4 ms·

Poaching is illegal. But owning elephant tusks isn't . In fact it is considered a luxury.

• sschueller 12y ago
  I don't think making ivory illegal would fix the Problem. It would increase the value of ivory even more and make poaching more profitable. The only real solution I see is the mass production of a synthetic that can't be identified from real ivory. This would make ivory so cheap that poaching no longer is profitable enough.
  • sseveran 12y ago
    Fakes don't work for luxury items. Wealthy people still prefer mined diamonds to their synthetic counterparts. The whole point of buying a real one is to demonstrate your wealth.
    • Lawtonfogle 12y ago
      Which is determined by rarity. Reducing supply will increase the rarity and thus increase the status from owning ivory. This results in those using it as a status symbol having even greater desire.
  • matthewmarkus 12y ago
    We're actually working on this at IndieBio! http://www.pembient.com http://www.pembient.com
  • giarc 12y ago
    Flood the market with 3D printed tusks?