Ministers consider ban on hippo and mammoth ivory

Hippos, walruses and narwhals could be protected by a ban on the sale of items made from their tusks (writes Ben Webster). The government announced yesterday that it was considering extending the proposed ban on elephant ivory to cover other species, including sperm whales, killer whales and warthogs. It could cover the tusks of mammoths, which are similar to elephant ivory.

Ministers believe that their continued sale could fuel demand and lead to more elephants being poached. There are fears that the clampdown on elephant ivory has increased trade in ivory from other species, particulary hippos, which have declined by 12 per cent to about 100,000 in the past decade.


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