Violin Forum/Message Board

[Mat Roop]

In the June issue of strings Magazine there is an article on Ivory...
I quote....
".... listed under the Endangered Species Act, nearly stops the importation of elephant ivory acquired after Feb 26, 1976, except ivory imported as part of a sport-hunted trophy"
It is the except part that got to me! Elephants are an endangered species and yet there is permission for sport hunting them????!

What am I missing???

Maybe all luthiers should get together and go on a single legal hunt, get a couple of tusks everyone take enough for a few bow tips, have them certified as legal then when transporting the bow, who's to know which ivory is which?
... not really suggesting that, but it is a loophole??

What a lack of vision with the politicians... but then what do I know.
Cheers, Mat

[wm_crash]

I believe the cutoff date was changed to some date in 2014. See this story:

http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/newark-officials-seize-budapest-orchestras-violin-bows/

I am not a big fan of CITES ever since my aquarium fish breeding days. Take a species whose habitat is being wiped out to make a mall and a parking lot, list it as endangered, and thereby prevent fish keepers from maintaining the said species and saving it from extinction.

cheers,
wm_crash, the friendly hooligan

[Dave Chandler]