Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Bravo, Ebay!

Yielding to Conservationists, eBay Will Ban Ivory Sales

Online auction sites have become primary facilitators of the illegal trade in endangered animals and products derived from them. Ebay has now put the brakes on that:

...In response to growing pressure from international law enforcement agencies and conservation groups, eBay, the online auction giant, announced Monday that it would ban all commerce in ivory, including most heirlooms, to avoid providing a market that will encourage the slaughter of endangered elephants...

Congrats go to the International fund for Animal Welfare. From the IFAW website:

...IFAW applauds eBay’s decision to institute a global ban on the sale of elephant ivory products by 1 January 2009 and calls on all other internet traders to follow their example...Announced just hours before the release of IFAW’s latest investigative report - "Killing with Keystrokes" - showing Internet trade in wildlife poses a significant and immediate threat to the survival of elephants, this decision is a very important step to help protect them. eBay has set the standard for protecting elephants, now governments and other online dealers need to follow their example...

You can download the IFAW's report here.

You can thank Ebay, here.

1 comment:

Yewtree said...

I sent a thank-you email - I think it is important for big companies to hear from people when they do something good.