‘IVORY SHOP’ AN AWARENESS STUNT
WWF draws attention to legal loopholes in Singapore that allow sale of ivory items
AWILDLIFE charity set up a fake online ivory shop here, attracting widespread condemnation, in a stunt to underline local laws that it says continue to facilitate illicit ivory trade globally.
A week after the launch of Ivory Lane, which purported to sell vintage ivory jewellery through an online store and social media accounts, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on Tuesday unveiled it was behind the stunt.
It said the campaign “sparked a heated debate on wildlife trade, national legislation and enforcement in Singapore” garnering 65,000 reactions on social media.
Singapore banned the commercial import and export of ivory in 1990, although ivory that entered the market before 1990 is still permitted for sale in the city-state. WWF said this continued to facilitate illicit ivory trade globally as recently poached ivory could masquerade as vintage ivory.
The government was looking into implementing a domestic ban on the sale of ivory, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority said, adding that the implementation details were being worked out.
WWF’s investigations found more than 40 shops in Singapore selling ivory products and numerous online listings on popular ecommerce and classified platforms. In physical shops, WWF investigators said traders explained how to smuggle ivory across borders undetected, which they said showed how easily loopholes in the law could be misused.