8th March 2013
A US proposal to outlaw the trade in polar bear products has failed, it was announced yesterday. At the Cites meeting in Bangkok, 38 countries voted in favour of the US proposal to end the export of polar bear products from Canada, who are currently the only nation allowing this. 42 nations voted against the ban, and 46 abstained from voting. As a result the export of polar bear skins, teeth and paws from Canada will continue unabated.