Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire My response to the new ban on elephant ivory

We took my wife's ivory bead necklace out of the jewelry box and are displaying it in our living room.

I can only hope the mahogany table was made from old growth in the rain forest.

I was watching the NBA ads against ivory artifacts (Elephant and Rhino) and was wondering what the fire would have to say about it. I am in favor of the ban because if not banned, the elephant and rhino would be killed off by the savages in Africa. The lion and other big cats are not far behind.

I am right there with ya, bro.

I am SO very glad to have a nice set of Bull Elephant Tusks in my entryway and a knife with its scales (handle) made from Bull Elephant Ivory. Gun cases and boots and a belt and a hat band made from Ele hide, too.

The bunnyhuggers are going WAYYYYY too far, and contrary to science and reason. But other than supporting SCI and NRA, I don't know what to do about it.

"conventional wisdom" said to wait until my kids were grown and gone before going on my safari's. I am glad that I struck out and followed my dreams when I did. I genuinely feel bad for those who have similar dreams which may never be fullfilled. The ban truly sucks, big time.

Before the ban is going into affect, I had legal ivory grips put on a Colt SAA.
Not sure the ban will work, lots of countries import the stuff.

Poachers for elephant ivory, oddly enough, are only a problem where hunting elephant is outlawed. Where it's legal and regulated, there's a market incentive to protect the elephants from poachers, thus poachers are too scared to operate there, and elephants flourish.

That said, throughout my childhood we had a beautifully carved ivory statue of St. Michael slaying a demon. While I was a teenager, it disappeared from our house, i.e., was stolen by someone who was a guest. No one knew who it was, because no one could say exactly when it disappeared, but it was a sort of family heirloom, previously belonging to my dad's parents, so it was quite a loss for us. I wonder where it is now.

The black market has always been there, and always will be. Now it's the only thing putting a value on the banned items, so there isn't an economic incentive for the law abiding to protect the animals.

The countries with a regulated hunting policy have excess numbers of Elephants. The well run countries and areas use the money from Elephant tag sales to benefit the local communities where the elephant was taken. This give the Elephants economic value such that poachers are not tolerated in the communities and the game dept's have the money to hire, supply and keep rangers or thier version of game "Warden's" on the ground and stopping the poaching.

The very BEST thing that could help Elephant populations is to have well organized and controlled hunting with the money from that industry used for patrols and local development and benefits.

okie you need to lay off the coolaid. if there is no value placed on elephant or rhino via sports mans dollars then they are doomed. enviro don't put their money where their mouth is. only with a value will the animals survive. sportsman are the ones that brought the white rhino back from the brink.

Yep.

Had these for years.

You are correct in your points. I have first hand seen it both ways. A large overgrown herd of Elephants can - and will - turn a lush forest into a barren moonscape. This is happening at an alarming rate already and the ban is going to excasperate this mess.

Safariman's point has been proven time after time in more than one country; when hunting of these animals is allowed but regulated it behooves the locals to help protect them. The money from the hunters goes into the local economy (guides, trackers, etc.) and the locals still get the meat. It's a no-brainer.

it is my understanding that the money from an elephant hunt, was used to hire game wardens who caught poachers. With the bans, there is no money for enforcement. Liberals should have their nuts cut out when they try and think.

A while back, Nat Geographic had a long article about elephant poaching. Even the left wing, global warming advocate NG said that legal hunting is beneficial for the reasons stated above.

Agreed on all parts, and you have your story and understanding absolutely 100% correct. And Navl8r is spot on, too.

Point in fact, here is an Elephhant deconstruction vrew of locals taking apart one of my Elephants immediately after I shot him and took the parts I and the camp wanted:



That Elephant, minutes before the 'crew' descended upon him:



My entryway:


The bucket that I keep my fireplace tools in:



Take away a hunters ability to bring these things home (even though it took me two years to get the permits to do so) and you take away a great deal of the incentive for the hunters to go over and spend their money in the region.

Somewhat out of nowhere but here goes:

bout 10 years ago, a good buddy of mine and his wife were touching up some landscaping around their sidewalk.
As they dumped the contents of a bag of Kmart potting soil into a wheel barrow, out falls a small very neatly carved elephant effigy. Presumed it to be ivory. About 1 inch tall by 2 inches long.

Damndest thing.... She put in her curio cabinet.

Sorry to hijack but this thread made me remember that.

I'm convinced. Free-enterprise is the solution. I should have know this . . .

I don't remember when or where this was done, but an article I read recently showed a huge pile of elephant tusks that had been confiscated because of such laws. They were going to destroy the whole lot of them.
WTH; they had already been confiscated from the poachers or dealers as contraband, so my thinking is that they should have been sold and the proceeds used toward conservation of these animals.
What a waste! Of course that is the government way of doing things - no common sense!

Myron

In spades.

Say ten "Hail the all powerful and perfect Mauser" verses and light 416 candles to the memory of the late John Rigby and you shall be forgiven.... THIS ONCE!

I don't believe this. Do you have any evidence that can sustain your claim?