Elephant tusks

[tikka2506]

Question, my boss has asked if there is anything he can do with elephant tusks, (i think he is looking to sell them if it is legal to do so) they belonged to his father who died a year or so ago.

 

[John Gryphon]

Find the right Chinaman and they will bring in a poultice of dough.

 

[rick6point5]

I believe they need to be of a certain age to be legal in the real world, better if he has provenance for them, and as per the last post from john speak to the Chinese they love whole carveable tusks, pay 'top dollar'.

 

[Safari Hunter]

They need to be pre 1947 or need to be worked. ie.carved. The Chinese are more interested in Rhino horn.
Take a look at Taxidermy Law
Cheers
Adrian

 

[rick6point5]

The Chinese are equally interested in both, but command very different prices, the rhino horn is medicinal the ivory is especially for religious/talisman carvings only

 

[John Gryphon]

I believe they need to be of a certain age to be legal in the real world, better if he has provenance for them, and as per the last post from john speak to the Chinese they love whole carveable tusks, pay 'top dollar'.

Throw in sister for one more!

 

[african jack]

Hunters were allowed to import trophy tusks with a Cites certificate but not sell or trade them don't know if this still stands

 

[sussex stalker]

Should be able to find what you need here, they are very helpful for a goverment organisation!!
http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/imports-exports/cites/

 

[Hayduke]

Highland bagpipe makers would certainly be interested - if they are legal - they are highly sought after in pipe mounts. I wouldn't sell to Chinese as they are driving rhino etc extinction.

 

[sikamalc]

Ivory is not allowed to be sold as it is covered by CITIES.

However you may get an exemption permit if it was collected prior to a certain date which I believe has been mentioned in a previous post. But this would be prior to the last war I believe. Any ivory collected after this date is covered under law, and you are not allowed to barter, exchange or sell or offer for sale any CITIES 1 animal.

 

[willie_gunn]

Further to Sikamalc's post, the FAQ section on the DEFRA page mentioned above is useful when it comes to CITES. A customer of mine regularly ships products that are subject to CITES, and you definitely don't want to fall foul of the regulations!

Does the age of the specimen/object matter?

In most cases No – however it can be relevant in the case of antiques i.e. “worked items” which were carved or worked prior to March 1947; it may also be relevant if your specimen was brought into the EU prior to the implementation of the regulations or prior to that particular specimen being listed in the Annexes.

The more information you are able to supply about your specimen the more chance we have of being able to process your application to a successful conclusion.

If you obtained the specimen a long while ago, or you have inherited it, you may not be able to prove the date you acquired it. Please contact us, as we may be able to suggest ways in which its acquisition date can be determined. For example, it is possible for experts to give an approximate date which will be good enough for us to be able to determine if it pre-dates its listing on CITES, or whether it meets the antiques derogation.

Why not just contact them?

Email us ((wildlife.licensing@ahvla.gsi.gov.uk) or telephone 0117 372 8774.

Let us know how it goes

willie_gunn

 

[Hedgehopper]

Ivory is not allowed to be sold as it is covered by CITIES.

However you may get an exemption permit if it was collected prior to a certain date which I believe has been mentioned in a previous post. But this would be prior to the last war I believe. Any ivory collected after this date is covered under law, and you are not allowed to barter, exchange or sell or offer for sale any CITIES 1 animal.

The cut off date for ivory that can sold is pre 1 June 1947. The reason for this date is that nothing can be carbon dated beyond 1947 as caesium levels in the atmosphere rocketed due to al the nuclear testing that started taking place back then. Too much background radiation for carbon dating to work and therefore we can only tell if Ivory was harvested before or after this date. Doesn't help the discussion much but an interesting fact I thought.

Hedgehopper