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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 16th October 2023
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Mammoth tusk trade threatens elephants, experts warn
Owing to permafrost melting, there is a growing trade in mammoth ivory.

Evidence that poached ivory is being intentionally mislabelled as mammoth ivory.

The trade in mammoth tusks poses a threat to elephants, experts have warned in a new report.

Around 60 tons a year of mammoth ivory is exported out of Siberia’s Sakha region. The majority of it is being sold to China, which is also the largest destination for illegal elephant ivory.

Mammoth ivory is similar to elephant ivory, especially when cut into smaller pieces. There is evidence that traders are intentionally mislabelling illegal elephant tusks as mammoth tusks in order to sell them.

Luke Hauser, co-investigator on the study, explained: “The first mammoths appeared in Africa around five million years ago, and radiated into at least ten species; all originating from the same family of modern elephants, known as Elephantidae.

“Structurally, mammoth ivory is fundamentally identical to elephant ivory. Both have Schreger lines, which are distinct characteristics of the species.” 

Poachers in Africa kill an estimated 30,000 elephants a year for their tusks, despite conservation efforts to tackle the trade.

The international ivory trade is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an agreement to protect at-risk species. 

However, CITES does not currently cover mammoth ivory, allowing it to be bought and sold. A petition from Israel in 2019 to include woolly mammoth ivory was unsuccessful.

With climate change causing the Siberian permafrost to melt, more mammoth remains are being found. The financial rewards on offer from the ivory trade mean that often the tusks are taken with the rest of the remains left behind.

Dr Caroline Cox, lead researcher of the University of Portsmouth’s Ivory Project, said: “Instead of profiting from these new discoveries, we should be learning from them - how mammoths lived and how they died – to help protect their endangered relatives.”

The Ivory Project’s new report has been published in the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy.

Image (C) Shutterstock

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.