One-third of American ivory illegal

Instead of worrying so much about things like nonexistent terrorist plots in Miami, or overblowing cases of domestic eco-terrorism, it seems like Customs should be worried about enviro-terrorism of African and Indian elephants, if that much American ivory is illegal

A survey conducted for the groups Care For the Wild International and Save the Elephants found that more than 24,000 ivory articles are for sale in the United States, making it the second biggest market in the world after China.

The survey of 657 outlets in 16 US towns and cities found that “perhaps 7,400 ivory items, or nearly one-third of the total, may have been crafted after 1989 making their importation illegal.”

Nearly all of the ivory items in the United States, or 95 percent, come from China, according to the study’s author, Esmond Martin, who has dedicated his 30-year career to ivory trade research.

Maybe we should search again the holdings of former Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small, who got busted several years ago for violating the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species. Small paid a fine after being investigated as to the provenance of bird feathers in his collection of Amazonian items, and pleading guilty to violating CITES and the Endangered Species Act.