do they really know about "supply & demand" and culture??

I found out about this recently. Nice PR move but how does this really impact "supply and demand" of illegal ivory except make the price go higher and thus emboldening the poachers to take higher risks?? The demand is there in various cultures who probably don't give a s*** if they kill off the last elephant or rhino and give the U.S. and the other "enlightened" countries who have done these "crush" events (I'm assuming probably Canada and some of the W. European nations) both middle fingers behind our collective backs.

It would be much better to create some sort of legal ivory market (although it would be more difficult than say antler harvesting because antlers grow back every year and ivory not—rhinos horns probably slowly) because the demand isn’t going away (you might be able to shame one of the principal cultural offenders but the other 2 I don’t think will ever change). So instead of crushing this confiscated illegal ivory sell it and use the money to make anti-poaching operations more effective or use it to operate Anglo North American and European anti-poaching teams that are hosted/allowed to operate by affected countries that don’t have the resources or the political non-corruptible will to accomplish the mission. Somehow I don’t think the U.S. officials quoted in this article would back me on this idea…

United States Destroys Confiscated Elephant Ivory in Times Square

I agree with you. No point in crushing it. They should regulate the hunting the same way they do here. Or establish more natural preserve space. I feel that if they offered some legal form of supply, it will probably be better for the elephants/rhinos in the end.

I'm with you on this one! I don't understand the logic behind "crush" and gone for ever. I don't like poaching of any kind and elephants, all animals should be protected and managed as a habitat resource. If a elephant dies (naturally like we do as well), shouldn't the Ivory then be recovered and utilized. I'm thinking more about as art work that, has been done for hundreds (thousands) of years now!

< shrugs > It's a staged political event to draw attention to " the cause".

Personally, i find the PITA events more amusing to watch.

Originally Posted by webuyselltradestuff

I just saw an article where someone was going to 3D PRINT basically genetically identical ivory and flood the market with it to drive the value out....pretty interesting thing if they can make it where it is impossible to detect without a specific genetic marker for instance

I think that would be some kind of miracle. You know how many years they have been trying to reproduce the stuff? Any 3D printer I have seen feeds plastic ... cheesy plastic at that.

Although, on an episode of Grey's Anatomy they were printing organs. Maybe there is something to that after all :O

Yeah, I always thought that 3D printing was basically making stuff out of plastic. So how does one make bone (ivory) with a printer? What are the input materials; powdered calcium, phosphorus, etc. and then "baked"?? And bone is a fairly simple organ to make compared to something like a kidney. I think making anything living or near living (like dried bone) with a 3D printer is (at least for a while) just someone thinking outloud...

3D printing is a "spin-off" technology transfer, originally developed by NASA to make critically needed parts in space. Some are plastic, but many are not, mostly made of non-metals like ceramics. The first 3D gun was made last year, all non metal parts (Home Land Security?).