A hub to be ashamed of

Few Asians even know it’s illegal to deal in ivory. Elephant tusks are carved into “live-a-long-time” sculptures in China, Madonnas in the Philippines and ostensibly spiritually enhancing bangles in Thailand, among other things. Monks and downtown shops all over Thailand are involved. Buddhist monks are supposed to have at least some consciousness about life around them – are they aware that much of the ivory they’re carving and selling comes from the teeth of elephants? 

Tens of thousands of elephants are killed each year, just for their dental protrusions. Whole families are decimated, their carcasses left to rot on the ground. Poachers use automatic weapons – or poisoned watermelons to avoid the noise – to supply a ready market, mainly in Asia. 

Elephants are virtually gone from the wild in Asia, and the situation in Africa is only a tad less dire. Even baby elephants are killed for their thin little tusks. Hard white plastic is a nearly identical material for making vanity products. So give elephants a break. If you collect ivory items, you are indirectly prompting men to go out and kill elephant families. Your grandkids will never get to see elephants in the wild. To Asians, it’s a yawning “So what, we can look at photos”.

Ken Albertsen

Chiang Rai