Is the Ivory game real?

Netflix’s The Ivory Game feels like a fast-paced thriller, but unfortunately the stakes are all too real in this documentary that provides an uncomfortably close look at the world’s ivory trade.

Is trading in ivory illegal?

In response, the international ivory trade was banned in 1989. Since then several countries, even China, have banned domestic sales.

Is the ivory trade still going on?

Two years after China bans elephant ivory trade, demand for elephant ivory is down. Two years ago this month, China took the monumental step of banning elephant ivory trade within the country. Dec. 31, 2017 was the last day it was legal to buy or sell ivory there.

What happened in the ivory trade?

It is widely accepted that the ivory ban worked. The poaching epidemic that had hit so much of the African elephants’ range was greatly reduced. Ivory prices plummeted and ivory markets around the world closed, almost all of which were in Europe and the USA.

Is Shetani caught?

“Shetani” was arrested by the National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit (NTSCIU) Task Force on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He is Tanzania’s “Most Wanted” elephant poacher and ivory trafficker and directly responsible for the killing of thousands of elephants over the past years.

How many elephants are left in the world?

Elephant populations With only 40,000-50,000 left in the wild, the species is classified as endangered. And it is critical to conserve both African and Asian elephants since they play such a vital role in their ecosystems as well as contributing towards tourism and community incomes in many areas.

How much is a kilo of ivory worth?

The price for ivory between July and October 2018 was approximately between 210-225 USD/kg, and in the span of two years it has decreased by approxi- mately 50% to 115 USD/kg in 2020. The price for ivory in July 2017 was approximately 184 USD/kg and has been declining since then.

Why was ivory so valuable?

Q: What makes ivory so precious? It has no intrinsic value, but its cultural uses make ivory highly prized. In Africa, it has been a status symbol for millennia because it comes from elephants, a highly respected animal, and because it is fairly easy to carve into works of art.

Do elephant tusks grow back?

Elephant tusks do not grow back, but rhino horns do. An elephant’s tusks are actually its teeth — its incisors, to be exact. Most of the tusk consists of dentin, a hard and dense bony tissue, and the entire tusk is coated with enamel, the hardest known animal tissue, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

What countries still allow ivory trade?

However, many countries – including the UK, US, Thailand and Japan – have domestic markets where it is legal to buy and sell ivory certified as antique or coming from legal stockpiles.

Who started the ivory trade?

European Traders and Explorers (1500-1800) As Portuguese navigators began exploring the West African coastline in the 1400s, they soon entered into the lucrative ivory trade, and other European sailors were not far behind.

Where is Shetani now?

Shetani has since been released from custody, as his conviction has now been quashed by the highest court in Tanzania.

What is the best documentary on the illegal ivory trade?

Wildlife activists in take on poachers in an effort to end illegal ivory trade in Africa. The twenty-ninth Netflix original documentary. Very good about an unspoken problem, we live in a world where people care more about how they look and what they can buy than actually solving real problems we create.

What happened to the ivory trade?

A worldwide ban on ivory sales in 1989 led to a rebound in the population, to about a million. But in 1999 and 2008, due to pressure from countries in Asia and southern Africa, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) allowed two sanctioned sales of ivory.

Why did cites lift the ban on ivory sales?

Answer The main reason for CITES’ lifting of the ban on sales of stockpiled ivory was the increased demands for ivory from southern African and Asian countries. The lifting of the ban for these special sales had the effect of sanctioning illegal trade in tusks and increasing poaching once again.

Where does the demand for elephant ivory come from?

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) reports that nearly all of the current demand for elephant ivory comes from the Chinese market. The International Fund for Animal Welfare estimates that 84 percent of the ivory sold in China is illegal.