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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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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
UK's BSE risk status downgraded

The WOAH has downgraded the UK's international risk status for BSE to 'negligible'.

Defra says that the UK's improved risk status recognises the reputation for having the highest standards for biosecurity. It adds that it demonstrates decades of rigorous animal control.

Outbreaks of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, have previously resulted in bans on Britain's beef exports.

The UK's new status could lead to expanded trade and better confidence in British beef.

Christine Middlemiss, the UK's chief veterinary officer, said: "WOAH's recognition of the UK as negligible risk for BSE is a significant milestone and is a testament to the UK's strong biosecurity measures and the hard work and vigilance of farmers and livestock keepers across the country who have all played their part in managing the spread of this disease.