> I fully support anti-poaching measures, but what this article doesn't discuss is the effect of a total ban on trade of existing ivory products. Old musical in

> I fully support anti-poaching measures, but what this article doesn't discuss is the effect of a total ban on trade of existing ivory products. Old musical instruments (pipe organs, old pianos, some wind instruments) with any ivory in them (e.g. decorative inlays or the key slips on a 1000+ kg organ) cannot have their ivory parts repaired and the instrument cannot be sold under a complete trade ban, which is a shame and a waste. As others pointed out there is no reliable way to trace the supply chain of ivory (not that sellers would also have a huge incentive for fraud) to ensure poached ivory cannot enter the market. So this "think of the restorers!" trope is actually a great argument for confiscating and destroying all existing ivory products and stockpiles. The market for ivory needs to be entirely eliminated for poaching to cease to be an attractive economic activity.