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Mammoth tusk trade threatens elephants, experts warn
Owing to permafrost melting, there is a growing trade in mammoth ivory.

Evidence that poached ivory is being intentionally mislabelled as mammoth ivory.

The trade in mammoth tusks poses a threat to elephants, experts have warned in a new report.

Around 60 tons a year of mammoth ivory is exported out of Siberia’s Sakha region. The majority of it is being sold to China, which is also the largest destination for illegal elephant ivory.

Mammoth ivory is similar to elephant ivory, especially when cut into smaller pieces. There is evidence that traders are intentionally mislabelling illegal elephant tusks as mammoth tusks in order to sell them.

Luke Hauser, co-investigator on the study, explained: “The first mammoths appeared in Africa around five million years ago, and radiated into at least ten species; all originating from the same family of modern elephants, known as Elephantidae.

“Structurally, mammoth ivory is fundamentally identical to elephant ivory. Both have Schreger lines, which are distinct characteristics of the species.” 

Poachers in Africa kill an estimated 30,000 elephants a year for their tusks, despite conservation efforts to tackle the trade.

The international ivory trade is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an agreement to protect at-risk species. 

However, CITES does not currently cover mammoth ivory, allowing it to be bought and sold. A petition from Israel in 2019 to include woolly mammoth ivory was unsuccessful.

With climate change causing the Siberian permafrost to melt, more mammoth remains are being found. The financial rewards on offer from the ivory trade mean that often the tusks are taken with the rest of the remains left behind.

Dr Caroline Cox, lead researcher of the University of Portsmouth’s Ivory Project, said: “Instead of profiting from these new discoveries, we should be learning from them - how mammoths lived and how they died – to help protect their endangered relatives.”

The Ivory Project’s new report has been published in the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy.

Image (C) Shutterstock

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Prof Joanne Webster elected as Fellow of the Royal Society

News Story 1
 Joanne Webster, a professor of parasitic diseases at the RVC, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).

An infectious disease expert, Prof Webster is known for promoting a One Health approach to disease control.

She completed her doctoral research in zoonotic disease and parasite-host interactions, and has since earned widespread recognition for contributions to parasitology and global health.

Prof Webster said: "I am truly honoured, and somewhat stunned, to be recognised alongside such an exceptional group of scientists." 

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News Shorts
Germany FMD import restrictions eased

The UK government has lifted the import restrictions placed on FMD-susceptible commodities from Germany.

The decision comes after the country was recognised as foot-and-mouth disease free without vaccination on 14 May.

Imports of FMD-susceptible animals and their by-products from Germany were originally banned, after the country reported a case of FMD near Brandenburg in January. In March, the UK government permitted imports from outside of the outbreak zone.

Germany will now be able to import FMD-susceptible animals and their by-products into the UK, providing they meet other import conditions.

The decision follows rigorous technical assessment of measures in Germany. Defra says it will not hesitate respond to FMD outbreaks.