It’s been six years since IFAW’s report, Under the Hammer, revealed the extent of ivory trade through Australian auction houses. It prompted a 2018 Parliamentary Inquiry and a recommendation that Commonwealth, states, and territories work together to implement a ban on Australia’s domestic ivory trade.
These governments made that commitment, but so far none have followed through. Meanwhile many other countries such as China, the UK, and France closed their domestic ivory markets.
In response to the Under the Hammer report, Leonard Joel worked with IFAW on a policy that would effectively ban the sale of rhino horn and ivory products through its rooms. Leonard Joel Managing Director, John Albrecht, said at the time “It is simply but profoundly a decision to play our part in disrupting the “value” of these items so that we can be sure in our minds that we no longer contribute to the slaughter-origin and so that our hearts are not of the cold connoisseur but rather that of the conservationist.”
Unfortunately, not all auction houses followed their progressive lead. While trade in ivory across international borders has been banned, domestic, unregulated markets continue to stimulate and legitimise demand for ivory and rhino horn. This potentially creates loopholes for illegal ivory and rhino horn to be traded legally within our borders and pushes those species closer to extinction.
African elephants lost 96 per cent of their populations and rhinos have crashed from 500,000 to 27,000 over the last century. The western black rhino and northern white rhino are now extinct in the wild.
On World Elephant Day in August this year, IFAW, together with the Humane Society International Australia and the Born Free Foundation renewed calls for the federal, state and territory governments to shut Australia’s domestic trade in ivory and rhino horn.
Each state and territory environment minister has been asked to take The Elephant Pledge, which entails:
1. Giving the Australian Government the power to enact national legislation that ensures a consistent and comprehensive ban on domestic trade in ivory and rhino horn.
2. Developing legislation in that minister’s jurisdiction to support this ban, where necessary.
3. Working to deliver a comprehensive national domestic trade ban in ivory and rhino horn by next year’s World Elephant Day – 12 August 2025.
The Federal Environment Minister, The Hon Tanya Plibersek, has also received the letter.
IFAW has worked towards disrupting supply and demand chains in ivory and rhino horn for decades and was instrumental in developing legislation and calling for policy change in markets that banned the trade, such as the UK, China, and France, among others.
We also work to reduce poaching in our Room to Roam campaign, which protects elephants and rhinos and empowers local human communities. Key players in the project are the rangers and community scout teams who protect wildlife from poachers. Through them, and their communities, we are able to strengthen the way animals are protected at grass-roots level, and work from there up to government and international legislation.
We know that 75 per cent of Australians support the call to shut down trade in ivory and rhino horns. It’s time Australian governments stepped up.
There are two things you can do:
1. Click here to sign The Elephant Pledge to show your state government your support.
2. Don’t sell ivory. To dispose of it, contact the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water or email wildlife.seizures@dcceew.gov.au
Rebecca Keeble, Regional Director – Oceania at International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
Top Image: © IFAW / B. Hollweg
October 2024