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The ivory trade was banned by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in 1989. However, illegal trade continues and as such researchers in India suggest that there is a continued need to characterize Asian elephant ivory and to be able to compare it with African ivory so that national and international laws can be implemented more effectively. Previously, Erich Raubenheimer and colleagues in the Department of Oral Pathology, Medical University of Southern Africa, established an ivory database that would allow law enforcers to trace the source of illegal ivory and so identify poorly managed game parks, particularly in Africa. However, the ivory of Asian elephants, of which half are found in India, is more prized than African ivory. It is only the males of the Asian elephant that has tusks and they are much smaller than those of its African counterpart. Despite the illegal price differential between continents, the ivory of African and Asian elephants is indistinguishable in superficial appearance, particularly once processed, so it is almost impossible to trace the origin of tusks or a piece of work. Now, Rina Rani Singh and Surendra Prakash Goyal of the Wildlife Institute of India, Param Pal Khanna and Pulok Kumar Mukherjee of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology both in Uttaranchal, and Raman Sukumarhave of the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, have used Schreger angle measurements of the natural ivory markings, elemental analysis in the form of X-ray fluorescence (XRF), inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS), as well as isotopic analysis to characterize ivory from the elephant species, Loxodonta africana and Elephas maximus. The team recorded the Schreger angles for African and Asian elephant ivory at three different points in the samples and found it to vary from 32 to 145 degrees in the Asian ivory and 30 to 153 degrees in the African samples. They next obtained preliminary elemental data using XRF, ICP-AES and ICP-MS and attempted to determine the source of origin of both types of ivory based on isotopic ratios of of carbon, nitrogen and strontium. Comparisons were made with references samples. The researchers conclude that a distinction between Asian and African ivory can be made using a combination of Schreger angle, the analytical techniques and isotope ratios, and that a database of samples would allow whole tusk, ivory pieces, powders and artefacts to be sourced. They suggest that the isotopic test would be most useful for wildlife managers and law enforcement authorities in helping to curb poaching. Related links:
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Live ivory, so much more beautiful |
