The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) set up a fake online ivory shop in Singapore, attracting widespread condemnation, in a stunt to underline local laws which it says continue to facilitate illicit ivory trade globally. A week after the launch of Ivory Lane, which purported to sell vintage ivory jewellery items through an online store and social media accounts, WWF unveiled it was behind the stunt. WWF said the campaign “sparked a heated debate on wildlife trade, national legislation and enforcement in Singapore” garnering 65,000 reactions on social media. Singapore banned the commercial import and export of ivory in 1990, although ivory that entered the market before 1990 is still permitted for sale in the city-state. WWF says this continues to facilitate illicit ivory trade globally as recently poached ivory could masquerade as vintage ivory.

Posted by

Reuters