In the first few days of April, The United Kingdom introduced the Ivory Ban legislation, a proposed ban on Ivory sales that the government has newly surfaced. British Environment Secretary Michael Gove talked in a new press release that this ban will certainly aid the dying Elephant Species and that this proposed ban will be strict and fervent as a way to show urgency in the issue of Elephant poaching and tusk collecting for Ivory.

Though a majority of Ivory sales lead back from Asia, Europe is also well known for its legal and illegal Ivory market profits. Though an international pact was made in the 90s, Ivory sales are still prominent in the global community.  Elephant poaching has left almost 30,000 killed Elephants during the course of only a single year as recorded and African Savanna Elephants numbers were declined in extreme amounts, nearly 30 percent between the years of 2007 and 2014.  The UK’s ivory legal ivory trade is charted to be more than any other country. Consumer demand has increased in the UK, as well as allowing the UK to become a breeding ground of the illegal ivory trade nationally and internationally. The ban, if passed into law would be implemented on all ivory items except items made in or before 1947 with fewer than 10% ivory content or instruments made before 1975 with less than 20% ivory content. Also, rare antiques older than 100 years of age are permitted( If checked for authenticity by specialists) or special museum pieces.

Compared to the US Ivory Ban, the laws would be fairly more strict, a point environmentalists are enthusiastic about. Conservation efforts have been tirelessly working for this ban and when it was proposed, out of some 70,000 votes, a grand number of 88% voted in favor of the ban. Though it is still not written into stone,  when the ban is put in place,  it will be a great feat for the UK.