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How Does This Stop Poaching?

The government of Togo confiscated 4 tons of ivory that was headed for Vietnam. That was from 500 poached elephants. So I'm confused because the government said they were sending a message to the poachers by shredding all the tusks that the poachers have already been paid for. So now there's 500 fewer elephants and the ivory was destroyed. The poachers got paid and now there's still a big demand for ivory. Now if they shredded the poachers that would have sent a message..

Removing a rare item to destroy demand is flawed reasoning for sure. The government could have sold the ivory to museums and interested people for a large sums with the goal of funding habitat improvement and law enforcement. It is a sad state.

They should have just "booby trapped" the package and let it go.

I don't understand how destroying the ivory helps or deters poachers and or collectors. If it does please explain it to me? This may be way out in left field, but instead of destroying the ivory could they sell it and use the money for conservation efforts? I have heard the argument about not being able to tell if the ivory is legal or not, but with today’s technology and science there should be a way to tag the ivory as being legal. Last November U.S. government crushed 6 tons of ivory here in Colorado. Click a link to story in the Denver Post.

SlipShot, I agree. DNA technology is relatively inepensive and "portable" now. A small tissue sample from a legally killed elephant could be added to a "registry" and questionable ivory or ivory items checked against the registry.

Yeah I've always thought the same thing about bear gall bladders (big black market in the East). Since thousands of hunters legally kill bears in the USA every year, why not let the gall bladders be sold? Would eliminate any need for poachers to kill bears.

Destroying the tusks did virtually no good at all.

As stated, selling for $ to combat poachers would have done better.

Playing devil's advocate: in many of those countries the government is crooked (or perceived so). What's to prevent the poachers from killing elephants, then going thru the government for "confiscation" and then sold "legally" to museums, etc?

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