In this I follow your correspondent, antique dealer Michael Baggott, who consistently deploys reason not sentiment in arguing to preserve antique ivory with its historic social and economic value.
The government proposes an ivory regulation that fails to tackle meaningfully ivory poachers and dealers in illicit post-1947 ivory.
Letters to my member of parliament and responses to the consultation questionnaire proposed real, radical robust action to protect the species.
Namely, deployment of government drones that could identify and protect all the herds of elephants and to collect evidence to indict poachers.
In real time, that ‘radical robust action’ would decimate and eliminate elephant poaching gangs in short order. A sales ban shall not, indeed cannot.
Predictably, all responses follow the government line that indemnifies museums and musicians but entraps and taxes private owners and dealers.
Rather than this bill, the government should deploy effective counter-measures to ivory poaching in real time.
Keith Piggott
St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex
