The Vegan Conservatives have welcomed news this morning that the Government plans to extend the ivory ban to include more species: hippos, walruses, orcas, narwhals and sperm whales, all of which are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). Three of them (hippos, walruses and sperm whales) are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Biodiversity Minster Trudy Harrison MP told the BBC, "The Ivory Act is one of the toughest bans of its kind in the world and by extending greater legal protections to five more species, we are sending a clear message the commercial trade of ivory is totally unacceptable."
Wildlife campaigners have been concerned that the very ban may have increased demand for the teeth of hippos, killer whales and sperm whales, as well as the tucks of walruses and narwhals. Of mammalian body parts seized by the EU in 2020, hippo teeth were amongst the most common.
Co-chairman Graham Godwin-Pearson says, "These iconic animals are already facing pressures from climate change and poaching. Extending the ban will help to protect them now and in the future."
