of adverts selling elephant ivory in the UK since June 2022. This indicates the previous ban is making strides, yet unfortunately, it has exacerbated the risk for other species.
Frances Goodrum, IFAW UK’s Head of Campaigns and Programmes, warned of the increased threat to hippos and stated, “This extension of the legislation is another step forward to making ivory a taboo, and more importantly, a crime.”
Despite this, the battle for complete protection remains. Hippos, listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), are still subject to regulated commercial activity. A proposal for a full ban presented at the 2022 CITES conference failed to pass, leaving the need for continued advocacy and policy change in the pursuit of global wildlife conservation.
Not Your Tee By Tiny Rescue: Animal Collection
Related Content:
- Undercover Investigation Reveals Deceptive and Prevalent Ivory Trade in Maryland
- Wildlife Traffickers Arrested After Ivory and Pangolin Scales Were Found
- New Report Finds $2 Billion Worth of Ivory was Traded Legally
- New York Court Upholds Ban on Rhino and Ivory
- DC City Council Has Banned the Sale of Ivory and Rhino Horn!
Easy Ways to Help the Planet:
- Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
- Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
- Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
- Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
- Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
- Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!
Comments