UK Ivory Ban Widens to Cover Hippos, Orcas, Sperm Whales, Other Aquatic Mammals

An ivory ban in the United Kingdom has made a significant development following recent discussions among the country's ministers to further tighten the law called Ivory Act 2018, according to reports.

The new U.K. ivory ban has been proposed to cover not just elephants but also aquatic mammals like hippos, orcas, sperm whales, narwhals, and walruses.

UK Ivory Ban

(Photo : Image by PublicDomainImages from Pixabay )

If the new U.K. ivory ban is passed into law, the retrieval and trade of teeth and horns of the said animals will be prohibited.

In addition, some businesses in the antique scrimshaw works have apparently denounced the measure, asserting it can damage or destroy their livelihood should the ivory ban also cover the aquatic mammals, The Art Newspaper reported.

People who are proven to break the law can face a punishment of unlimited fines or be imprisoned for five years. However, the Parliament must still vote on the extension of the Ivory Act 2018 before the inclusion of five additional animal species come into effect, the BBC reported.

Also Read: Hippos' Giant Teeth Become Target for Hunters and Poaching That Could Lead to Species' Population Decline

UK Ivory Act 2018

As mentioned earlier, the new ivory ban that includes the said aquatic mammals can potentially be included in the Ivory Act 2018, which bans people across the U.K. from buying and selling an ivory, as well as any related dealing, according to the U.K. Government. Indirect transactions like hiring someone to buy or sell an ivory is also punishable.

Despite the strict measure, there are exceptions to the 2018 act as mentioned in the following below:

Ivory items prior to 1918 with significant artistic, cultural, or historical value
Portrait miniatures prior to 1918
Items with low ivory content prior to 1947
Qualified museum-acquired items

The U.K. government suggests if a person has an ivory item that falls in at least one of the mentioned categories, they can contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Illegal Ivory Trade

The illegal ivory trade has become rampant worldwide in the past several decades, especially during advancements in international travel. Amid this black market, tusks of elephants and other animals in the wild have been the primary target of poachers, who sell these massive, elongated teeth for various uses or collections.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), at least 20,000 African elephants are "illegally killed" by people each year solely for their tusks, adding the poaching epidemic has been fueled by a resurgence of increased demand for elephant ivory, especially in Asia.

Due to the recurring threat to elephants, several countries have initiated an action plan to resolve the said wildlife crime. For instance, the United States imposed an almost-total ban against the elephant ivory trade in 2016, the WWF adds. Meanwhile, the U.K., Hong Kong, Singapore, and other elephant ivory markets followed.

The non-profit wildlife organization pointed to China taking the most drastic step by closing its illegal domestic ivory market at the end of 2017.